The first of the three scenes built depicts the citizens of Halloween coming together to Make Christmas. While the set itself does not have all the inhabitants it is packed with familiar details from the scene it depicts. Throughout the build there are a number of core colors that are used in abundance, these being 199Dark Stone GreyDark Bluish Gray, 194Medium Stone GreyLight Bluish Gray and 26Black. While these colors may be dark and muted they capture the ambiance of the space, while still allowing the right level of contrast to capture color based details. The foundation where the Town Hall rests on is built using a large number of different slopes, creating a rounded off look to the base. This is a large improvement to what normally is rigid square shaped bases. Through use rounded tiles and plates in various shapes and sizes cobblestone patterns are built. The 1089Warm TanMedium Tan and 312Medium NougatMedium Dark Flesh of the stones add more to the color contrast and warmth of the space. While the foundation is rather basic in terms of technique what does stand out are the angled posts and the steps. By using Technic pieces the designers have introduced a creative way to position the pillars at angles that would not be achievable through System brick construction. The steps are my favorite though, using the 1½×2 Door Rail piece with its slight divet we are able to build up steps that are narrower than if you used plates. This allows for more height to be built up rapidly in a short space, creating a more detailed set of steps.

Even the foundation is detailed.

The Town Hall itself is rather monotonous when it comes to color, being built almost entirely out of 194Medium Stone GreyLight Bluish Gray pieces so the designers had to be creative. By interlacing masonry and curved bricks into the flat brick wall we get some depth and texture. The designers ensured that this was not symmetrically built, helping add to the irregularity of the scene. While the Town Hall could have been built as a box the designers ensured that the source material was followed and the structure is built up with slopes on the side, giving it a fun shape. My favorite use of slopes however comes when building the front door. By having the door be set back one stud the designers have built a wonky curved door frame shape, which not only makes the door itself a eye catching shape, but allows the 312Medium NougatMedium Dark Flesh of the door to have an even greater accent.

The angled door is a beautiful yet orthadox shape.

As finishing touches are added to the Town Hall we start to see how cramped it gets. This packed scene becomes even fuller once we add Jack’s Podium. In the films the stage at the back of the Town Hall is used by Jack to display all of the Christmas artifacts that he discovers, although unfortunately that scene cannot be replicated easily here. As we continue building with sharp curves we see how the designers utilize hinges and clip pieces to slot the side wall into place. From the front of the building this detail cannot be easily appreciated, but when popped open you can see the interior details more clearly. It surprised me that Technic and System clips can be used in combination with each other, as the designers could have used a bar piece instead. This irregular decision will now be something I add to my builds to create a soft connection between pieces.

The side of the building pops open to show the details within.

Flipping the Town Hall around you can see that the interior is very packed with objects. There was an attempt to fit a ton of details in the space but this is an example where less could be more. The interior feels rather messy and although there are benches it is difficult to seat characters in this small space. What does stand out in the details are the candlesticks. By using a whip piece, a spiral tail to the candlestick is formed, adding a fun detail, although impractical. While rather simple, the way the curtains are built was also creatively done, with the 1×1 Tile w/ Ø2 ¼-Circle being immediately recognizable to be the knot that holds the curtain in place.

Jack’s podium can be removed as a standalone play element.

The details that links this structure to the scene comes in the form of its stickers. At the top of a town hall a 35 DAYS TO XMAS sign can be found. Those who have watched the movies will immediately recognize this as in the films the 36 days rolls over to 35 days as the characters make Halloween themed Christmas toys. To contrast this Christmas spirit a Halloween themed banner is strung in front of the Town Hall. This banner is made of a starchy fabric similar to older capes, allowing it to maintain its rigid shape. When opening the box for this set the banner was lodged between the creases of the box that held the instructions together resulting in me tossing it out by accident. Keep a close eye when opening your set to not accidentally discard this piece, as this would be a great detail that you don’t want to miss out on.

A cloth piece is perfect for the banner detail.

