Michael Jackson – Thriller [1983] Classic
Michael Jackson’s Thriller is a 13-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 broadcast on MTV three weeks before Christmas 1983. It was the most expensive video of its time, costing US$500,000[1], and Guinness World Records listed it in 2006 as the “most successful music video”, selling over 9 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 the 3600 block of Union Pacific Avenue in East 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 Michael 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 one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, 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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Plot
Michael and his date, played by Ola Ray, 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 in agony – transforming into a horrifying werecat.[citation needed] 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 (starring Vincent Price). Michael’s date is scared but he has a huge grin on his face so she leaves. 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 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 cat-like 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.
Awards
Grammy Award
| Year | Category | Result | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Best Video, Long Form | Winner | “Thriller” | |
| 1984 | Best Video Album | Winner | “Making Michael Jackson’s Thriller” | |
MTV Award
| 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 | ||
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 900,000 copies sold.
Broadway and litigation
In 2009, Jackson sold the rights of Thriller to the Nederlander Organization, to stage a Broadway musical based on the video.
Jackson was sued by director John Landis in a dispute over royalties for the video; Landis claims he is owed four years worth of royalties.[4][5]
On May 6, 2009 it was reported[6] that Jackson was sued by Ola Ray in a dispute over royalties for the video.
See also
References
- ^ a b Director: Funds for “Thriller” almost didn’t appear
- ^ Guinness World Records (2006)
- ^ MTV: 100 Greatest Music Videos Ever Made
- ^ Legal Thriller: Michael Jackson Sued by John Landis Yahoo News, January 27, 2009
- ^ http://www.nme.com/news/michael-jackson/42356
- ^ Detroit Free Press p. A23, May 6 2009
External links