Michael Jackson's Thriller is a 14-minute music video for
the song of the same name"Thriller" is a song recorded by American recording artist Michael Jackson, composed by Rod Temperton, and produced by Quincy Jones. It is the seventh and final single from his sixth studio album Thriller. It was released on January 23, 1984 by Epic Records...
released on December 2, 1983 and directed by
John LandisJohn David Landis is an American film director, screenwriter, actor, and producer. He is known for his comedies, his horror films, and his music videos with singer Michael Jackson.-Early life and career:...
, who also co-wrote the screenplay with
JacksonMichael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
.
Voted as the most influential pop music video of all time,
Thriller proved to have a profound effect on
popular culturePopular culture is the totality of ideas, perspectives, attitudes, memes, images and other phenomena that are deemed preferred per an informal consensus within the mainstream of a given culture, especially Western culture of the early to mid 20th century and the emerging global mainstream of the...
, and was named "a watershed moment for the [music] industry" for its unprecedented merging of
filmmakingFilmmaking is the process of making a film, from an initial story, idea, or commission, through scriptwriting, casting, shooting, directing, editing, and screening the finished product before an audience that may result in a theatrical release or television program...
and music.
Guinness World RecordsGuinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records , is a reference book published annually, containing a collection of world records, both human achievements and the extremes of the natural world...
listed it in 2006 as the "most successful music video", selling over 9 million units. In 2009, the video was inducted into the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress, the first music video to ever receive this honor, for being “culturally, historically or aesthetically” significant.
Co-starring with Jackson was former
PlayboyPlayboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
centerfold
Ola RayOla Ray is an American model and actress most notable for co-starring alongside Michael Jackson in his short film for "Thriller" in 1983.She modeled for Playboy and was the Playmate of the Month for the June 1980 issue....
. The video was choreographed by
Michael PetersMichael Douglas Peters was an American choreographer.-Biography:Peters was born in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, in New York City to an African American father and Jewish mother. His first major breakthrough came when he did choreography for Donna Summer's "Love to Love You Baby" in 1975...
(who had worked with the singer on his prior hit "
Beat It"Beat It" is a song written and performed by American recording artist Michael Jackson, and produced by Quincy Jones . It is the third single from the singer's sixth solo album, Thriller . Eddie Van Halen was hired to add the song's distinctive overdriven guitar solo, but was prevented by his...
"), and Michael Jackson. The video also contains incidental music by film music composer
Elmer BernsteinElmer Bernstein was an American composer and conductor best known for his many film scores. In a career which spanned fifty years, he composed music for hundreds of film and television productions...
, who had previously worked with Landis on
An American Werewolf in LondonAn American Werewolf in London is a 1981 British-American horror film, written and directed by John Landis. It stars David Naughton, Jenny Agutter, and Griffin Dunne....
. The video (like the song) contains a spoken word performance by horror film veteran
Vincent PriceVincent Leonard Price, Jr. was an American actor, well known for his distinctive voice and serio-comic attitude in a series of horror films made in the latter part of his career.-Early life and career:Price was born in St...
. Rick Baker assisted in
prostheticsProsthetic makeup is the process of using prosthetic sculpting, molding and casting techniques to create advanced cosmetic effects...
and
makeupCosmetics are substances used to enhance the appearance or odor of the human body. Cosmetics include skin-care creams, lotions, powders, perfumes, lipsticks, fingernail and toe nail polish, eye and facial makeup, towelettes, permanent waves, colored contact lenses, hair colors, hair sprays and...
for the production. "Thriller" was the third and final video for the
Thriller album. The red jacket that Jackson wore was designed by John Landis' wife Deborah Landis to make him appear more "virile".
To qualify for an Academy Award, "Thriller" debuted at a special theatrical screening, along with the 1940 Disney motion picture
FantasiaFantasia is a 1940 American animated film produced by Walt Disney and released by Walt Disney Productions. The third feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, the film consists of eight animated segments set to pieces of classical music conducted by Leopold Stokowski, seven of which are...
.
Content
As Michael Jackson was a practicing Jehovah's Witness at the time, the first scene includes a disclaimer by Jackson stating that, "Due to my strong personal convictions, I wish to stress that this film in no way endorses a belief in the occult."
In a serene 1950s setting, a teenaged Michael Jackson and his unnamed girlfriend (
Ola RayOla Ray is an American model and actress most notable for co-starring alongside Michael Jackson in his short film for "Thriller" in 1983.She modeled for Playboy and was the Playmate of the Month for the June 1980 issue....
