Is 'The Nightmare Before Christmas' a Christmas or a Halloween Movie? We Put the Debate to Rest

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When it comes to holiday movies, it's pretty easy to recognize which special day the film is acknowledging. The Santa Clause? Prepare yourself for a night full of gingerbread cookies and eggnog. Hamilton on Disney+? Save it for when you're planning a Fourth of July movie marathon. But there are some holiday films that seemingly defy categorization. Case in point: The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Sure, you may have developed your own thoughts about this 1993 Disney classic. But for many viewers, this movie has been a catalyst for contention. The title alone leads you to believe you're about to watch a Christmas movie — and I get why some think it is, with the main character scheming to take over a town fueled by the spirit of the most wonderful time of the year. But when said main character is Jack Skellington, the king of a town that's all about Halloween? Now you may be wondering if you've been watching this film at the wrong time of year this whole time...

This movie has sparked a debate that has long divided fans, so I'm here to settle it once and for all.

Is The Nightmare Before Christmas a Christmas or Halloween film?

Let's take a look at the reasons it may be considered a Christmas movie. Those on Team Christmas will tell you that the holiday spirit is apparent throughout the course of the entire movie. In fact, even though the Halloween characters aren't familiar with Christmas, they're clearly all affected and moved by it. So if you're counting, that's Team Christmas: 1 point.

Another point for The Nightmare Before Christmas being a Christmas film: the timeline. Although the majority of the movie takes place between Halloween and Christmas (meaning... November?), die-hard fans will tell you that the climax of the story actually happens on Christmas Eve. That means, timing-wise, the movie is ideal to watch during the holiday season.

But let's not forget those who believe The Nightmare Before Christmas is the perfect Halloween movie. There is some decent evidence to support this theory, beginning with the fact the movie is set in a Halloween-centric town, with its creepy residents being the film's main players. Coupled with the fact there are no songs dedicated to Christmas in the movie but three dedicated to Halloween? That's not exactly in line with the Christmas spirit. Toss in the fact the movie premiered on October 29, 1993 (just two days before Halloween!), and that's all good reason to believe this movie should sit staunchly in the Halloween canon.

But here's the most important piece of info: Those closely involved with making the film actually believe the movie has closer ties to Halloween than Christmas. In a 2019 interview with USA Today, composer Danny Elfman sided with Team Halloween, saying, "It's obviously about Christmas, but for me, it's a Halloween movie." And when director Henry Selick was asked this question during a Q&A at the 2015 Colorado Telluride Horror Show film festival, he answered with four words: "It's a Halloween movie."

I don't think it can't get any more clear than that: The Nightmare Before Christmas is the ultimate Halloween movie.

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