Oooo spooky…Lisa from Boondock Ramblings and I are are watching and posting about spooky cinema for the next two months, here and over on our Instagram accounts. We are starting fairly family friendly and working our way up to the scariest!! I love a thriller or chiller!
This week we watched one of my favorites – The Nightmare Before Christmas! I love the weirdness of Tim Burton, but this one is by far his very best. It came out when I was in college and I remember my friends and I went for my birthday. After the movie ended, we all walked out it and it had started snowing, the first snow of the season and it just felt so magical. I think about that moment every time I watch it.
This movie is so well done, with its stop action claymation, the music, the actors who voiced the characters – I mean, Catherine O’Hara? She is a queen y’all. And Danny Elfman from Oingo Boingo, a band I loved in my youth does all the singing for Jack Skellington and his voice is so amazing. I watched this movie this time around with Wyatt. It was his first introduction to it, and I knew he would love all the singing – and he did. I figured he wouldn’t pay too much attention to some of the actual happenings or what was being said and I was right – he was just there for the dancing. His favorite songs – What’s This? and the Oogie Boogie Song. Oogie Boogie is the Bogeyman but he has a cool song.
Anyway, in case you are unfamiliar, Jack Skellington is the Pumpkin King (say this very dramatically) and every year plans the scares and frights of Halloween. However, he has post-Halloween sadness and is bored and tired of doing all the same things over and over. Basically, Jack is in a rut and is depressed. He bumbles into Christmas Town and is overcome with all the joy of that season, and is literally swept up into the cheer of Christmas. So much, that he wants to be in charge of Christmas. He hypes it up to the town, gets them all involved, and has the creepy creatures who usually manufacture fear try to switch gears and make Christmas instead. Sounds like a great plan, right?
The only resident of Halloween Town who isn’t down with this plan is Sally, the ragdoll who is in love with Jack from afar. She knows that this is a very bad terrible idea. And eventually, almost too late, Jack realizes it as well. But, he sets things right – and realizes he loves Sally as well.
There is a lot of debate over whether this is a Christmas or Halloween movie…I always think Halloween but I know some people think Christmas. Billy likes to split the difference and says it is a Thanksgiving movie. And we did actually watch it one Thanksgiving with my cousins, so maybe he is right.
This post wouldn’t be complete without some Danny Elfman representation. So, I am sharing Wyatt’s favorite part of the movie. He was as swept up in the mood as Jack! It’s hard not to be though.
Next up for us is The Creature from the Black Lagoon. I have never actually watched that one before but I am excited. I have a feeling it is going to be super campy and fun! But we will see!
For Lisa’s review, click here!
Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs.. 
You can’t forget Disneys The Legend of Sleepy Hollow…I still love that! Might not fit in with what your doing, but Halloween is not complete without it…lol
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That is my favorite Halloween movie of all time. Lol! We are watching that one after creature – a double feature. The Disney cartoon then the Tim Burton. 🎃
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Mine too! I dont think they really show it much these days…
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They don’t! I ended up buying the streaming version on Amazon to show my son. My brother loves it too and did the same for his daughter.
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I might have to do that. I went onto Disney plus to see if they had it on there they didn’t. They had an Ichabod movie but wasn’t Sleepy Hollow, I was disappointed.
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As I said in my impression, this was so much different than I thought it was going to be and I did end up liking it, especially Jack. I’ve never heard of Oinga Boinga before…I know. I’m such a nerd. What is wrong with me? lol. I wasn’t sure who Danny Elfman was either, but Warren set me straight on that one.
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I am so glad that you ended up liking it, and Jack too. 🙂
I was introduced to Oingo Boingo (not literally obviously) by one of my college roommates who was all into music. I fell in love with their sound! I’m sure you have heard the song Weird Science before though?
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You know, I’ve never quite thought about whether or not this was a Halloween or Christmas movie as I think we watch it both times! I love Sally…she’s just so winsome and doggone likeable. I didn’t know Danny Elfman was in Oingo Boingo, but I did know he scored many movies. And, Tim Burton has the most amazing imagination and vision for movies. I love them all (I also love Johnny Depp even though recent events indicate he might not be all that loveable)! I am really enjoying this series. Please tell me you’ll do a Christmas one…but I’m warning you I don’t watch Hallmark Christmas movies (I know, I’m a Grinch)!
https://marshainthemiddle.com/
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Lol! For you I guess it is both! Danny Elfman is so talented!
I also love Johnny Depp and I am so .. confused about what to think with all of these recent events. 😦 He was my celebrity crush growing up darn it.
I am glad you are enjoying it!! I was just thinking about turning it into a Christmas one as well… 🤔
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I think a Christmas one would be fun and I told Erin we should do one Hallmark one just to make fun of it. I have one I’ve watched and it wasn’t so bad, but yeah…if you’ve seen one of those movies, you’ve seen just about all of them!
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I think that… they are silly and all the same but I do like some of them. LOL. I can’t help it. I really liked that one on Netflix, what was it.. A Christmas Prince. The one that all viewers got called out because it was being watched so much. https://www.businessinsider.com/netflix-says-some-people-are-watching-a-christmas-prince-every-day-2017-12
I watched it a lot but not every day for two weeks. Probably.
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Oh my goodness! I didn’t hear about them making fun of people but I totally watched that and I agree that the way they show journalists in that movie was so stupid. 😂😂 but I still watched it. I think it was the guy who made it so watchable!
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I liked that one, too!
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I Think Jack Skellington is a just like Phantom From Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera
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That is a great comparison!
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I Think Oogie Boogie is a just like Clarence Thomas
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