) run out of gas in a dark, wooded area. They walk off into the forest, and Michael asks her if she would like to be his girl (meaning he wants to marry her). She accepts and he gives her a ring. He warns her, however, that he is "not like other guys". A
full moonFull moon lunar phase that occurs when the Moon is on the opposite side of the Earth from the Sun. More precisely, a full moon occurs when the geocentric apparent longitudes of the Sun and Moon differ by 180 degrees; the Moon is then in opposition with the Sun.Lunar eclipses can only occur at...
appears, and Michael begins convulsing in agonytransforming into a horrifying
werecatA werecat is a therianthropic creature of folklore, horror, and occultism, described as being a shape-shifter similar to a Werewolf....
, growling at her to "GET AWAY!"in the process. The girl screams and runs away, but the werecat catches up, knocking her down and lunging at her with his claws.
The scene then cuts to a movie theater where Michael and his date, along with an excitable audience, are actually watching the scene unfold in a fictional
Vincent PriceVincent Leonard Price, Jr. was an American actor, well known for his distinctive voice and serio-comic attitude in a series of horror films made in the latter part of his career.-Early life and career:Price was born in St...
movie titled "Thriller". Michael's girlfriend leaves the theater as Michael hands his popcorn to another moviegoer, catches up to her, and tells her that "It's only a movie". Some debate follows as to whether or not she was scared by the movie: she denies it, but Michael disagrees. They then walk down a foggy road as Michael teases her by singing the verses of "Thriller". They pass a nearby graveyard, in which the
undeadUndead is a collective name for fictional, mythological, or legendary beings that are deceased and yet behave as if alive. Undead may be incorporeal, such as ghosts, or corporeal, such as vampires and zombies...
begin to rise out of their
graveA grave is a location where a dead body is buried. Graves are usually located in special areas set aside for the purpose of burial, such as graveyards or cemeteries....
s as Vincent Price performs his
sprechgesangSprechgesang and Sprechstimme are musical terms used to refer to an expressionist vocal technique between singing and speaking. Though sometimes used interchangeably, sprechgesang is a term directly related to the operatic recitative manner of singing , whereas sprechstimme is...
.
The zombies corner the two main characters threateningly, and suddenly, Michael becomes a zombie himself. The zombies then break into an elaborate song and dance number, followed by the main chorus of "Thriller" (during which Michael reverts to human form), frightening his date to the point where she runs for cover.
Michael (who has turned back into a zombie) and his fellow corpses chase the frightened girl into the corner of a nearby abandoned house. Michael then reaches for the girl's throat as she lets out a bloodcurdling scream, only to awake and realize it was all a dream. Michael then offers to take her home, and she happily accepts. As they walk out of the house, Michael eerily looks at the camera, revealing his yellow werecat eyes, as Vincent Price offers one last haunting laugh.
During the closing credits, a reprised scene of the zombies dancing is shown. At the end of the closing credits, a disclaimer appears, saying that "Any similarity to actual events or characters living, dead, (or undead) is purely coincidental." The same disclaimer appeared in
An American Werewolf in LondonAn American Werewolf in London is a 1981 British-American horror film, written and directed by John Landis. It stars David Naughton, Jenny Agutter, and Griffin Dunne....
, also directed by Landis. After this, the zombies then dance back into their graves, ending with one of them (an uncredited
Vincent PriceVincent Leonard Price, Jr. was an American actor, well known for his distinctive voice and serio-comic attitude in a series of horror films made in the latter part of his career.-Early life and career:Price was born in St...
, in full prosthetic makeup) giving the audience a terrifying grimace as the scene fades to black.
Credits
- Directed by: John Landis
John David Landis is an American film director, screenwriter, actor, and producer. He is known for his comedies, his horror films, and his music videos with singer Michael Jackson.-Early life and career:...
- Produced by: George Folsey, Jr.
George J. Folsey, Jr. is an American film producer, editor, assistant director and cinematographer who frequently worked with director John Landis in the 1980s. He also edited the movie, "Hot Tub Time Machine" Folsey was acquitted in a manslaughter case brought over the deaths of actor Vic Morrow...
, Michael Jackson & John Landis
- Written by: John Landis & Michael Jackson
- Starring: Michael Jackson
- Co-Starring: Ola Ray
Ola Ray is an American model and actress most notable for co-starring alongside Michael Jackson in his short film for "Thriller" in 1983.She modeled for Playboy and was the Playmate of the Month for the June 1980 issue....
- Director of Photography: Robert Paynter
Robert William Paynter BSC was an English cinematographer. He entered the film industry at the age of 15 as a camera trainee with the Government Film Department...
, B.S.C.
- Special Make-up Effects Designed & Created by: Rick Baker & EFX, Inc.