Hidden in the attic of the roof are a variety of Christmas decorations. These can be removed to change the mood of the space and to recreate the iconic scene in the Town Hall where Jack shows off his Christmas objects. These items can also be displayed around the exterior of the Town Hall for added festive spirit. Due to the arched shape of the roof this also serves as a perfect storage space for these added details when unsued. Most of the details here almost feel like Advent Calendar filler pieces, meaning that should you have a LEGO Advent Calendar you can supplement the Christmas spirit of the scene with the builds included in that set.

The roof is filled with Christmas themed elements to change the scenes’ mood.

Every sticker in this set is an Easter Egg, with the clock aligning to the same time as the clock in the films. While this detail is missable it does add to some of the fun as the build pays homage to the source materia. The frame around the clock is what gives the clock its focal point. The façade that the clock rests on is intendeted, allowing the roof to cast a shadow over it adding another shade of grey to the build. Unlike the other sloped walls in this build the roof is not actually connected to the structure, instead relying on gravity to be held in place. This makes the roof a little unwieldy and should you pick the set up incorrectly may lead to it sliding off. Built into the attic are some supports that the roof rests on to help add stability. By using gravity we once again get to see angles being built that could otherwise not be accomplished with the 30 degree angle of two 30° 1×1×⅔ Cheese Slope being the point of contact.

The sloped roof is held in place by gravity.

The fountain has to be my favorite detail of this section of the build. I was wondering how LEGO would recreate the snakelike shape of the fountain and they did a great job at doing so. The use of tubes and bar pieces allow for posability of the fountain with the the build itself being faithful to the depiction of it in the films. The only thing missing is green slime falling out of its mouth. The translucent green slime is built using rounded studs in 311Transparent Bright GreenTrans-Bright Green, with the base of the fountain layered with these small pieces. A number of additional studs are dropped on top of the fountain at irregular patterns to help create the bubbly texture of the fountain water. Irregularity adds to discomfort, allowing the build to have a more Halloween feel to it. The fountain basin is also built at irregular angles adding to the jarring feel of the build.

Small stud pieces are dropped in the fountain to create irregularity.

A variety of Halloween details in the form of pumpkins and skulls are littered around the space. The dead willow tree is another piece of detail that accentuates the build, but while the tree itself is beautifully built it is how it is angled that caught my mind. By using a new in 2024 part, 2×2 Plate w/ 2-handles, Bottom, we are able to build the tree at a new angle. I prefer the use of this part with clip connections over the conventional hinges as it allows for more angles of motion and I look forward to this piece being used elsewhere. As we build the final details of the Town Hall we can see it all come together beautifully. A wonderfully detailed build that could even be its own standalone set.

Even as a stand alone build this is beautiful.

The second of the builds is the house of Jack Skellington. This iconic structure is packed with irregularities to give it a rickety charm. A lot of the common themes employed in the first structure are leveraged again in this build, with some being elevated further to capture the magic of what LEGO can do. One of my favorite details in the Town Hall was the staircase, this build is no different, taking techniques we saw earlier and adding more. 1½×2 Door Rail and 2×2 Plate w/ studs edge make up the bulk of the detail. By stacking this piece we are able to get a 6 stud deep staircase that spans 12 steps tall, that is double the steps you would normally get for the same depth. Added to the almost random placement of steps we build up a beautiful, although haphazard set of steps leading up to the house. These steps are amongst my favorite techniques employed in this set and give me a good reason to buy more 1½×2 Door Rail pieces.

Irregularity of the steps are beautifully done.

The rock wall in front of the house is a beautiful example of how small parts can elevate builds through detailing. This wall is a beautiful advertisement to effective wall techniques. Everything from the curvature, to the colors and shapes are spot on. In one wall alone I can count over 10 different parts used across two colors, 312Medium NougatMedium Dark Flesh and 194Medium Stone GreyLight Bluish Gray. To achieve the curved shape, three 1×4 Hinge Plate parts are used to split up the wall into three parts, each having a 30 degree angle as it spans a 8 by 6 sized space. The wall itself utilizes four different types of shapes to create a variety of depths and patterns. 1×2 Brick, Masonry is used for the majority of the bulk of the wall, taking advantage of its built in texture to add variety to the shape. Added depth is accomplished through use of Studs Not On Top technique by having a 1×1 Brick, Stud, 1-side and 1×1 Tile get a single tile depth added to the side of the wall. Using 1×1 Plate and 1×1 Round Plate as filler pieces the final few small gaps are filled to give a mix of both curved and rounded patterns, giving it a worn look. When all put together and combined with the colors and curves we get a great wall that would not look out of place in custom builds. This technique is parts heavy but gives a huge return on investment, building a spectacularly detailed section.

