The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) - Quotes

Oogie: [jumps onto the spinning shredder; laughs] So long, Jack!

Jack: [pulls a string that opens Oogie Boogie's arm, releasing his bugs; tears Oogie's burlap sack clean apart] How dare you treat my friends so SHAMEFULLY!!

Oogie: [last words before his death; his repetitive shrieks of "My Bugs!" get distorted as the bugs spill into the pot and are incinerated, except for the last one, which is trying to escape, and is planning to return with his revenge, but Santa squashes it with his foot] NO! NOW LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE!! MY BUGS!!!

Jack: Forgive me, Mr. Claus. I'm afraid I've made a terrible mess of your holiday.

Santa: [indicating Sally; grumbling to himself] Bumpy sleigh ride, Jack?! The next time you can get the urge to take over someone else's holiday, I'd rather listen to her! She's the only one who seems to make any sense in this insane asylum! Skeletons, boogeymen...

Jack: I hope there's still time!

Santa: [flies off through the tube] To fix Christmas? Of course there is! I'm Santa Claus!

Sally: [to Oogie while lashed to the roulette wheel with Santa] You wait til Jack hears about this! By the time he's through with you, you'll be lucky if you-

Mayor: [on the speakers while driving his car] The King of Halloween has been blown to smithereens! Skeleton Jack is now a pile of dust!

Jack: [bursting out of a tombstone in the Halloween Town Cemetery; runs through Halloween Town countryside] Come on, Zero. Christmas isn't over yet!

Oogie: [to Sally while leering at her] What's that you were saying about luck, ragdoll?

Santa: [from a distance] You monster! You fiend!

Oogie: [from a distance; Sally screams; Laughs maniacally] Seven! Well, guess what? Looks like it's Oogie's turn to boogie now! One, two, three, four, five, six, seven!

Santa: This can't be happening!

Oogie: [mockingly; laughs and throws the dice into a skull; the dice come out and read snake eyes; bangs his fist on the table and the dice reads eleven; Laughs menacingly; waves farewell to Sally and Santa; laughs, then notices Sally and Santa haven't fallen in; turns over the trap, revealing Jack instead] Ashes to ashes and dust to dust. Oh, I'm feeling weak with hunger! One more roll of the dice ought to do it. What, snake eyes?!?! Eleven! Looks like I won the jackpot! Bye-Bye, Dollface and Sandman! What the...? Aah!

Jack: Hello, Oogie!

Oogie: [steps on a button that unleashes his King of Spades cards that swing their swords] Jack! But they said you were dead. You must be DOUBLE DEAD!!

Police Officer: [fades off in the distance] Attention. Attention, citizens. Terrible news. There is still no sign of Santa Claus. Although the imposter has been shot down. It looks like Christmas will have to be cancelled this year. I repeat: The imposter has been shot down, but there is still no sign of the real Santa Claus...

Jack: [calls to Zero; Zero looks back at Jack, the military canon made a target and fires. It hits the entire sleigh Jack is driving, now falling] They're trying to hit us. ZERO! MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL, AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT!!!

Mayor: [in tears; walks to his car; gets in; starts the car and drives away, through megaphone] I knew this Christmas thing was bad idea. I felt it in my gut. Terrible news, folks! The most tragedy of our time! Jack has been blown to smithereens! Terrible, terrible news!

Kid: Santa?

Jack: Merry Christmas, and what is your name?!

Kid: I...um...

Jack: [slips out up the chimney, cackling as he goes] That's alright. I have a present for you anyway. There you go, sonny!

Mother: And what did Santa bring you, Honey?

Jack: [flying away] Merry Christmas!

Santa: Don't do this! Naughty children never get any presents!

Shock: I think he might be too big!

Lock: No, he's not. If he can go down a chimney, he can fit down here!

Santa: [hears a Jingle Bells doorbell; opens the front door to see Lock, Shock and Barrel] Kathleen? Bobby? Susie? Yes, Susie's been nice. Nice, nice, naughty. Nice, nice, nice. There are hardly any naughty children this year. Now, who could that be?

Lock, Shock and Barrel: Trick-or-treat!

Santa: Huh?

