'Nightmare Before Christmas' Director Settles Debate: Is It A Christmas Movie Or A Halloween Flick?!

It’s something we’ve all wondered: Is The Nightmare Before Christmas technically a Halloween movie or a festive flick?

Sure, it’s set Before Christmas, but the beloved family film is chock-a-block with disturbing imagery, creepy creatures and a character who literally eats people (Oogie Boogie is one scary guy!)

While we’ve heard a slew of arguments for it representing either holiday, there’s no opinion we’d trust more than the man behind the film: director Henry Selick.

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In a recent interview with ComicBook.com, Selick gave a (somewhat) definitive answer to end the debate.

“When Tim Burton came up with this original idea in the 80’s at Disney, when it was intended to be a half-hour TV special in stop-motion, at the very beginning, I saw it as a mashup – that it’s both,” he explained.

“When we actually made the film as a feature, I might have tended to answer one way, but I’ve arrived at [Burton’s] original feeling. It is a mashup. It is a perfect collision between those two holidays.”

“It’s a great celebration of Halloween that can last all the way into Christmas.”

That last line makes us think it’s more of a Halloween movie than anything, but who are we to disagree with Henry!

Since its release in 1994, the film has become a staple of both holidays, but has yet to have any sequels (surprisingly).

While we haven’t seen more of the story established in the original film, we have had Billie Eilish performing as Sally in a 2021 live performance… so we can’t really complain!

Watch that here:

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