- Choreography: Michael Peters
Michael Douglas Peters was an American choreographer.-Biography:Peters was born in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, in New York City to an African American father and Jewish mother. His first major breakthrough came when he did choreography for Donna Summer's "Love to Love You Baby" in 1975...
& Michael Jackson
- Edited by: Malcolm Campbell
Malcolm Campbell is a film editor who began his career in the 1980s.The following is a list of the films he has edited:*Hot Rod *Local Color *Son of the Mask *Scary Movie 3 *Shanghai Knights...
& George Folsey, Jr.
- Art Director: Charles Hughes
- Costume Designed by: Kelly Kimball & Deborah Nadoolman Landis
Dr. Deborah Nadoolman Landis is an American film and theater costume designer. She worked on such notable films as Animal House, Three Amigos, and Raiders of the Lost Ark. Landis recently completed her second term as president of the Costume Designers Guild of which she has been a member for more...
- Production Manager: Dan Allingham
- First Assistant Director: David Sosna
- Scary Music by: Elmer Bernstein
Elmer Bernstein was an American composer and conductor best known for his many film scores. In a career which spanned fifty years, he composed music for hundreds of film and television productions...
Thriller
- Performed by: Michael Jackson
- Featuring 'Rap' by: Vincent Price
Vincent Leonard Price, Jr. was an American actor, well known for his distinctive voice and serio-comic attitude in a series of horror films made in the latter part of his career.-Early life and career:Price was born in St...
- Produced by: Quincy Jones
Quincy Delightt Jones, Jr. is an American record producer and musician. A conductor, musical arranger, film composer, television producer, and trumpeter. His career spans five decades in the entertainment industry and a record 79 Grammy Award nominations, 27 Grammys, including a Grammy Legend...
& Michael Jackson
- Written by: Rod Temperton
Rodney Lynn "Rod" Temperton is an English songwriter, record producer and musician most famous for writing a number of songs performed by Michael Jackson, including the title track of Jackson's Thriller, the biggest-selling album of all time.-Biography:As Temperton remembers music was in his bones...
- Recorded & Mixed by: Bruce Swedien
Bruce Swedien is a Grammy Award-winning audio engineer and music producer. He is known for his work with Quincy Jones.Swedien is a five-time Grammy winner and has been nominated 13 times. He recorded, mixed, and assisted in producing the best-sold album in the world, Thriller by Michael Jackson...
- Available on Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
& Cassettes
Awards
In December 2009, it was selected for the
National Film RegistryThe National Film Registry is the United States National Film Preservation Board's selection of films for preservation in the Library of Congress. The Board, established by the National Film Preservation Act of 1988, was reauthorized by acts of Congress in 1992, 1996, 2005, and again in October 2008...
by the
Library of CongressThe Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
along with 24 other films. It was the first ever music video to be selected. The Registry titled
Thriller as “the most famous music video of all time”. The co-ordinator of the
National Film Preservation BoardThe United States National Film Preservation Board is the board selecting films for preservation in the Library of Congress' National Film Registry. It was established by the National Film Preservation Act of 1988...
, who decides upon candidates for inclusion in the National Film Registry, Steve Legett, said “The time is right” for
Thriller to be included, because of the death of Jackson that year.
Grammy Award
| Year |
Category |
Result |
Notes |
| 1985 |
Best Video, Long Form The Grammy Award for Best Long Form Music Video is an accolade presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally named the Gramophone Awards, to performers, directors, and producers of quality videos or musical programs...
|
|
"Thriller" |
| 1984 |
Best Video Album |
|
Making Michael Jackson's Thriller |
MTV Award
| Year |
Category |
Result |
| 1999 |
100 Greatest Music Videos of all Time |
|
| 1984 |
Best Overall Performance in a Video |
|
| 1984 |
Best Choreography (Michael PetersMichael Douglas Peters was an American choreographer.-Biography:Peters was born in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, in New York City to an African American father and Jewish mother. His first major breakthrough came when he did choreography for Donna Summer's "Love to Love You Baby" in 1975...
) |
|
| 1984 |
Viewer's Choice |
|
Origins
In the summer of 1983,
ThrillerThriller is the sixth studio album by American recording artist Michael Jackson. It was released on November 30, 1982, by Epic Records as the follow-up to Jackson's critically and commercially successful 1979 album Off the Wall...
had begun to decline in sales.
