For many, there’s that one film introducing them to the horror genre which decisively determines whether or not you have a propensity to face fear–a Horrific Origin. One is either repulsed or persuaded by it. A very special film planted that pumpkin seed for me. In 1993, Tim Burton’s A Nightmare Before Christmas (the first full-length stop-motion animated motion picture) changed not just me but the entire world.

“Boys and girls of every age, wouldn’t you like to see something strange?”

The first line of the opening number as sung by the monsters in the timeless classic is simple yet says it all about the film and the entire horror genre. Not to mention the wide array of sub-genres focused on fear that keeps people coming back for more. My entire life I’ve questioned why do people like to be scared? Why do horror movies appeal to people? Scientists have done studies determining it’s the adrenaline felt while frightened combined with your sense of accomplishment after facing your fears. This is certainly the case for me.

As a child, I had an aversion to horror films by just looking at the covers of VHS tapes at Blockbuster Video. I was always curious but never brave enough to sit through them. It didn’t help that my older siblings and their friends thought it was funny to scare me with their hockey mask or Freddy’s mask and glove. My mom wouldn’t let my eight year old self see Tim Burton’s A Nightmare Before Christmas for the longest time because she knew how scary movies affected me back then. Even movies like Ghostbusters, Gremlins, and Monster Squad scared me.

It wasn’t until it came out on VHS and other parents started talking about how much their kids loved it that my mom gave it a chance. They said it had to be seen to be believed. She always had to watch movies or read books to see if they were appropriate for her children at the time, but after getting her approval it finally happened. Upon first viewing, I was absolutely spellbound.

It was scary but I couldn’t look away. I was fascinated by the animation, music, and story from the opening number, with the iconic entrance of Jack Skellington dressed up as a flaming scarecrow diving into the fountain finally emerging to reveal himself; to the thrilling conclusion with the epic fight between Jack versus Oogie Boogie.

Being an avid Disney fan, I was already passionate about animation as a young boy but the Gothic-style stop-motion film was unlike anything I had seen before. I began thinking about all the monsters presented. I already had a fear of dogs and clowns, but I was drawn to the werewolf and evil clown specifically. My art reflected this as I began drawing those monsters. Next, I started creating my own. Ideas kept percolating in my mind. I gave them names and wrote stories about my artwork. What transpired next was a complete shock to me.

My teacher had grown concerned as all my drawings & stories were about monsters and didn’t have happy endings–concerned to the point she asked my parents to come in for a meeting. I told them I didn’t write happy endings because life isn’t like that and sometimes things don’t always work out. It was one of the things about horror films that stood out to me, the open-ended way of concluding the story. My mom explained I watch plenty of movies and simply had an overactive imagination. That wasn’t sufficient and I was asked to have regular meetings with the guidance counsellor.

In the end, they determined I wasn’t a threat to anyone or myself. I still held off on making my school assignments horror-related to avoid the circus again. I think it’s hilarious to this day because instead of putting me on medication my parents fought to prove I’m not actually psychotic, I’m just extremely imaginative. My mom still encourages my artistic side to this day.

As I got older, my obsession with Halloween and horror grew. I rented movies I kept hearing about but hadn’t seen yet. In my 20s I met my late husband, who shared his passion for zombie films with me. Everything from 28 Days Later to Resident Evil to the more comedic Shaun of the Dead is close to my heart because of him. Now I have certain films I watch annually around the haunting holiday season. A Nightmare Before Christmas is certainly the crown jewel and I’ve seen it countless times.

In numerous interviews Burton has told the tale of what inspired him to make the film. The story goes he was in a department store in November and saw employees swapping the Halloween decorations with Christmas adornments when the thought occurred, “What if Halloween took over Christmas?” This inspired him to write a three-page poem of the same name while he was a Disney animator.

He originally planned to do a television special narrated by Vincent Price or a children’s book before deciding on film, but Burton was busy with Batman Returns when production on A Nightmare Before Christmas began so Henry Selick (who also gave us Coraline) was the only man trusted for the job. It’s a common misconception that Burton was the director and Henry Selick doesn’t get enough credit for the excellent job he did and visionary imagination he brought to the table. Caroline Thompson’s screenplay certainly helped. Arguably, without this film, stop-motion wouldn’t be the same today.

As for the iconic soundtrack, Danny Elfman had actually never done a musical before this because he has extreme loathing for Broadway musicals and made it a point to make it sound as far from that as possible. This explains why it sounds so different from other Disney films, if you ask me. Each song pushes the plot forward while being unusual in its own way since, at just a 76 minute run time, there isn’t a moment to waste. They didn’t have a cast of actors at the time Elfman was working on the music so he did all the voices for the songs himself. Everyone was so impressed with his singing voice they kept him for Jack, which Elfman says he appreciated because Jack’s songs were written from a more personal place than the others.

In October 2020 around Halloween, I was finally able to see A Nightmare Before Christmas in theatres in 3D. It was an unreal experience going full circle like that. It was opening night so a large crowd was there, more than expected. I still remember all the audible reactions like gasps and laughs. The 3D enhanced the film in unfathomable ways. It was like a pop-up book brought to life. It has to be seen to be believed indeed.

In conclusion, from Alien to Zodiac, I’ve loved horror and continuously faced my fears for three decades because one film, my Horrific Origin, planted that pumpkin seed for me. The impact A Nightmare Before Christmas has on pop culture is still felt today, making it a truly timeless classic. It also made me wonder why Halloween isn’t celebrated the same way Christmas is so nowadays I usually start decorating in mid to late August–can you guess what my annual inaugural film is?

And remember, as Mr. Oogie Boogie says “There’s trouble close at hand. You’d better pay attention now. ‘Cause I’m the Boogie Man. And if you aren’t shaking, there’s something very wrong. ‘Cause this may be the last time now that you hear the boogie song.”

Happy Halloween, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and see you Sunday for our next Horrific Origin!