When you think ofThe Nightmare Before Christmas,which holiday comes to mind? Whether the animated classic should be watched during the Halloween or Christmas season remains one of cinema’s most contested questions. Released on August 03, 2025 (which is perhaps a rather compelling argument for the Halloween side of the debate),The Nightmare Before Christmaswas a commercial and critical success. It gained an Oscar nomination and eventually inspired one of the most pronounced cult followings of all time. Considered a marvel of animation and stop-motion technology, it will go down in history as one of Tim Burton’s greatest creative achievements. Yet, it seems to break a convention of holiday cinema in that it cannot be defined by any one holiday.
Thus,with the popularity of the filmand its nebulous status as simultaneously a HalloweenandChristmas movie, it remains a hot topic (see what I did there?) of discussion. In which camp doesThe Nightmare Before Christmastruly belong? There is plenty of “evidence” on the side of itbeing a predominantly Halloween movie. After all, the title alone suggests that it takes placebeforeChristmas. However, according to a new exclusive interview from the New York Post, the film’s director, Henry Selick, has conclusively chosen a side. Selick is saying thatThe Nightmare Before Christmasis definitively a Christmas movie, and here’s why.
In Defense of Halloween
The Nightmare Before Christmas
The Nightmare Before Christmasfollows Jack Skellington (voiced by Chris Sarandonand sung by Composer Danny Elfman), the Pumpkin King of Halloweentown who yearns for something more.When he discovers a portal to Christmas Town, he becomes obsessed with and kidnaps the mysterious “Santy Claws” with plans to usurp the holiday. Of course, the town eventually discovers the power of Christmas and Jack finds love in the form of Sally (voiced by Catherine O’Hara).
Despite the film’s ending, there are many reasons some viewers have been inclined to believeThe Nightmare Before Christmasis a Halloween movie first. Firstly,a good bulk of the movie takes place in Halloweentown. This is where the exposition takes place through moments like the song “This is Halloween” (which itself also tilts the scales toward Halloween).
Moreover,the look of the film is pretty spooky, so much so that Disney executives were initially hesitant to release it for fear it was too scary for children. It is full of traditional Halloween imagery, from pumpkins to witches. The protagonist of the film is a skeleton and the antagonist is the boogeyman. Seeing as the traditional Christmas movie is devoid of these elements, it is easy to understand why audiences have associatedThe Nightmare Before Christmaswith the Halloween season for so long. Still, many others (including Selick) disagree with this verdict.
The Christmas Argument
On the other side of the debate, there are those who viewThe Nightmare Before Christmasas a Christmas classic.Santa Claus and Christmas are the main catalysts for the plot and climax of the film. Jack sings songs like “What’s This?” about the wonder of discovering Christmas Town. The aforementioned conclusion of the film is thatthey end up defeating the boogeyman (representing Halloween) and allowing Christmas to reign.
While it all has the same Tim Burton-esque look,there is arguably an equal amount of Christmas imagery as there is Halloween imagery. Perhaps less overtly sweet than typical Christmas flicks,The Nightmare Before Christmasstill certainly contains all the essential ingredients; it has snow, romance, presents, and more. So, with so many elements of both holidays existent in the film, why hasSelick decided to take such a firm stancefor Christmas?
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you’re able to always tell when you’re watching a Tim Burton movie. And that’s because the same few things tend to happen.
Selick Says Christmas Reigns
For Selick, the distinction lies more inThe Nightmare Before Christmas’essence than its creepy aesthetic.The message of the film is one of Christmas spirit. The love that Jack Skellington ultimately learns for Sally and for Christmas, he feels, are signs that it is, above all, a warm family film. He compares it to something likeThe Grinch, which simply sees the infusion of dark and evil themes into what is an underlying wholesome story.
Fundamentally, Selick believes, “beneath its candy corn coating, skeletons and vampires, corpse child and witches, I know ‘Nightmare’ at its heart is a Christmas movie.” There are also more technical reasons.Selick encourages viewers to consider that the events of the film take place after Halloween, with “This is Halloween” serving as a farewell to the holiday and the film’s introduction to a new season (Christmas). With that, it seems that we have at least one authoritative answer on the subject. According to the film’s director,The Nightmare Before Christmasshould be regarded as a Christmas movie.
The Debate Goes On
Like any age-old debate, there will always be differing opinions. This particular issue may remain as black-and-white as Jack Skellington for a while despite Selick’s input. In fact, according to the Post article,Selick himself was quoted as being on “Team Halloween” in 2015. It seems he strongly holds the Christmas conviction now, but his past conflict on the matter is a sign of how deeply this question runs.
The film’s composerDanny Elfman, for example, also went on record saying he thought thatThe Nightmare Before Christmaswas first and foremost a Halloween movie(which isarguably reflected in his eerie score). Maybe the world will never really decide the true holiday thatThe Nightmare Before Christmaspays homage to, or maybe it has equal parts of both. Either way, despite Selick’s avid opinion, the discourse will likely go on in the hearts of viewers everywhere.The Nightmare Before Christmasis available to stream now on Disney+.