Walter YetnikoffWalter Yetnikoff is a former music executive.Yetnikoff has retired and gone on to write his memoirs, "Howling at the Moon"...
and Larry Stessel answered calls throughout the night from Jackson. "Walter, the record isn’t No. 1 anymore," Yetnikoff recalls Jackson saying. "What are we going to do about it?" 'We’re going to go to sleep and deal with it tomorrow,'" Yetnikoff remembered answering. Jackson manager
Frank DiLeoFrank Michael DiLeo was an American music industry executive and actor, known for his portrayal of gangster Tuddy Cicero in Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas. For five years in the late 1980s, and again in 2009, he was Michael Jackson's manager.-Career:Frank DiLeo graduated from Central Catholic High...
first mentioned the idea of making a third video, and pressed Jackson to consider the album’s title track. "It’s simple—all you’ve got to do is dance, sing, and make it scary," DiLeo recalls telling Jackson.
In early August, John Landis was contacted by Jackson to direct. At the time, commercial motion-picture directors did not direct music videos, but Landis was intrigued.
Filming locations
The music video was filmed at the Palace Theatre in downtown Los Angeles, the zombie dance sequence at the junction of Union Pacific Avenue and South Calzona Street in
East Los AngelesEast Los Angeles is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Los Angeles County, California, United States...
and the final house scene in the Angeleno Heights neighborhood at 1345
Carroll AvenueCarroll Avenue is a street situated in Los Angeles, near Echo Park. It is in Angelino Heights, one of the older neighborhoods of Los Angeles. It consists of Victorian-era houses within a picturesque neighborhood, which has served as the backdrop for countless motion pictures from the earliest days...
.
Behind the scenes
In an interview that aired December 11, 1999, for MTV's
100 Greatest Videos Ever Made, Jackson spoke about the making of the video:
Making Michael Jackson's Thriller
Released in tandem with the video was an hour-long documentary providing candid glimpses behind the scenes of the production. Called
Making Michael Jackson's Thriller, it, too, was shown heavily on MTV for a time and was the top-selling home-video release of all time at one point, with over 9 million copies sold. The VHS also included video clips from the songs "
Can You Feel It"Can You Feel It" is a recording by funk and soul group The Jacksons, recorded in March 1980 and released on September 22, 1980 as the first track on their album Triumph....
", "
Beat It"Beat It" is a song written and performed by American recording artist Michael Jackson, and produced by Quincy Jones . It is the third single from the singer's sixth solo album, Thriller . Eddie Van Halen was hired to add the song's distinctive overdriven guitar solo, but was prevented by his...
", and the Motown 25 performance of "
Billie Jean"Billie Jean" is a dance-pop/R&B song by American recording artist Michael Jackson. It was written, composed, and co-produced by Jackson, and produced by Quincy Jones from the singer's sixth album, Thriller . Originally disliked by Jones, the track was almost removed from the album after he and...
" as well as audio clips from songs like "Workin' Day and Night".
MTV paid $250,000 for the exclusive rights to show the documentary; Showtime paid $300,000 for pay-cable rights; and
Vestron VideoVestron Video was the main subsidiary of Vestron, Inc., a home video company based in Stamford, Connecticut that was active from 1982 to 1992. It is considered to have been a pioneer in the home video market....
reportedly plunked down an additional $500,000 to market the cassette, in "a profit participation."
Rick Baker expected to have a few weeks to do the special effects make up for the zombies (which usually requires impressions to be taken of the actors face to base the prosthetics on) only to find out the dancers would not be cast until a few days before shooting began. It was decided to do generic make up for the dancers (using a combination of precast prosthetics) while members of Bakers crew in the more elaborate make up for shots that featured more closeups (like the zombie coming out of the manhole)
Broadway and litigation
In 2009, Jackson sold the rights of "Thriller" to the
Nederlander OrganizationThe Nederlander Organization, founded in 1912 by David T. Nederlander and based in Detroit, Michigan, is one of the largest operators of legitimate theatres and music venuesin the United States. Its first acquisition was a lease on the Detroit Opera House in 1912. The building was demolished in...
, to stage a Broadway musical based on the video.
Jackson was sued by Landis in a dispute over
royaltiesRoyalties are usage-based payments made by one party to another for the right to ongoing use of an asset, sometimes an intellectual property...
for the video; Landis claims he is owed four years worth of royalties.
Ola Ray has also complained in the past about difficulties collecting royalties. At first, Ray blamed Jackson, but then apologized to him in 1997. However, Ray eventually sued Jackson on May 6, 2009 in a dispute to obtain uncollected royalties. less than two months before Jackson's death on June 25.
