Thriller (music video)
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| Thriller | |
|---|---|
 Michael Jackson's Thriller. |
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| Directed by | John Landis |
| Produced by | George Folsey Jr. |
| Written by | John Landis Michael Jackson |
| Starring | Michael Jackson Ola Ray |
| Distributed by | Sony Records |
| Release date(s) | December 2, 1983 |
| Running time | 13:43 |
| Language | English |
| Budget | US $800,000 Sales: 1 million units |
| Allmovie profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Michael Jackson's "Thriller" is a 14-minute music video for the song of the same name released on December 2, 1983 and directed by John Landis who also co-wrote the screenplay with Jackson. The mini-film music video was broadcasted on MTV three weeks before Christmas 1983. It was the most expensive video of its time, costing US$500,000[1], and the Guinness World Records in 2006 list it as the "most successful music video", selling over 1 million units.[2]
"Thriller" was less a conventional video and more a full-fledged short subject or mini-film; a horror film spoof featuring choreographed zombies performing with Jackson. The music was re-edited to match the video, with the verses being sung one after the other followed by the ending rap, then the main dance sequence (filmed on Union Pacific Avenue, Los Angeles) to an instrumental loop, and finally the memorable finish: the choruses in a "big dance number" climactic scene. During the video, Jackson transforms into both a zombie and a werecat (although makeup artist Rick Baker referred to it as a "cat monster" in the "Making of Thriller" documentary); familiar territory for Landis, who had directed An American Werewolf in London two years earlier. Co-starring with Jackson was former Playboy centerfold Ola Ray. The video was choreographed by Michael Peters (who had worked with the singer on his prior hit "Beat It"), with significant contributions by Jackson. The video also contains incidental music by film music composer Elmer Bernstein, who had previously also worked with Landis on An American Werewolf in London. The video (like the song) contains a spoken word performance by horror film veteran Vincent Price. Rick Baker assisted in prosthetics and makeup for the production.
Jackson, at the time a Jehovah's Witness, added a disclaimer to the start of the video, saying:
| “ | Due to my strong personal convictions, I wish to stress that this film in no way endorses a belief in the occult. | ” |
To qualify for an Academy Award, "Thriller" debuted at a special theatrical screening, along with the 1940 animated motion picture Fantasia.
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[edit] Plot
Michael and his date run out of gas in a dark, wooded area. They walk off into the forest, and Michael asks her if she would like to go steady. She accepts and he gives her a ring. He warns her, however, that he is "not like other guys". A full moon appears, and Michael begins convulsing - transforming into a horrifying werecat. His date shrieks and runs away, but the werecat catches up, knocking her down and begins lunging at her with its claws.
The scene cuts away to a movie theater (the Palace Theatre in Hollywood) where Michael and his date - along with a repulsed audience - are actually watching this scene unfold in a movie called Thriller (by Vincent Price). Michael smiles but his date is frightened, and tells him she's leaving. Michael catches up to her, exclaiming "It's only a movie!" Some debate follows over whether or not she was scared by the scene; she denies it, but Michael disagrees.
Michael and his date then walk down a foggy street, and he teases her with the opening verses of "Thriller". They pass a possessed graveyard, where corpses suddenly begin to rise from their graves, as Vincent Price performs his rap. Michael and his date then find themselves surrounded by the zombies, and suddenly, Michael becomes a zombie himself. Michael and the undead perform an elaborate song and dance number together, followed by the chorus of 'Thriller' (in which Michael is changed back into human form), frightening his girlfriend to the point where she runs for cover.
The girl is chased into an abandoned house, where the zombies and Michael slowly approach her. Right before they reach her, she wakes up and realizes that it was all a dream. As Michael asks "What's the problem?", he offers to take her home, but as the video ends Michael glances back at the camera, grins, and reveals his yellow monster eyes (accompanied by Vincent Price offering one last haunting laugh).
After the credits, when they concurrently show the zombies dancing again, the disclaimer humorously states, "Any similarity to actual events or persons living, dead, (or undead) is purely coincidental." Landis' An American Werewolf in London likewise offered this disclaimer.
[edit] Awards
[edit] Grammy Award
| Year | Category | Result | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Best Video, Long Form | Winner | "Thriller" | |
| 1984 | Best Video Album | Winner | "Making Michael Jackson's Thriller" | |
| Year | Category | Result | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 100 Greatest Music Videos Ever Made[3] | #1 | ||
| 1984 | Best Overall Performance in a Video | Winner | ||
| 1984 | Best Choreography | Winner | Michael Peters, choreographer | |
| 1984 | Viewer's Choice | Winner | ||
[edit] 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 more than 9 million copies sold.
[edit] Trivia
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Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones. |
- Right before Michael and the girl leave the theatre, the announcer on the screen utters the line "See you next Wednesday", a line featured in most John Landis films. A poster for Landis' early film Schlock can be seen in the lobby.
- Forrest J. Ackerman can be seen sitting in the row behind Michael and his date. In the row in front of them, longtime Jackson bodyguard Miko Brando can be seen. Makeup FX wizard Rick Baker appears as the eye-rolling zombie seen exiting a crypt and other makeup FX artists who worked on the film also make cameo appearances.
- When Michael sings the chorus with the zombies, his face appears completely normal as if he wasn't a zombie yet, which he said on the making of the video was because the mask was so uncomfortable to wear.
- In October 2007, Much More Music placed "Thriller" as number 2 of the Top 40 Most Memorable Music Videos on "Listed".
- The dancers almost went on strike because they wanted to be paid more; dancing in the shoes they were given on the cement was causing all of them leg pain.
- The music video was released theatrically in 1983, in order to qualify for an Oscar in the Short Film category. However, there was some controversy amongst independent film-makers as the film was directed with a well known director and had a higher budget than the shorts which are usually nominated in that category. The film received "Two Thumbs Down" on the TV show At The Movies with Siskel & Ebert Siskel felt the film was not special and was simply Michael Jackson dancing around, with zombie and werewolf effects. Ebert felt the film recycled ideas from earlier films (notably An American Werewolf in London) and the musical sequences were too long.
[edit] See also
[edit] Footnotes
[edit] External links
- Thriller (1983) (V) at the Internet Movie Database
- The original music video for "Thriller" on YouTube
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