By Maya Bourne and Delaney Pound
As Halloween is approaching rapidly, Delaney and I thought the perfect activity to celebrate the holiday season would be to rate some Halloween classics. Here are our reviews on The Nightmare Before Christmas, Coraline, and Hocus Pocus.
The Nightmare Before Christmas
Individual Rating:
Maya: 9/10
Delaney: 9/10
Review:
Maya: The Nightmare Before Christmas brings back so many fond memories of Halloween spent with my family and neighbors, cuddled on the couch with a full bag of candy and a warm comforter. The movie is beautifully crafted, with Tim Burton expertly utilizing stop-motion animation to create an engaging and unique viewing experience. The characters are intriguing and pull you into the story effectively. All the songs are amazing, and I listen to them unironically year-round. Each serves a different purpose in the movie’s overarching plot and creates a fun, family-friendly atmosphere. The protagonist, Jack Skellington, is amazing to watch grow and change throughout his journey, and his dog Zero steals the show. Overall, this movie is truly a gift that I love re-discovering every fall and playing on repeat until I can recite every word by heart.
Delaney: I genuinely love The Nightmare Before Christmas with almost my entire being. The only reason this fantastic movie receives a one point deduction is because there are a few songs that are a little boring. Honestly, I listen to the soundtrack on repeat year round, but some of the songs are not bangers. Overall, this movie is cinematically excellent which checks out since Tim Burton created it. The main characters, Jack Skellington and Sally have such amazing storylines and backstories that really add to the movie as a whole. Sally is a girl who is in love with Jack, but she is very unsure of herself and has an overbearing father figure who is always standing in her way. Jack goes through inner conflicts and struggles with his own identity and self-worth as he gets tired of his life and personality in Halloween Town. The inner workings of this movie are so complex and so mesmerizing to watch even after watching it over and over again every October. I enjoy this movie whenever I watch it, so if you haven’t seen it yet, I recommend it!
Coraline
Individual Rating:
Maya: 9/10
Delaney: 9/10
Review:
Maya: Coraline is a truly amazing and underappreciated film. The tone set from the introduction creates an atmosphere of uncertainty and magic that continues throughout the movie. Once again, the use of stop-motion is handled amazingly, with every second of every scene utilizing some sort of easter egg or foreshadowing to later scenes and plot points. Coraline is a movie you can watch a hundred times and still discover new details every single time. The creepy aspects of the film are also exquisite, creating ominous tension and a genuine admiration and simultaneous disgust for the Other Mother, the film’s main antagonist. The character Coraline is a riveting character, whose motivations are mainly related to the desire for attention from her parents. This creates a fascinating and relatable plot for some, with the Other Mother giving her lavish gifts and attention before requesting the payment of her eyes. Audiences can grow to genuinely feel for Coraline’s character and sympathize with the tough decisions she is forced to make during the final fight between her and the Other Mother. Overall, this movie is amazing and I will never get bored of rewatching it. The tone and characters are impeccable, along with a plot that will keep the entire audience on the edge of their seat.
Delaney: Coraline is a movie unlike any other. There are so many back stories and hidden easter eggs that are very creative and add to its eerie atmosphere. The story follows the young protagonist, Coraline, as she discovers a secret doorway in her home. When entering the door, she is taken to a very familiar place: her “other” house. Inside, she meets Other Mother, Other father, and a talking cat almost exactly like the one at her normal home. She visits her other home often since she doesn’t like her new house in the normal world and argues with her parents quite frequently. Eventually, she learns to be grateful for what she has in the normal world and tries to return home, but she faces many hardships along the way. The intricacies of this movie makes it so fun to watch and engages viewers all the way through. Some find the movie a little scary which makes it less accessible, especially for younger viewers, but it depends on the person.
Hocus Pocus
Individual Rating:
Maya: 5/10
Delaney: 7/10
Review:
Maya: I first watched Hocus Pocus on Halloween, though I doubt you could call it watching. I attempted to pay attention to the somewhat boring plot and sub-par CGI, but I eventually accepted that this movie just isn’t for me. The overall plot is good, with the coven of funny witches and two kids trying to get this magical book, but I was massively put off by the rather bad special effects and distracting hair-dos by the witches. The movie was okay, but it was definitely not as special or spectacular as many other Halloween movies one could watch instead.
Delaney: My rating of this movie definitely ties back to my memories of watching it in my early childhood. It was and still is one of my favorite halloween movies because it gets me into the halloween spirit, and I just enjoy watching it. Yes, the CGI might be terrible, but the comedy and story line really makes up for it in my eyes. This movie is very creative and pretty unique so if you haven’t watched it yet, you should!