The rocky wall looks more like a custom build than a set.

The same dark color palette of 199Dark Stone GreyDark Bluish Gray, 194Medium Stone GreyLight Bluish Gray and 26Black makes a comeback in this set, with a splash of 1089Warm TanMedium Tan adding some variety. These earthen colors create a rocky and natural look to the set, highlighting the materials that were likely used in construction. To contrast against these colors a number of Halloween themed oddities litter the space, with the 106Bright OrangeOrange leaves creating an eye catching attraction that captures the Halloween colors beautifully.

Halloween themed colors litter the scene to add color.

Each house in this set is built to be modular, with each level removable. Jack’s house follows this with each of four levels be built as its own component which can be connected at the end. From the outside the first level is the most plain, with the main detailing coming in the form of the angled bars in front of the house. After building the stairs and the exterior wall the building itself is rather a let down. The door to the house does make use of the new square wooden door piece, which with its window panel allows for fun detailing. In this set the window panel has a sticker on it to add to the horror theme of the structure.

Each level of the house is modular.

Good techniques are often repeated, and this set is no different. The slanted wall technique that we saw used in the Town Hall is repeated in this set, allowing us to build against a slope that spans three bricks deep and seven bricks high. Everything about this is identical to the previous build, with a hinge brick at the base to angle the wall and a clip at the top to hold it in place. Unlike the Town Hall however a shuttered window can be found on the side which gives a shape and color contrast to what otherwise would be a pretty flat wall.

The same slanted wall technique from the Town Hall is utilized here.

When I said the Town Hall felt cramped I never felt I would find a worse offender. The first level of Jack’s house is so packed that barely anything fits in it, only giving enough room for Jack’s sad looking Christmas Tree. The build for the Christmas Tree is very sad but that is not the designers’ fault. They actually did a great job at replicating the decrepit tree that sits in Jack’s house in the film. While we need to use our imagination a bit, the tiny space inside this house contrasts heavily against the huge space in Jack’s house in the film, which was packed with furniture. Fortunately the upper levels remedy this a bit.

Although small the interior is packed with mini build details.

While the first floor exterior disappoints, the second veers away from this disappointment by adding a large number of exterior details. A variety of different shapes are used to accomplish the variety of details. Whether it be the slopes and shingles in the roof or the bar of the support frames for the level above. Each of these not only use different shapes but contrast the backing by having a dark 26Black color against the lighter 194Medium Stone GreyLight Bluish Gray color of the structure. Studs Not On Top technique is used to add a simple yet effective shutter piece on either side of the windows, making what was otherwise a square window a pentagon window. The colors don’t change beyond the use of 44Transparent YellowTrans-Yellow for the window. This one change does elevate the set and brings a new dimension to the build. I am glad they opted to use 44Transparent YellowTrans-Yellow over 40Transparent Trans-Clear, as this color choice helps give off the nighttime feel of the set, with interior lights illuminating the window.

The colored glass for the windows capture light beautifully.

While the first floor had barely any space to fit details the second instead if jam packed with details, almost going too overboard and being messy. A variety of oddities can be found in the room, with items like holly, wrapping paper and even a painting of Jack in his Christmas attire. all printed details in this room are accomplished through use of stickers. Each of the stickers, whether it be the Christmas version of Jack’s portrait or his chalkboard where he scribbles his Christmas plan very closely represent the detail counterpart in the films. While the details are great, Jack’s portrait veers a little too much away from his LEGO likeness, making it look a little out of place as it looks too close to his film likeness. While the space is packed with details it has has the perfect level of bussiness. This is done by having a large opening and ensuring there is enough room for light to enter the space, darkness is the enemy of detail as not seeing the walls makes the space look smaller than it is.