Legacy
Following the success of the "Thriller" video, a Hollywood production company reportedly began serious workPalbum, into a feature film; to date no plans have ever been completed. Vinny Marino of
ABC NewsABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
commented that "Thriller"'s music video was being selected as the 'Greatest Video of All Time" was a "no-brainer" and remarked that, "Michael Jackson's "Thriller" continues to be considered the greatest video ever by just about everyone." Gil Kaufman of MTV described the "Thriller" video as being "iconic" and felt that it was one of Jackson's "most enduring legacies". Kaufman also noted that the music video was the "mini-movie that revolutionized music videos" and "cemented Jackson's status as one of the most ambitious, innovative pop stars of all time". Steve Peake, of
About.comAbout.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company....
, listed "Thriller" as being Jackson's eighth best song of the 1980s. Patrick Kevin Day and Todd Martens, of
The Los Angeles Times commented that,
In December 2009, the music video for "Thriller" was selected for the
National Film RegistryThe National Film Registry is the United States National Film Preservation Board's selection of films for preservation in the Library of Congress. The Board, established by the National Film Preservation Act of 1988, was reauthorized by acts of Congress in 1992, 1996, 2005, and again in October 2008...
by the
Library of CongressThe Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
, "Thriller" is the first music video to ever be inducted. The Registry explained, "because of the way the recording industry is evolving and changing, we thought it would be good to go back to the development of an earlier seismic shift, which was the development of the music video" and described the music video as being "the most famous music video of all time". The co-ordinator of the
National Film Preservation BoardThe United States National Film Preservation Board is the board selecting films for preservation in the Library of Congress' National Film Registry. It was established by the National Film Preservation Act of 1988...
, who decides upon candidates for inclusion in the National Film Registry, Steve Legett, noted that the music video was considered for induction for years, but was chosen mainly due to Jackson's death that year. In a poll conducted by Myspace in 2010, which asked over one thousand users on their site to name the most influential music video of all time from a list of twenty videos selected by music and entertainment critics,
Michael Jackson's Thriller was voted the most influential video.
In 2002
Lexington, KentuckyLexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
became the first city to launch a "Thriller" reenactment as a Halloween festivity. The video’s storyline and dance sequences are faithfully recreated, beginning outside the historic
Kentucky TheaterThe Kentucky Theater was a theater and performing arts center at 651 S. 4th St., located in the theatre district of downtown Louisville, Kentucky in the United States of America.Built in 1921, the building served for sixty years as a movie house...
and featuring hundreds of zombies who attend rehearsals at nearby Mecca Live Studio in the weeks leading up to the parade. Lexington’s 10th annual Thriller Parade was sponsored by Lexington Parks and Recreation, Mecca, and WRFL FM 88.1, and took place on October 30, 2011 for an audience of thousands, with Albert Ignacio playing the role of Michael Jackson. Lexington’s March Madness Marching Band also performed in zombie attire.
See also
- Michael Jackson's Thriller jacket
Michael Jackson's Thriller jacket refers to the iconic red jacket worn by Michael Jackson in the Michael Jackson's Thriller video in 1983. On June 27, 2011, the buyer Milton Verret described the jacket as "the greatest piece of rock and roll memorabilia in history".-Design:The jacket was designed...
- List of most expensive music videos
- Return of the Living Dead Part II
Return of the Living Dead Part II is an American zombie horror comedy film that was released in 1988. It was written and directed by Ken Wiederhorn. The film was released by Lorimar Motion Pictures on January 8, 1988, and was a minor box office success, making over $9 million at the box office in...
, the film features a dancing zombie resembling Michael Jackson from this video.
- Thriller viral video
Thriller is a viral video featuring the dancing inmates of a high-security penitentiary. In 2007, the inmates of Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center , a maximum security prison in Cebu, Cebu, the Philippines, imitated the zombie dance featured in the music video of Michael Jackson's...
featuring the dancing inmates of Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation CenterCebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center, also known by its initials CPDRC, is a maximum security prison in Cebu, in Cebu Province, Philippines.Byron F...
(CPDRC), CebuThe City of Cebu is the capital city of Cebu and is the second largest city in the Philippines, the second most significant metropolitan centre in the Philippines and known as the oldest settlement established by the Spaniards in the country.The city is located on the eastern shore of Cebu and was...
, in the Cebu Province of the Philippines
- Donga
Donga is a Telegu film which was released on March 14, 1985. This film was directed by A. Kodandarami Reddy, and stars Chiranjeevi and Radha. This film is produced by T...
, the "Indian Thriller" internet meme
- Thrill the World
Thrill the World is an annual international dance event and world record breaking attempt, in which participants simultaneously emulate the zombie dance seen in the music video of Michael Jackson's "Thriller", and the title of the event is an allusion to another of Jackson's songs, Heal the World...
- "World Record Thriller Attempt" http://www.celebrateregner.org
External links