Sally: [examining Jack in his newly-finished Santa suit] You don't look like yourself, Jack. Not at all.

Jack: Isn't that wonderful? It couldn't be more wonderful!

Sally: [holds up the clipboard sketch of him] But you're the Pumpkin King!

Jack: [breaks it over his knee] Not anymore! I feel SO much better now!

Sally: [pulling a loose thread from his cuff; accidentally catches his finger] Jack, I know you think something's missing, but-

Jack: [lightly] Ow.

Sally: Sorry.

Jack: You're right. Something is missing. But what? I've got the beard...the coat...the boots...the belt...

Shock, Lock, Barrel: [come in] Jack! Jack! This time we found him!

Shock: This time we really did!

Lock: He sure is big, Jack!

Barrel: And heavy!

Santa: [bursting out the bag] Let me out!

Jack: [prepares to shake his hand with him but then looks down when his hands touch] Sandy Claws, in person. What a pleasure to meet you. Why, you have hands! You don't have claws at all!

Santa: [dazed] Where am I?

Jack: Surprised, aren't you? I knew you would be. You don't need to have another worry about Christmas this year.

Santa: What?

Jack: Consider this a vacation, Santy. A reward. It's your turn to take it easy.

Santa: But there must be some mistake!

Jack: [takes Santa's hat] See that he's comfortable...Just a second, fellas! Of course! That's what I'm missing!

Santa: But...

Jack: Thanks.

Santa: [has the bag thrown over him again; the henchmen leave with him] Hang on, you just can't- Hold on! Where are we going now?

Jack: [monotone] Ho, ho, ho! No. Ho, ho, ho. Ho, ho, ho!

Sally: [having an idea; leaves to get fog juice] This is worse than I thought. Much worse. I know!

Santa: Me, on vacation? On Christmas Eve?

Barrel: Where're we taking him?

Shock: Where?

Lock: To Oogie Boogie, of course! There isn't anywhere in the whole world more comfortable than that. And Jack said to make him comfortable, didn't he?

Barrel and Shock: Yes, he did.

Santa: [from inside the bag] Haven't you heard of peace on Earth and goodwill toward men?

Lock, Shock and Barrel: [Laugh maniacally] NO!

Jack: [shows a nutcracker to Behemoth] This device is called...a nutcracker.

Lock, Shock and Barrel: [they appear with a full sack] Jack! Jack! We got him! We got him!

Jack: [they open the sack and the Easter Bunny leaps out] Perfect! Open it up, quickly! That's not Sandy Claws.

Shock: It isn't?

Barrel: Who is it?

Behemoth: [freaking out] A BUNNY!

Jack: NOT Sandy Claws! Take him back!

Lock: We followed your instructions.

Barrel: We went through the door.

Jack: [holds up a Christmas tree shaped cookie] Which door?! There's more than one! Sandy Claws is behind the door shaped like THIS!

Shock: [strangling Lock] I told you!

Jack: [to the Easter Bunny who still scared and in the bag; to Lock, Shock and Barrel] I'm very sorry for the inconvenience, sir. Take him home first, and apologize again! Be careful with Sandy Claws when you fetch him. Treat him nicely!

Lock: Got it!

Shock: We'll get it right...

Lock, Shock and Barrel: ...Next time!

Jack: The job I have for you is top secret, it requires craft, cunning, mischief...

Shock: [she, Lock and Barrel giggle at this] And we thought you didn't like us, Jack.

Jack: [whispers for a time] Absolutely no one is to know about it, not a soul! Now, and one more thing, leave that no-account Oogie Boogie OUT OF THIS!

Barrel: Whatever you say, Jack.

Shock: Of course, Jack.

Lock: Wouldn't dream of it, Jack.

Dr. Finkelstein: [enters Sally's room; sees the window open; throws down the lantern] You can come out now, if you promised to behave. Sally? Sally? Ooh, GONE AGAIN! What we gonna do now?

Dr. Finkelstein: [sternly to Sally; slams the door shut, then hears a loud door bell] You've poisoned me for the last time, you wretched girl. Oh, my head. The door is open!

Jack: [enters] Hello?

