And absolutely no one's dead!

[Nightmare Before Christmas - This is Halloween]

One of the best things about musicals is how they can convey the snarkiest of comments in a lighthearted way. And they've been doing so ever since we figured out how to mix music and performance. One of the best things about the holiday season is how all the most favorite musicals get hauled out of the vaults and broadcast on television so that each generation can experience this facet of pop culture that transcends all of the other trends.

I grew up watching The Wizard of Oz every single year around Halloween. I haven't caught it in awhile, but this year I was delighted again to hear lines like "she's not only merely dead, she's really most sincerely dead!" as chirped eagerly from the mouths of the Munchkins.

But I haven't seen any other soundtrack to a musical covered as much as Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas. Fall Out Boy, Marilyn Manson, Fiona Apple, She Wants Revenge, Flyleaf, Rise Against, Korn... and even more have recorded some of the favorites off this soundtrack.

Check out the video that a fan created, with the scene from the movie that matches Fall Out Boy's cover of the song "What's This?"



When Christmas decorations are now erected even prior to Halloween, what better contribution to the holiday musicals from our generation, than one celebrating both holidays?! If you haven't seen this movie yet, you must. It is adorable, funny, romantic, and visually compelling. The film's stop-motion animation and visual effects are as revolutionary as Star Wars was in its day.

And when Marilyn Manson wants to sing a song that comes from a musical... When She Wants Revenge produces a cover that sounds like it belongs right in the movie... You have a true winner. If you're going to buy anything on Black Friday, get this movie, and check out the re-releases of the original soundtrack to include the various remakes of its compelling songs. Not only was one done in 2006, there has been a SECOND re-release for this year's holiday season too! That should tell you something. This is something you have to be in on, if you weren't already.