Is "The Nightmare Before Christmas" a Halloween movie? Is it a Christmas movie? It seems like an appropriate watch anytime between October and the end of the year, I guess that is why Disneyland re-themes The Haunted Mansion to it for a full quarter of the year.
The film is full of classic songs (I guess that makes it another musical I do like), but I would say that none is better for a Halloween soundtrack than this one. It's creepy, catchy, and really one of the few songs that have appeared, or will appear, on this list that is really, truly a Halloween song.
As proof of it's iconic status, we of course have covers, like this (for my money anyway) overrated Marilyn Manson version:
Or this (again, just my opinion) MUCH better cover by Panic At The Disco:
Or we can class it up with this cover by Vitamin String Quartet:
And of course I have to throw in a dubstep version:
For day six we're going back to the creepy, but we're also going animated with a movie that has become something of a cultural phenomenon over the years (at least it is if you regularly shop at Hot Topic). This film is probably the most merchandised of all of the films on my list with toys, video games, board games, clothes, accessories, perfume, and even a theme park ride based on it. Check under your bed, and then check out:
The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
It's a Christmas movie! No, it's a Halloween movie! No, it's two, two, two holiday films in one! When the inhabitants of Halloween Town discover the doorway to Christmas Town they find it impressive. Really impressive. So fantastically impressive that they decide to steal it. They kidnap Santa, and decide to run the holiday themselves.
Of course the ghoulish inhabitants of Halloween Town completely miss the point of Christmas (that would be secular Christmas, I'm sure the film would never have been made has it addressed the religious aspects of the holiday), and end up put their own hideous spin on it. Things go horrifically wrong when Jack Skellington decides to play Santa himself, and he realizes that maybe he's just not cut out for this whole Christmas thing, but can he free Santa an put things right again?
A great film for people who find “Gremlins” to be a bit too extreme for the young ones, but still like a little horror with the holly jolly. The stop-motion animation is fantastic, and the character designs are creepily beautiful. Throw on some really memorable songs and great voice acting and you have yourself a holiday(s) classic.
