News

(Welcome to The Daily Stream, an ongoing series in which the /Film team shares what they've been watching, why it's worth checking out, and where you can stream it.)

The Movie: "The Nightmare Before Christmas"

Where You Can Stream It: Disney+

The Pitch: For decades, we have debated when it's okay to fill the store with Christmas decorations. Halloween lovers hate it when tinsel shows up in Target before the trick-or-treat candy is even gone from the shelves. Christmas elves would be happy to deck the halls as soon as sweater weather hits. In my head, I imagine a sentient pumpkin spice latte wrestling with a carton of eggnog. 

As someone who has always been right in the middle, loving both holidays, "The Nightmare Before Christmas" is a delight. The 1993 film was directed by Henry Selick, and if you've missed it all these years, it's time to remedy that. This...

Just under three decades ago, the stop-motion animated classic "The Nightmare Before Christmas" was released. Directed by Henry Selick, the film introduced us to Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town in charge of the holiday. He's starting to get bored with being spooky, though. One day he discovers the door to Christmas Town and sees a different sort of celebration. Jack formulates a plan to kidnap Santa Claws — who he thinks is named Sandy Claws — and take over the winter festivities himself. Chris Sarandon voiced the role of Jack Skellington, with score composer Danny Elfman singing the songs for the character.

Santa Claus was voiced by Ed Ivory in the film, but the role originally went to someone who is very familiar with scary things. That man was horror legend Vincent Price, according to a Daily Beast interview with Selick from 2013. He wasn't the only person they saw for the role,...

Every once in a while, the stars calendar aligns and Halloween falls on a Monday, so “Dancing with the Stars” can have a proper Halloween Night celebration.

That is the case on Week 7 as the remaining nine couples get to don their spookiest costumes to treat us to some tricks on the dance floor. This week will also see the return of team dances for the first time in three years. But with nine couples, it’ll be an uneven 5-4 split into Team Wicked and Team Scream. And no, Charli and Heidi D’Amelio are not on the same team.

See the full lineup below:

Wayne Brady and Witney Carson: contemporary (“Halloween Theme” by District 78)

Charli D’Amelio and Mark Ballas: Argentine tango (“Tanguera” by Fabio Hager Sexteto)

Heidi D’Amelio and Artem Chigvintsev: tango (“I Wanna Be Your Slave” by Måneskin)

Trevor Donovan and Emma Slater:...

Next Saturday night, and into Sunday morning, millions of children will go to sleep with the whisper of magical sleigh-bells just beyond hearing, and the hope of multi-coloured, ribboned surprises to greet them when they wake, and the biggest part of that spell, and indeed the mystique of Christmas in its entirety is the red-robed, roly-poly gift-giver at the centre. Santa Claus is Christmas – it goes without saying – and as such he’s appeared in a load of films dedicated to the festive period.

But who has played the best, and indeed definitive Santa Claus from the movie world? If I could stretch the rules a little, I’d suggest it was that clearly CGIed geriatric who stars in the Coca Cola adverts. He’s like a great big walking ball of Christmas joy. And those rosey cheeks could warm even the coldest of Scroogey Grinch hearts.

Here are my...