Christmas or Halloween? That’s the big question. Personally, I believe that “The Nightmare Before Christmas” is a Halloween movie, mainly due to the characters and setting of the movie. 

Jack Skellington [the main character] is a skeleton, which arguably is a Halloween character. Oogie Boogie [the film’s main antagonist] is a burlap sack filled with spiders and insects, and has a snake for a tongue. You can’t just put a Santa hat on him and call him a Christmas character. 

Also don’t even get me started on the setting. The majority of the movie takes place in Halloween Town, the town is literally named after Halloween. In the movie, Jack does travel down to Christmas Town through a tree and in this he tries to play as Santa. Only after he had already kidnapped Santa, mind you. I think the idea of kidnapping Santa also makes it a Halloween horror movie. However, some will argue that due to the fact that it revolves around Santa Claus that it is a Christmas movie. 

Honestly, I don’t understand this argument. How can you look at a 7-ft skeleton with a Frankenstein girlfriend and her mad scientist creator and call this a Christmas movie? Again, you can’t just put Santa hats on things and throw some lights up and call it a Christmas movie. 

It doesn’t work like that. 

The best part about this movie is that it is Halloween but also has some Christmas elements. Honestly, I would entertain the argument you could call it both…but if you have to pick between Halloween and Christmas, it’s Halloween. 

Even though this is a Halloween movie, I started watching this movie in September and I will watch it all the way through the new year and honestly, I believe that the best part about the movie is that you can watch it for 4 months straight.