Movies are one of my favorite ways to celebrate holidays. And while Halloween is my personal favorite holiday, I also look forward to the Christmas season and the movies that come with it. There are several films I enjoy during this time of year, with a special one being The Nightmare Before Christmas. This animated masterpiece was one of my first adventures into the dark and strange. From the tune of “This Is Halloween” to the delightfully creepy inhabitants of Halloween Town, I fell in love instantly. I came to love Jack and Sally, as well as the numerous designs of each monster. I’m not even the biggest musical person and I adore the film’s soundtrack.
The Nightmare Before Christmas is a wonderous film that contains a great deal of nostalgia for me – it has also helped me through difficult times. Throughout my life I’ve sought the film out; sometimes just for the sake of fun, but also to find comfort. Given that it is the holidays, I wanted to write something personal about my relationship to The Nightmare Before Christmas and the emotional significance I find within its narrative and protagonist.
A big reason I fell in love with horror was because of monsters – I’ve always held a special place in my heart for them. Though I’m a big fan of Dracula and The Creature from the Black Lagoon, Frankenstein and the Wolfman always stood out to me for how tragic they came off. I saw them as beings who either just wanted to fit in or who had no control over their impulsive actions, respectively. Flawed, misunderstood; in the wrong at times, but not evil.
I’ve spoken before about my relationship to horror and that of my mental health in the past – how horror movies have provided me a means to reflect upon myself and the struggles I’ve gone through. As someone who came upon the horrors of depression and OCD at an early age, I carried a great sense of “otherness.” For all my intrusive thoughts and compulsions, I felt ugly at times, and yes – even monstrous. The Nightmare Before Christmas brings me a lot of joy for the nostalgia it offers and how it celebrates the holidays, but it also empowers me in its celebration and positive light focused on the other.
While there are drastic differences between us, part of me identifies with Jack’s internal turmoil. It wouldn’t be until years after my initial viewing of the film where I picked up on what he was expressing in the song “Jack’s Lament.” He is known as the Pumpkin King, meant to champion Halloween and perform every year. Everyone looks forward and admires his work, but he is tired and itches for something new. He wants to know he is more than just the crown placed upon him.
A fun monster will scare and creep people out, but a powerful monster will get someone to reflect. Movie monsters oftentimes represent societal anxieties and fears (e.g., Godzilla, the Xenomorph from Alien) – to me though – they also offer a personal analysis. I’ve developed threads between Jack’s identity conflict and that of my own OCD and depression. I have had my moments where I’ve been afraid that I am just my mental illnesses, that my disorders make me who I am.
As a kid with mental illness, I didn’t see much representation of my particular struggles in media. Mental illness wasn’t a popular topic in kids’ movies or shows at the time – Thomas the Tank Engine wasn’t trying to work through gloom and mania each morning. The Nightmare Before Christmas, a kid’s movie, touches upon such ideas (even if they are a bit loose). The protagonist is combating depression and having an existential dilemma.
He eventually finds something that sparks him with inspiration – that being Christmas – and strives to take it over. He becomes obsessed with trying to find meaning within it, as well as inserting himself into that meaning. In his selfish drive, Jack succumbs to a moment of defeat, stating that he failed to bring about Christmas and change himself. Yet, in the song “Poor Jack,” he also acknowledges that he did his best and discovers a sense of rejuvenation. He finds peace in who he is, knowing that he is capable of creativity and being more, and looks forward to next Halloween where he can bring new scares to his friends.
Throughout the years and stories I’ve experienced, it has meant a great deal to witness this moment of development in Jack. Many tales surrounding monsters tend to involve fearing them or pointing out a fear they represent – but here is a movie where the monster comes to find their place in life.
Those of us who endure battles with mental illness each have our own story. In my experience, I used to carry a tremendous feeling of loneliness; that I was so different and incapable of being loved outside of my family, that no one would accept me for my mind. As I began to watch more horror growing up, monsters became a means for me to not feel as alone. I don’t think The Nightmare Before Christmas is this massive exploration of the psyche and existential distress, but through its narrative and protagonist, it is a special movie that has clicked with me.
Monsters, the horror genre for that matter, has this phenomenal power to heal and teach. I’ve come to meet a lot of folks who, while different from myself in many ways, have walked similar paths of suffering. The creepiness that may weird out others, brings us comfort; the dark is our blanket, and a reminder of how strong we are. I enjoy a lot of things – I’m a big ole geek – but I’ll always have a very unique, super important place in my heart for horror and its ghouls. Across all the stories I’ve watched, read, or played, I’ve always been attracted to the other; characters who were kind, maybe a little odd, but who wanted to fit in and just couldn’t. There are many characters I’ve come to love – who have offered me a sense of strength – but no one quite like the Pumpkin King.
For a long time, The Nightmare Before Christmas was solely a powerful source of joy and nostalgia in my life; as an adult though, I’ve come to acknowledge the emotional gifts it has provided me. That said, I feel that I’ve always known there was something extra special about this monster movie – it just took some years of growing to fully understand its value. It is one of those experiences that has changed my life forever (and in more ways than I could ever imagine). The Nightmare Before Christmas is a beautiful story full of charm and spooky delight, and of celebrating the holidays for the cheer they bring. It’s also a film that shows that monsters too face uncertainty and anxieties; that they too are hard on themselves. But even for a monster – The Nightmare Before Christmas speaks to the importance of believing in oneself.
Be safe ya’ll and Happy Holidays. – Michael
source https://bloody-disgusting.com/editorials/3645019/monsters-mental-health-nightmare-christmas/
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