Dr. Finkelstein: Jack Skellington! Up here, my boy!

Jack: Doctor! I need to borrow some equipment.

Dr. Finkelstein: Is that so? What ever for?

Jack: I'm conducting a series of experiments.

Dr. Finkelstein: How perfectly marvelous! Curiosity killed the cat, you know.

Jack: I know.

Dr. Finkelstein: Come on into the lab, and we'll get you all fixed up.

Sally: Hmm. Experiments?

Sally: [served him a bowl of soup] Lunch!

Dr. Finkelstein: [sniffs; prepares to take a bite, but then sniffs suspiciously] Ah, what's that? Wormswort! Mmmmm... and frog's breath?!

Sally: [innocently] What's wrong? I thought you liked frog's breath.

Dr. Finkelstein: Nothing's more suspicious than frog's breath! Until you taste it, I won't swallow a spoonful.

Sally: [shrugs; accidentally knocks the spoon out of Finkelstein's hand on purpose] I'm not hungry. Oops.

Dr. Finkelstein: [as she shoves the spoon aside on the floor and, still bent over, removes a slotted spoon from her sock] You want me to starve! An old man like me who hardly has strength as it is! Me! To whom you owe your very life!

Sally: [dips the sifting spoon in the soup and pretends to taste it] Oh, don't be silly. Mmmm! See? Scrumptious.

Mayor: We've got to find Jack! There's only 365 days left til next Halloween!

Werewolf: 364!

Mayor: Is there anywhere we've forgotten to check?

Clown: I looked in every mausoleum!

Witches: We opened the sarcophagi!

Mr. Hyde: I tromped through the pumpkin patch.

Vampire: I peeked behind the cyclops eye. I did, but he wasn't there.

Mayor: It's time to sound the alarm!

Mayor: [pulling up to the gate to Jack's house in his car in front of the instrument players who jerk awake; goes through the gate and up the stairs to Jack's front door, humming "This is Halloween" as he goes. He walks right up to Jack's door and rings his screaming spider doorbell, still humming. There is no response. The mayor still hums placidly, then rings the screaming spider doorbell again before stopping his humming; there is still no response. His happy face switches to his worried face and he knocks on Jack's door. His worried face switches to his happy face again; his face switches from happy to worried again; puts a bull horn to his mouth and yells up at Jack's tower; over balances, trips, and rolls down the stairs, landing at the gate] Morning, gents. Jack, you home? Jack, I've got the plans for next Halloween! I need to go over them with you so we can get started. Jack, please! I'm only an elected official here, I can't make decisions by myself. Jack, answer me!

Accordion Player: He's not home.

Mayor: Where is he?

Saxophone Player: He hasn't been home all night.

Dr. Finkselstein: [to Sally] Zip it!

Dr. Finkelstein: Sally! You came back.

Sally: I had to.

Dr. Finkelstein: [holds Sally's detached arm; she causes it to wave at herself] For this.

Sally: [smiles] Yes.

Dr. Finkelstein: [later, he's reattaching Sally's right arm] Shall we then? That's twice this month you've slipped Deadly Nightshade into my tea and run off.

Sally: Three times.

Dr. Finkelstein: You're mine, you know! I made you with my own hands.

Sally: You can make other creations. I'm restless. I can't help it.

Dr. Finkelstein: It's a phase, my dear, it'll pass. We need to be patient, that's all.

Sally: But I don't want to be patient!!!

Saxophone Player: Nice work, bone daddy.

Jack: Yeah, I guess so. Just like last year, the year after that, and the year before that.

Vampire: You were a scream, Jack.

Werewolf: It was terrifying!

Witch: You're a witch's fondest dream.

Mayor: Thanks, Jack! We owe it all to you! Why, without your leadership------

Jack: [But the Mayor doesn't notice that anything is wrong. He is too intent on keeping the crowd's attention focused on where it shall be; on himself] Not at all, Mayor.

Mayor: It's now my pleasure to give out the wonderful prizes. Our first award goes to the vampires, for most blood drained in a single evening. Congratulations, Fanged Ones! Second prize is to the Dark Lagoon Leeches, who also have a real taste for blood...