S4 B1-B2 THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS

to shy away from horror

to avoid or feel frightened by scary things

to appeal to horror fans

to be attractive or interesting to people who like scary stories

to tackle a topic

to try to deal with or solve a difficult subject

residents/citizens of Halloweentown

the people who live in Halloweentown

to grow weary of sth

to become tired or bored with sth

to yearn for sth different

to have a strong desire for sth new

ambiance

the particular feeling or mood of a place

to resonate with sb

to feel meaningful or true to sb

to long to do sth

to want to do sth very much

miserable

very unhappy or uncomfortable

to kidnap sb

to take sb away illegally by force

to be stuck in a rut

to be in a boring situation that never changes

to get bored with sth

to lose interest in sth

sleigh

a large vehicle that slides over snow pulled by animals (Santa Claus rides in one)

to hand out presents

to give gifts to people

to belong to a society

to be a member of a community or group

to have a gift for sth

to have a natural ability to do sth well

there’s more to life than Halloween

life contains more things than just Halloween

people from different backgrounds

people with different life experiences

to contribute to society

to do things that help your community

to celebrate each other

to show joy and appreciation for one another

one-note life

a life that is boring because it never changes

heartwarming

causing feelings of happiness and kindness

identity crisis

a period of uncertainty about who you are

to embrace wholeness

to accept all parts of yourself

to live in extremes

to always do things in an excessive or very intense way

intentional

done on purpose or with a clear plan

to be aligned with

to match or agree with sth else

after the high wears off

after the excited or happy feeling disappears

to feel stuck

to feel as if you are unable to change or move forward

to fully commit to sth

to decide to give all your energy to sth

to jump into sth new

to start sth new quickly without much thought

to chase external changes

to seek changes in your outside life or situation

to solve internal problems

to fix personal or emotional issues

purpose

the reason for which sth exists or is done

self-awareness

knowledge and understanding of your own character

to hijack the holiday

to take control of a celebration for your own purposes

all over the place

disorganized or inconsistent

festive

cheerful and celebratory for a holiday

spooky

strange and frightening in a fun way

to lose sight of who you are

to forget your true character or values

to feel torn between two extremes

to feel unable to choose between two opposite options

takeaway

the main message or lesson you learn

routine

the usual order and way you do regular things

to fade away

to slowly disappear or become less

fulfillment

a feeling of happiness because you are using your abilities

score by Danny Elfman

music written by the composer Danny Elfman

burned out

completely exhausted from too much work or stress

to expand one’s horizons

to increase your knowledge and experiences

there’s sth else out there

other opportunities or experiences exist in the world

to feel lost

to feel confused and not know what to do

stark difference

a very clear and noticeable contrast

brand new experience

an activity or event that is completely new for you

to take on a new hobby

to start doing a new activity for enjoyment

to fail at sth

to not succeed in doing sth

to accomplish one’s goals

to achieve the things you planned to do

bleak

without hope or encouragement

to feel sorry for oneself

to feel unhappy and pity yourself

to work out

to have a good result or solution

to recognize one’s faults

to see and accept your imperfections

to put/set things right

to fix a mistake or bad situation

to take accountability for one’s mistake

to accept responsibility for your wrongdoing

invigorated

feeling full of new energy and life

isolated

alone and separated from others

outcast

sb who is not accepted by a social group

to go on a journey of self-discovery

to try to learn more about your true self

to experiment with sth new

to try sth new to see what happens

to try new things

to do activities you have not done before

to gain experience

to get knowledge or skill from doing sth

to overcome fear

to succeed in dealing with a fear

to do one’s best

to try as hard as you can

disturbing imagery

pictures or scenes that are upsetting to see

exaggerated style

a way of doing things that is more dramatic than real life

to direct a movie

to be in charge of making a film; to be the director

set design

scenery and places where a movie happens

to nail sth

to do sth perfectly or exactly right

fascinated by sth

extremely interested in sth

to create chaos

to create a state of total confusion

to feel remorse for sth

to feel deep regret for a bad action

thrill

a sudden feeling of excitement

content with one’s life

happy and satisfied with your life

mature problem

a complex issue that adults usually struggle with

his life is growing stale

his life is becoming boring and uninteresting

to fill the void inside

to stop feeling empty or unhappy inside

tired of the monotony

bored with the routine that lacks variety

to give life meaning

to make existence feel important and worthwhile

to grasp the true meaning of sth

to finally understand the real importance of sth

to save the day

to solve a big problem and make everything good again

quirky

unusual in an attractive and interesting way

variety of characters

many different types of people in a story

memorable tunes

songs or melodies that are easy to remember

the plot doesn’t have a lot of depth to it

the story is not very complex or meaningful

to burst with life

to be full of energy and activity