The second floor interior is packed with details from the film.

Just like the Town Hall the attic here is again packed with Christmas ornaments that can be removed and placed around the house to transform it into a festive scene. As there is less space in this attic we do not see as many mini builds, instead with most of the detail being on the two wreaths that rest on the central support beam. A creative utilization of unused space.

More festive items are stored in the attic space.

While in my opinion Jack’s house falls short of expectations, the part that does meet expectations is the roof, and wow is it great. Everything from the roof base, to the angles shingles and chimney are well thought out and put together. We can start with the roof itself. By stacking the two parts of the roof we get a slight elevation difference, creating a layering effect as the two parts of the roof cover the structure. When combined with the slopes along the edge and roof we add more angling to what otherwise could be a flat roof. I love it when designers put some depth into the roof as many times we are just met with a flat tiled or plated roof which feels plain. The shingles are not added in a pattern format, giving the roof a worn finish. When you compare both halves of the roof you will see that the tile placement is mirrored, this creates asymmetry which gives the structure its iconic characteristics. It would have been easy to have them aligned across the centre but by not doing so it adds a differential between the halves. When I think of Jack’s house I think of sharp angles and wonkiness and the roof does this best. We again use 2×2 Plate w/ 2-handles, Bottom parts used to offset each of the three layerns of the chimney at a wonky angle adding to irregularity. Like the roof of the Town Hall, this one is also held in place by gravity allowing it to be easily removed to see the details in the attic beneath.

The roof is detailed with slopes and tiles to create a roof tile effect.

Although a small detail I love the roof ridge. The two halves weave into each other so effortlessly, almost looking like they were built in one piece. The detail of this ridge is accomplished by spacing 2×2 Wedge. Curved parts one brick apart, allowing the slopes to lock into each other. A half variant of this wedge are placed on the edge to give a straight and smooth finish.

The roof ridge interlocks to blend the two halves.

Between this tree and the dead tree we saw in the Town Hall, I would have to say I prefer the Town Hall version. When looking at the reference material there are a lot of dead trees around Jack’s house so it was odd to see them deviate and add colors. This was likely done to prevent repetition from the older version but I feel the continuity may have looked better. We see the same 2×2 Plate w/ 2-handles, Bottom piece used again here to create the required angling which was great, with the tree trunk and branches itself being rather similarly built, with only the 24Bright YellowYellow and 106Bright OrangeOrange of the leaves be the main contrast. While I prefer the dead variant, I do say the bright colors of this tree makes it more eye catching, and film accuracy aside gives the scene more warmth.

The autumn colors of the tree contrast the grey colors of the house.

While a tiny detail, I love how LEGO was able to build skeletal animals as post cap detailing. They could have chosen to not add this and it would not have made this set any worse, but seeing it included has added that tiny touch of added LEGO magic to finish the set. While in the films the animals depicted look like cats, the ones in this set instead look like small skeletal reindeer.

The post caps of the fence look like reindeer.

While a fun build, of the three builds I think this is the weakest when it comes to accuracy to the source material. I feel the original Ideas design did better to capture the oddity of Jack’s house, while LEGO’s rendition look too uniform and symmetrical. The stairs, the brick wall and the chimney do a great job at capturing the original allure of the set, but the house itself falls short. If you did not tell me that source material I would be hard pressed to predict this was Jack’s house. Accuracy though is where this criticism ends though, with the house being beautifully built and packed with details. Everything from the walls to the roof and the exterior details were well thought out. This house would fit great in a fantasy scene and has a very dungeons and dragons appeal to it. As a whole I think it is a nice structure, although a little finnicky as I have broken off levels moving it due to its few points of connections across levels.

Although an amazing structure it does not look like Jack Skellington’s house from the films.

