Arguing about the minutiae of pop culture is a proud tradition amongst nerds the world over, but there are a few subjects that seemingly shouldn’t be up for debate. Yet one of these subjects manages to rear its head every year, tearing the Internet apart like a baby Demogoron feasting on a Three Musketeer’s barOpens in a new tab. It’s a question that has essentially split the internet into two, deeply partisan camps that refuse to find common ground with one another even though they’re fundamentally arguing over something they both love. That question is whether the stop-motion animated 1993 classic The Nightmare Before ChristmasOpens in a new tab is a Halloween movieOpens in a new tab or a Christmas movieOpens in a new tab.
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While you might assume that, like Henry Clay, we can collectively reach some sort of Great Compromise on this matter, you would be wrong. Because as I learned in my researchOpens in a new tab, nearly 60% of the Internet is wrong about this. There is, in fact, only one right answer about the true nature of The Nightmare Before Christmas, and it flies directly in the face of what director Henry Selick claimedOpens in a new tab at a post-screening Q&A so many moons ago. But let’s face it — parents are wrong about their kids all the time, just like the internet is deeply wrong about the real meaning of The Nightmare Before Christmas. It’s a Christmas movie for people who love Halloween, and I’ll explain why in the video above.
But what do you think? Is The Nightmare Before Christmas a Halloween movie or a Christmas movie? Let us know in the comments below. Unless you’re going to say “It’s a Thanksgiving movie.” Don’t be that person. You’re better than that.
Image: DreamWorks Animation
Even more Nerdoween treats await you…
- How Hocus Pocus became a cult classicOpens in a new tab and essential Halloween viewing
- This chef managed to make a see-through slice of pumpkin pieOpens in a new tab
- We ranked every The Simpsons “Treehouse of Horror” episodeOpens in a new tab
How do Ouija boards really work?
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Welcome to Nerdoween! Throughout the month of October, we’ll be celebrating everything spooky, macabre, and just plain weird. Nerdoween 2017 is presented by AlphaOpens in a new tab, our interactive membership service, which offers you exclusive content from Nerdist and Geek & Sundry, as well as a 10% discount on all of our merch.
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Dan Casey is the senior editor of Nerdist and the author of books about Star WarsOpens in a new tab and the AvengersOpens in a new tab. Follow him on Twitter (@DanCaseyOpens in a new tab).
