A darkly comic musical masterpiece

Rating: 10/10 (14 August 2002)

A movie like no other you will ever see, and the undisputed pinnacle of stop-motion animation, The Nightmare Before Christmas is a work of genius. Directed by Harry Selick, it tells the story of the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town, Jack Skellington. Bored and disillusioned with an endless round of frights and tricks, he takes a late-night stroll through the world of holidays, and arrives in the morning in Christmas Town. Amazed by the new splendour of this land, contrasting so sharply with his own, he hatches a plan to hijack Christmas and make his own version...
Unsurprisingly, it was written by Tim Burton, the master of twisted comedy. The visuals are fantastic, and the dark humour which pervades the whole piece never misses a beat. Danny Elfman provided a suitably dark, gothic score to complement the ghoulishly surreal imagery, so it succeeds as a musical, too, with enchanting tunes and bitingly clever lyrics.
In short, a one-of-a-kind masterpiece. 10/10