It’s that time of year. The shops are all busy, the adverts are kicking in to high gear, and everyone thinks that you’re miserable if you’re not wearing an awful jumper. What better to get you in to spirit of the festive season than a charming stop motion classic filled with zombies, vampires, and showtunes?
One of the most subversive children’s films ever made, The Nightmare Before Christmas stars Jack the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town, as he stumbles on something strange and new - Christmas. Jack convinces the rest of the ghoulish citizens of Halloween town to remake Christmas in their own demented image. This involves stockings filled with snakes, skeletal reindeer pulling a coffin sleigh, and of course the kidnapping of “Sandy Claws”. Not your traditional festive film then.
So how has Nightmare endeared itself to so many, and why was it the first choice in my house on December 1st? It has a lot to do with the warped imagination of Tim Burton, who didn’t direct the film due to other commitments but whose grubby black fingerprints are all over the film. The way the rooftops of Halloween Town are crooked like witches’ hats, the black and white palate, the maggots and worms and muck and slime, the aesthetic is vintage Burton. From Batman and Beetlejuice, to Willy Wonka and Wonderland, Tim Burton has become one of Hollywood’s most bankable filmmakers, and Nightmare takes us back to his roots, before computers could do everything, and films were stitched, glued, and nailed together.
The characters in Nightmare are just as dysfunctional and grungy as the town in which they live. Jack is a thin and towering figure who would make anyone jump out of their skin if crossed in a dark alley. He is the toast of Halloween Town, but he wants more, and once he sets his mind on recreating Christmas, nothing can sway him from his delusional quest. Sally is the creation of the nefarious doctor, all she wants is to leave his laboratory and experience the world, where she falls hopelessly in love with Jack. Sally is timid and shy, and seemingly the only one who sees the folly in Jack’s plan, it is one of the film’s highlights seeing her come into her own in the final act. There is also the fiendish Oogie Boogie, his trick or treat triplets, and the Mayor who is an elected official and so cannot be expected to make decisions. Burton’s world is completely full of characters who look like they leapt off the cover of his highschool notebook and onto the screen, and while some of their antics might seem horrific (the Clown with the tearaway face?!), it is all done with such creativity, imagination, and spirit, that you find yourself laughing at the ridiculousness of it all.
Nightmare is not just a treat for the eyes, but also the ears. Danny Elfman’s soundtrack (and lead vocals) is filled with catchy tunes you will find yourself humming for days afterwards. My personal favourite is the gleefully insane “Kidnap the Sandy Claws”, where the terrible trick or treat trio discuss diabolical means with which to capture jolly old St Nick. Elfman’s tunes will make you laugh, but they also pack an emotional punch, particularly “Jack’s Lament”, as the Pumpkin King longs for something more. Perhaps its my untuned ear, but there are times that I don’t quite catch the lyrics to the songs, however as this is a film which merits rewatching, I’ll know all the words by next Christmas.
Why is Nightmare such a firm favourite for Christmas? It is unique, it is funny, and it has heart. It doesn’t matter that its rough around the edges, or that its grotesque (in fact that might be why a lot of kids love it), and it doesn’t even matter if Jack never finds out what Christmas means. Nightmare is all about being with the ones you love and appreciating what you have, and as I sat with my housemates watching the film, it occurred to me that really is what Christmas is about.
WHO: Jack the Pumpkin King, an iconic figure and great company.
WHAT: Halloween Town, what I imagine the inside of Burton’s head looks like.
WHY: Because it’s Christmas!
WHEN: You’ve got to fit it in somewhere between Elf, Die Hard, and Love Actually!
(Artwork from: http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/nightmare-before-christmas/images/32328036/title/nightmare-before-christmas-fanart)
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