The final of the builds is probably the most recognizable of the three. The Spiral Hill is such an iconic and immediately recognizable structure that even those who have not watched the films will recognize it. Its unique shape and large moon is something that was going to be tough to capture but is something the designers did brilliantly. Of the three builds this is honestly my favorite and would have worked amazingly as a standalone set in the 60 range instead of the full set. Of the three sets this is the smallest, but that does not mean it is worse by any means. We see the same 199Dark Stone GreyDark Bluish Gray, 194Medium Stone GreyLight Bluish Gray and 26Black color palette utilized for the base, again built out of various slopes to build a gradual hill pattern. This time however the base of the graveyard has an added 102Medium Blue layer to give off the ghostly colors that surround what is going to the base of the tombstones. For those not familiar with the films, the 325Lavender flowers at the base of the tombs may just look like decorative flowers, but in actuality they are another film reference that the designers snuck into the build. These flowers are the Deadly Night Shade, a toxic plant that Sally uses as an ingredient to put Dr. Finkelstein into a deep slumber. Not only is this addition a fun reference but the colors do a great job at contrasting against the drab color of the rest of the foundation.

Mix of tiles and plates in various shapes make up the base.

To accomplish the volume of The Spiral Hill the designers utilize a lot of creative techniques, with some being more common than the other. When the front face of the hill is removed we can see a bunch of exposed Studs Not On Top pieces that allow you to do side construction and helps to allow you to build irregular shapes. With the front removed the build honestly feels hollow as you can appreciate the creativity at play. The sharp angle at the front of the Hill is accomplished by resting slopes at an angle using hinges, while the curvature of the tip is accomplished using a mix of upside down construction. It is honestly impressive seeing how some of these detailed pieces are held together by just a single stud connection yet somehow feeling sturdy in the process. While the front is the view you will most often see this displayed at, there are a lot of nooks where Halloween themed objects can be stored, including a pumpkin, a skull and even a spider. These can always be moved to be more visible should you choose to do so.

Studs Not On Top technique helps create the 3d shape in all direction.

While watching the films I don’t think I ever picked up on this but The Spiral Hill from the distance looks like a witches hat, sporting a wide brim at the base and the tapering off with the curve at the tip. When comparing the LEGO set to the scene in the movie, the set actually looks more like a witche’s hat, so this may have been an Easter Egg that the designers snuck in to enhance the set. The Studs Not On Top we saw earlier is covered up with a varierty of slopes, with the pieces getting wider at the base to emphasize the tapering off of the mountain. This technique allows the build to feel more multi dimensional and is better than it being flattened off. If the Deadly Night Shade at the base was not obvious before, the addition of a stickered tile to name the nearby flowers helps confirm it.

Spiral Hill looks like a witche’s hat in LEGO form.

While detailing is accomplished through bricks a majority of the movie references are achieved through use of stickers. All of the labeled tombstones have stickers on them to add detail. Although some of these stickers are very movie specific and understood, there are some where stickers feel lazy. I will give LEGO a pass for hyper specific stickers but when stickers can be used in a more generic sense, such as with the letters RIP, I wish LEGO would instead opt for printed pieces and have them available in other sets. Sticker complaints aside, they do a great job at adding detail to the scene. Each of the tombstones are built using different techniques, with a variety of curves and side construction, but no tombstone can match the details of the tomb-like doghouse that Zero lives in. This build uses less than 25 pieces but is packed with detail, almost being something that could slot right into a micropolis style cityscape. The shape and textures match the film counterpart so well and makes the scene come to life. 38Dark Orange and 106Bright OrangeOrange pumpkins of different varieties are spread around the scene as a final touch. The brightness of these contrast the dark hues of the rest of the scene and helps bring everything to life (something that is the antithesis of a graveyard).

The tomb details are achieved through use of stickers.

When we talk about finishing touches to make an entire build come together nothing does it better than the card backed full moon. By not having it be built out of bricks and instead opting for a card we can get a very large object that is smooth, matching the smoothness of the full moon in the film. It was hard to see whether this was actually in the set or whether it was part of the box art upon first receiving this set, but I am glad it was the former. The moon is a beautiful piece that captures the scene perfectly. I feel that without it there would be something missing. Of the three builds this one is by far my favorite. From its small size to it being packed with details, this section of the build was a joy to put together. I wish that people could buy just this as a standalone set, with Jack, Sally and Zero as the included minifigures.

The full moon accentuates the build.