The Nightmare Before Christmas
Hey – remember when Tim Burton wasn’t all predictably psychotic and didn’t remake movies with lackluster results? Yes, I realize I’m showing my age here, but Jack Skellington was essentially my first foray into horror. The Nightmare Before Christmas might be a kid’s movie and might not be scary at all, but still, there’s so much classic horror inspiration found in Burton’s story.
We almost had an animated sequel in 2001 as well, but thankfully Tim was able to convince Disney to leave his story (which was directed by Henry Selick) as one, pure experience. Can’t say I’ve been agreeing with any of Burton’s choices lately, but he definitely deserves a thumbs up for preserving Skellington.
Mixing the holidays of Christmas and Halloween in a stop-motion children’s tale, we had an absolute blast watching excited boys and girls opening evil presents Christmas morning, and were scared to death by Santa Skellington being shot down by the military. There’s no way this can get better, right? Wrong – Danny Elfman’s original score. It’s impossible to hear the beginning of “This Is Halloween” and not get goosebumps, as it’s since become an unofficial anthem for the actual holiday.
There’s a reason The Nightmare Before Christmas is respected and worshiped in a cult-like fashion by people of all ages. Seriously, there are some ridiculous Skelington tattoos and whatnot out there, and while I’m not one of those die-hard fans (saving my tattoo for when I get ballsy enough to imitate Bill Paxton’s character in Aliens), I completely understand the absolute love for this twisted Christmas tale.