Michael Jackson's Thriller: Greatest Video Ever
The Best Music Video of All Time, directed by John Landis
May 7, 2009
The screen fades to black...and these words fill the space for a few seconds:
"Due to my strong personal convictions, I wish to stress that this film in no way endorses a belief in the occult."
The Story of Thriller
The red writing flashes up next: Michael Jackson's Thriller. In the opening sequence, Michael Jackson tells his girlfriend that he "Isn’t like other guys", then changes into a werewolf. A very creepy looking, Rick Baker Oscar winning makeup induced werewolf.
It’s revealed that they’re just watching a B-horror film at a theater, Mike walks the girl home, that extremely catchy bouncy music is playing, fog settles in while Mike teases the girl for being creeped out ("It’s only a movie")...and then BAM!
Zombies are coming out of everywhere. Mike turns into one himself (highlighted by an extremely effective camera maneuver), girl runs while night creatures move together in a grotesque macabre dance that looks as if it might have been choreographed by Nosferatu on the set of an old Walt Disney Halloween cartoon.
Vincent Price and Michael Jackzombie
The infinitely impressive hair-raising voice of the great Vincent Price is now engaged in a lurid rhyme of the spooky, the zombies (led by Michael Jackzombie) close in on the girl (busting through the doors, walls, and windows of an old abandoned house), Undead Mike reaches for her...and she apparently wakes up screaming. Mike feigns surprise at her reaction, laughs ("What’s the problem?"), and helps her up - now completely human again.
He turns, grins at the camera, and his eyes become a glowing yellow color as Price laughs that most sinister laugh (drenched in reverb, making it sound even scarier).
14 minutes after the first disclaimer, a work of art (oddly in what was the somewhat new form of basically a music "commercial", a promo for a product, the Thriller album).
The Greatest Music Video Ever Made
Thriller is the best. Here’s why.
It firmly cemented the notion that videos could be something more. No longer were all videos just some singer jumping around in spandex lip-syncing (sometimes poorly) and staring into the camera. Yes, there were a few instances of this before Thriller, but none on such a big scale and nowhere near as well made.
John Landis masterfully directed, and the result is exciting, fun, and full of gothic imagery and absolutely still holds up, 20+ years later.
Since this video was made, a lot of videos have come along worthy of the term "art". Still, none have absolutely toppled the 1985 masterpiece from the throne. There haven’t even been many real challengers.
That 14 minute video is better than most mainstream horror films made today. No debate necessary; Thriller reigns supreme.
