The Nightmare Before Christmas - A Film Review

I was fooling around on the telly a couple of nights back, wondering what to reserve for my weekend movie, when I spotted that Tim Burton's 'The Nightmare Before Christmas' was in the TV schedule. Without further ado, I fiddled with the remote control and had it recorded. It was yesterday when I got round to watching it, and today I shall write my very own review of this timeless classic.


The movie poster for this classic Christmas/Halloween film.

For those of you who don't know already, 'The Nightmare Before Christmas' follows one Jack Skellington in his quest to take Christmas for his own. Discontent with Halloween Town and its associated holiday season, the Pumpkin King yearns to escape the cycle and add his own touch to a different season altogether. Helped by an elected official of no use, a professor of science and a girl held together by questionable stitching, he attempts to kidnap 'Sandy Claws' and steal Christmas for his own! Muhahahaha...

I have to say, I like the story. The idea of a lonely skeleton bored with life (if you can call a dead thing's existence a 'life') trying to invade the festive season is a peculiar one to say the least, and that's before you've even seen the first five minutes.
   Those first five minutes make for some of the most entertaining animated film I have ever had the fortune (or misfortune) to see. Pumpkins impaled on spikes, ghostly figures across the moon and a bizarre array of vampires, witches and demon scarecrows all flash across the screen in those ingenius five minutes, and a tune of magnificent creepiness and delight graces the ears. Now I am not the biggest fan of musical numbers, especially in the middle of films, because they're always horribly cheesy and terrible. Remember Aladdin, folks. 'A Whole New World' should have been cut out of the reel altogether. If ever I get hold of the original, then I shall cut it out personally.
   Anyways, I'm not usually a fan of sing-alongs in movies, but for this I make an exception. Through the whole film, there are occasional snippets of sing-song stuff and bats flying about to a beat. The difference here is that it really adds a lot to the film. Having a bunch of hunchbacked zombies marching around singing 'We all hail to the Pumpkin Song' really made me sit up and grin in fascinated horror.
   The rest of the film is very similar. With a smattering of custom-written songs chucked in to spice up the whole mixture, it is brought to life by fantastic little characters and scenes that are all full of surprises (See that curly hill in the movie poster? It's not actually stationary.). After about ten minutes, you start anticipating the weird surprises that lurk under each and every coffin lid and inside the abandoned cello sitting in the corner. This is possibly best seen when the Halloween-ers are all making their own collection of presents to drop into children's bedrooms. My favourite is the snake. Watch it and see.
   It's the unpredictability of it all that really ensnares me. That 'what's in that closet?' sort of feeling had me sitting stock still. It creeped me out at points. It was the bathtub with legs that finally picked me up and tossed me over the cliffs of sanity to meet the roaring sea of madness. I really didn't expect that one.

So, as to when this film could be watched. It could be classed as either of two genres - Horror or Holiday. I'm inclined to lean towards Holiday Horror. It could be watched at Christmas or Halloween, depending on your mood. That's when I would think it most logical to watch it. But suit yourselves. See it anytime you want to get seriously weirded out.

The final review is here.
I'll give it a well-deserved eight of ten (8/10). An awesome mix of slightly scary animated characters, really weird scenery and a good solid plot makes it a favourite holiday film of mine. You're constantly on the edge of your seat looking out for the next surprise. It is truly a very Tim Burtonesque film, and well worth a watch.
Therefore, if it's on the TV, then WATCH IT!