Bradford Exchange’s Nightmare Before Christmas Cuckoo Clock Review

As an avid Tim Burton fan, I’ve had my eye on Bradford Exchange’s Nightmare Before Christmas Cuckoo Clock for the last 7 years, but always held off because of the hefty price tag and mixed bag of reviews that it always seemed to be getting online. This year I was graciously gifted the clock by my family and wanted to do an in-depth review of my experience + include photos; as I’ve seen a lot of people asking what Zero looks like as he is not pictured on the site.

The clock itself is absolutely stunning and I don’t think my pictures do it justice. It’s very detailed but also very delicate. I’d suggest having a 2nd person to help install the batteries as it doesn’t have a flat surface to lay it down on and I’ve read a lot of reviews of the ghosts, Jack and Sally snapping off while trying to get the batteries in.

There are 3 settings to the clock, you can have the Zero pop out every hour to ‘This Is Halloween’ with the ghost lit up, have only the ghosts lit up and use it as a night-light, or just use the clock feature. I personally find the creaking noise when Zero comes out to be a bit creepy at night; especially since there is a delay before you see him and the lights come on, so I only leave it on occasionally. You can also adjust the volume of ‘This Is Halloween’ using the knob beside the clock’s switch. Up until this point, I’ve never owned a cuckoo clock and was worried about the constant clicking noise that older ones have when the pendulum swings. Thankfully, the pendulum is just for looks as it’s very light and doesn’t make a sound.

I’m not sure what material the clock is made out of, but I did want to note that it has a distinct plastic-y scent that I can still faintly smell in my room a week after hanging it up. I also understand why some people said that they believed the clock was poorly made. The inside of my clock, where you install the batteries have big clumps of glue gun glue and strings hanging off of it. But I don’t mind as the outside of the clock is in perfect condition.

Overall, I’m very happy to finally own this clock. It’s the perfect addition to my gallery wall.