Michael Jackson's Thriller (music video)

In the 1950s, Michael Jackson and a young woman (Ola Ray) run out of gas while driving in a wooded area. They walk into the forest and the woman accepts Jackson's invitation to be his girlfriend. He warns her that he is "not like other guys", transforms into a werecat and attacks her. In the present, Jackson and his girlfriend are watching the werecat film in a theater. The girlfriend leaves, scared by the film. Walking down a city street at night, Jackson teases her by performing the verses of "Thriller". They pass a graveyard, where zombies rise from their graves and surround them in the street. Jackson becomes a zombie and dances with the horde, temporarily reverting to human form to sing the choruses of "Thriller". Jackson and the zombies chase his girlfriend into an abandoned house. As he is about to attack her, she screams and wakes up in Jackson's living room, realizing the experience was a nightmare. Jackson embraces her and takes her home, but grins at the camera, revealing his werecat eyes. == Horror elements ==

The Thriller video makes many allusions to horror films. The opening scene parodies 1950s B-movies, with Jackson and Ray dressed as 1950s teenagers. The metamorphosis of the polite "boy next door" into a werecat has been interpreted as a depiction of male sexuality as bestial, predatory and aggressive. The critic Kobena Mercer found similarities to the werewolf in The Company of Wolves (1984). Jackson's makeup casts "a ghostly pallor" over his skin and emphasizes the outline of his skull, an allusion to the mask from The Phantom of the Opera (1925). ==Development==

(pictured in 2005) directed the video. Jackson's album Thriller was released in November 1982 on Epic Records and spent months at the top of the Billboard 200. It was backed by successful music videos for the singles "Billie Jean" and "Beat It", which are credited for raising creative standards for music videos and demonstrating their promotional power. Yetnikoff asked, "Who wants a single about monsters?" At the time, commercial directors did not direct music videos, but Landis was intrigued. Landis and Jackson conceived a short film shot on 35mm film with the production values of a feature film, with a budget of $900,000, much larger than any previous music video. Funding According to Landis, when he called Yetnikoff to propose the film, he swore so loudly he had to remove the phone from his ear. The documentary, ''Making Michael Jackson's Thriller'', was directed by Jerry Kramer. == Production ==

Makeup and wardrobe Jackson wanted to make a video in which he transformed into a four-legged beast, similarly to the transformation scene in An American Werewolf in London. This idea was replaced with a two-legged monster, as this made it easier for him to dance. The director of photography was Robert Paynter, who had worked with Landis on ''Trading Places. In 2001, Jackson said he remained a Jehovah's Witness, and the versions of the video on YouTube retains his disclaimer that it "in no way endorses a belief in the occult". However, according to multiple sources, Jackson ceased actively participating in church in 1987 after the video controversy. == Release and reception ==

, formerly known as the Crest Theater, where ''Michael Jackson's Thriller'' premiered in 1983 On November 14, 1983, Thriller was shown to a private audience at the Crest Theater in Los Angeles. In attendance were celebrities including Diana Ross, Warren Beatty, Prince and Eddie Murphy. Jackson stayed in the projection booth, declining Ray's invitation to join the audience. The audience gave the film a standing ovation. At Murphy's insistence, it was played again. After each broadcast, MTV advertised when they would next play it, and recorded audience figures ten times the norm. As films required theatrical screenings to be eligible for Academy Awards, Landis had the video played before screenings of Fantasia (1940) at a Los Angeles cinema, though it was not nominated. The video doubled sales of the Thriller album, The success transformed Jackson into a dominant force in global pop culture, and cemented his status as the "king of pop". Legacy event in Austin, Texas The Thriller video sealed MTV's position as a major cultural force, helped disassemble racial barriers for black artists, revolutionized music video production, popularized making-of documentaries, and drove rentals and sales of VHS tapes. He said it 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". ''Michael Jackson's Thriller was named the greatest video by MTV in 1999, by VH1 in 2001, and by Time in 2011. Vinny Marino of ABC News'' said the video's selection by VH1 was a "no-brainer", and that it "continues to be considered the greatest video ever by just about everyone". which described it as "the most famous music video of all time". The National Film Preservation Board coordinator, Steve Legett, said it had been considered for induction for years, but was chosen mainly due to Jackson's death that year. In a poll of more than 1,000 people conducted by Myspace in 2010, it was voted the most influential music video. Jackson's red leather jacket became a fashion icon and has been widely emulated. In 2011, one of the two jackets worn by Jackson in the video sold at auction for $1.8 million. "Thriller" has become closely associated with Halloween; in 2016, US president Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama danced to the song with schoolchildren at a White House Halloween event. The Thriller dance is performed in major cities around the world. The largest zombie dance included 12,937 dancers, in Mexico City. ''Michael Jackson's Thriller'' is popular on YouTube, which hosts reenactments of the dance. A YouTube video of more than 1,500 prisoners performing the dance attracted 14 million views by 2010. == Rereleases and adaptations ==

In 2017, remastered versions of Thriller (in 3D) and the documentary were played at the 74th annual Venice Film Festival. Thriller was also screened at the Toronto International Film Festival, followed by a US premiere at the Grauman's Chinese Theatre. It was remastered in IMAX 3D for a limited engagement in 2018, preceding screenings of The House With a Clock in Its Walls in North America for its first week. In 2009, Jackson sold the ''Michael Jackson's Thriller rights to the Nederlander Organization to stage a Broadway musical based on the video. In 2024, Netflix, Universal Pictures and Illumination released an animated short, Sing: Thriller, that combines Thriller with characters from the animated film franchise Sing''. ==Litigation==

In 2009, Landis sued Jackson in a dispute over royalties for the video, saying Jackson had failed to pay him 50% of the proceeds. The lawsuit was settled in 2012 for an undisclosed amount. In 2013, Landis said: "My deal was with Michael's company and Michael's company was mismanaged ... I was suing him for 14 years." The 2009 video game Plants vs. Zombies by PopCap Games contained enemies resembling the zombie Jackson until Jackson's estate objected in 2010. ==Accolades==

Grammy Award MTV Video Music Award ==See also==