There are certain films so treasured that they become as synonymous with a season as the characters they portray. The Nightmare before Christmas, with its endearing love tale between Jack and Sally, haunting imagery and emotive soundtrack is one of these.
Emerging from the imagination of Tim Burton, the film tells the enchanting and sinister tale of Jack Skellington the Pumpkin King and his journey to Christmastown. Holiday spirit is wrapped up in the branches of a large talking tree and the curling hilltops that Jack leaps across in his struggle to understand the meaning of Christmas.
"Emerging from the imagination of Tim Burton, the film tells the enchanting and sinister tale of Jack Skellington the Pumpkin King and his journey to Christmastown"
Jack Skellington, with his wiry frame and subversive energy has become an iconic character representative of Christmas. Watching him fly into the sky in his coffin sleigh with his skeletal reindeer is classic Burton, who has forged a twisted fairytale out of the darker side of the festive season. His clothing has become a genre in itself, inspiring fashion houses including Viktor & Rolf and PPQ. Vogue’s Tim Burton-inspired story in 1998 featured Helena Bonham Carter as a red Skellington while Dazed & Confused featured a Jack & Sally-style wedding shoot in May 2012.
Text by Mhairi Graham
