the nightmare before christmas

Written by i j

Thursday, 18 February 2010 15:45

Marissa Macabre has sent us a new movie review (thanks a lot for your cooperation), this time she talks about…

The Nightmare Before Christmas

by Marissa Macabre (aka Marissa Jamieson)

If anyone epitomizes the gothic film flair the best, it would be Tim Burton. Instead of lumping all of his movies together under one blow-out article, I decided to break them all down, one by one. Bar none, “The Nightmare Before Christmas” always pleases the masses and takes the decadent cake.

“The Nightmare Before Christmas,” also known as TNBC, hit the theaters in 1993. It was the first premiere stop-motion picture show, an art that was still relatively new to our 20^th century eyes. Although the façade of TNBC was to be a kid’s movie, so to speak, it ended up gleaning a cult following for years to come. Next time you’re at the mall, take a look around your Hot Topic store—lots of TNBC merch lurks in the shop corners. Skeleton Jack’s sinister grin greets the avid fan on clothing, messenger bags, shoes, and even jewelry.

Aside from propaganda and devilish marketing, TNBC truly is worth its salt. The film begins with an opening sequence of a narrator leading the viewer to a spot in the woods. The narrator glosses through the different trees, each one with a door on them leading to a different holiday land. You see a door for Valentine’s, Thanksgiving, Easter, Christmas, and then Halloween.

The Halloween door bursts open and we enter the paranormal world of Halloween Town. The first song “This is Halloween” helps to set the stage in this montage of characters lying therein. You see witches, bats, a werewolf, vampires, creatures that hide under beds and in closets, as well as Mr. Oogey Boogey, a faceless clown, and the shadow on the moon. By far, the Halloween sequence is my favorite, perhaps because of the humorous lyrics such as what the witches sing, “Aren’t you scared? Well, that’s just fine. Say it once; say it twice. Take a chance, and roll the dice. Fly with the moon in the dead of night.”

All of that to say, the true gothic protagonist Jack Skellington soon emerges at the finale of the “This is Halloween” song. He is a tortured, pensive soul, accompanied by his trusty companion Zero, a ghostly canine with a red-lit nose. Despite Jack’s excitement for that year’s Halloween celebration, he feels gloomy and needs a moment to himself. Skeleton Jack placates his woes with a soliloquy in the form of a song, “Jack’s Lament.” One of my favorite lines is, “And since I am dead, I can take off my head to recite Shakespearean quotations. No animal nor man can scream like I can in the fury of my recitations.” He literally takes his head off as an homage to the old bard.

Sometime after this mournful monologue, Jack wanders to the precipice of the forest with his dog in tact. He makes his way to the Holiday tree section and opens the door for Christmasland. As he spirals out of control into the snowy plane of existence, he encounters many perky characters. No ghouls were found or monsters in sight. Jack somehow devises a notion that he would like to return and play St. Nicholas after belting out, “What’s This?!” the tune for that scene.

Once Jack Skellington returns to Halloween Town, he gets the mayor to hold a town meeting where he explains the notion of Christmas. Earstwhile, the best supporting female character Sally is dealing with her own drama. See, she is the female version of Frankenstein’s monster, the gorgeous gothic queen. But she is usually taken hostage by Dr. Finklestein, a wheelchair-driven mad-man with a duck face. Sally has to subdue her captor by sedating him nightly with witchy potions utilizing herbs. And the beauty part is Sally is in love with Jack, whilst Dr. Finklestein is in love with her, albeit a controlling, abusive love. The sick love triangle sets Sally up for trouble, where she often has to unravel her limbs to be set free.

Sally longs for Jack, but he is consumed by his madness at recreating the mysteries of Christmasland. Stockings to be stuffed, gift boxes to be filled, and toys to be made baffle Jack. He’s used to Halloween décor, to say the least. Nevertheless, he rages on like a Martha Stewart maven, totally neglecting Sally.

If I keep going on with spoilers, it would ruin the surprises and delights of TNBC virgins. A few years ago, TNBC was rereleased to the theaters in 3-D, which I was very lucky catch. I am simply going to add that the music is fantastic, especially the “Oogey Boogey” song. Tim Burton and Danny Elfman released two CD’s for TNBC, a double-disc featuring Fiona Apple and Fall Out Boy, and the second called “Nightmare Revisited.” The latter is certainly a great investment if you can’t live without the songs. I highly recommend Evanescence’s Amy Lee’s version of “Sally’s Song.” Marilyn Manson does the “This is Halloween” cover on both CD’s, which could easily serve as the goth anthem for today’s world, much like Bauhaus’ “Bela Lugosi’s Dead” did in the 80’s.

To end on a bittersweet note, the final scene of Sally and Jack atop the pointed mountain looks very much like an Edward Gorey scene. It’s breathtaking and heartwarming, enticing the viewers to visit Halloween Town in their demented dreams.

Gothic Checklist

1) Cemeteries- yes

2) Blood- yes

3) Candlelight- yes

4) A Literary background- unfortunately, no book was written before the film was made

5) A Sinister epic tale- yes

6) Vampires- yes, three

7) Ghosts- yes, even in the canine form

8) Evil children- yes, there’s a boy in Halloween Town who resembles Pugsly Addams

9) Victorian clothing- yes

10) High sexuality- only the tension of the love triangle

Written by Marissa Macabre: