Michael Jackson's groundbreaking "Thriller" video, produced by director John Landis, transformed the medium by blending music and horror genres. Forty years after its release, the iconic dance moves inspired by the video continue to captivate pop culture.
Despite being labeled "King of Pop," Jackson's innovative video had its challenges. In its early days, "Thriller" was only permitted to air past 10 PM due to its fearful content. The video features Jackson morphing into a werewolf and zombies, which raised concerns about its appropriateness for younger audiences. Furthermore, as a devout Jehovah's Witness, Jackson included a disclaimer at the beginning of the video to address potential occult theme worries[1].
Known for his powerful influence on the entertainment industry, John Landis is the director behind legendary films like "Blues Brothers" and "American Werewolf." Setting a new record, "Thriller" marked the most expensive music video ever made, costing about half a million US dollars as of 1983. Landis allowed the "thriller" story to unfold in a style similar to that of genre classics, incorporating elements of horror film icons such as Vincent Price[2].
The "Thriller" video garnered numerous awards, including honors from both MTV and VH1 as "Best Music Video of All Time." However, Jackson's most significant achievement came when "Thriller" became the first music video to be added to the National Film Registry, housed within the US National Library. This prestigious distinction is given to films deemed worthy of preservation, an honor reserved for fewer than 750 titles[3].
Makeup artist Rick Baker was relatively unknown when he worked on "Thriller" in the early 80s. Today, he has seven Oscars under his belt, having demonstrated his brilliance in various masterpieces, including the iconic "Ed Wood" and "Men in Black". Baker's craftsmanship was instrumental in creating the seamless human-to-monster transformation depicted in the video. This metamorphosis, reported as a "milestone in animation technology," is considered a significant achievement in the realm of filmmaking[2].
The "Thriller" video became the seventh and final single from the album, released over a year after its debut. Despite initial hesitation from record labels to release a spooky song, and the music video effectively concluding a trilogy with Jackson's previous videos, the increased popularity of music videos and their promotional power ultimately led to its success[1].
The iconic zombie dance sequence from "Thriller" has continued to influence pop culture for decades. In 2006, 62 fans converged in Toronto, Canada, to break the world record for the most people performing the Thriller dance in unison. This spectacle has since evolved into an annual event named "Thrill the World," with participants across the globe executing the memorable moves each year[4].
At Jackson's birthday celebration on August 29, 2009, the record for the most people "Thriller" dancing simultaneously was shattered. An astounding 13,597 fans in Mexico City simultaneously moved like zombies, paying homage to the legendary video that captivated the world decades earlier[4].
In case you're interested, the rights and responsibilities of modern-day rail travelers are addressed in a separate article[1].
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