Michael Jackson's Thriller (music video)

Michael Jackson made a famous music video.

It is for his song called "Thriller." In the video, he wears a red jacket.

He dances with a group of zombies. The zombies rise from their graves.

Many people like the zombie dance. They still do the dance today.

It is a very famous video. It is loved by fans everywhere.

Michael Jackson made a famous music video for his song "Thriller." It came out in 1983. The video was very big and expensive. It cost much more than other videos at that time.

In the video, Jackson wears a bright red jacket.

The jacket was made by Deborah Nadoolman. The story is a bit scary. Jackson and a woman named Ola Ray walk through a dark forest. Then, they walk past a graveyard. Zombies rise from the ground!

Jackson turns into a creature called a werecat. He then dances with a large group of zombies.

Many people love the zombie dance. Fans still do the dance today.

The video helped make music videos a real art form. It even became the first music video in the US National Film Registry. This is a special list for important films. In 2024, the video reached one billion views on YouTube. It is one of the most famous videos ever made.

Michael Jackson's "Thriller" is a famous music video that changed how we see art. It was released on December 2, 1983. The video tells a spooky story with many scary elements. It features Michael Jackson and an actress named Ola Ray. The video uses themes from horror films to tell its tale. People love it because it feels like watching a short movie. It turned music videos into a serious form of art for everyone to enjoy.

The story begins in the 1950s with a couple driving through a dark forest.

After running out of gas, they walk through the woods. Jackson's character transforms into a werecat, which is a creature like a cat. In the next part, the characters are in a movie theater. They walk down a city street at night and pass a graveyard. Suddenly, zombies rise from their graves to surround them. Jackson even becomes a zombie and performs a famous dance with a large group.

Making this video was a huge job that required a lot of planning. Jackson hired director John Landis to lead the project. Landis wanted to make a high-quality short film rather than a simple video. They used 35mm film to make it look like a real movie. The budget was very large for that time. It cost around $500,000 to finish the whole project. This was about ten times more than most music videos cost back then.

Many talented people worked together to create the look of the video.

A team of 40 makeup artists helped create the scary faces. Rick Baker was the artist who turned Jackson into a werecat. Deborah Nadoolman designed the famous red jacket that Jackson wears. She chose the color red so it would stand out against the dark night. The zombie dance was also specially created by a choreographer named Michael Peters. They filmed in several places around Los Angeles, like the Palace Theater.

"Thriller" has had a massive impact on the world of music and film.

It helped the "Thriller" album become the best-selling album in history. The video is so important that it joined the US National Film Registry in 2009. This is a special list for films that are culturally significant. People all over the world still re-enact the zombie dance today. In 2024, the video reached a huge milestone of one billion views on YouTube. It remains a major part of global pop culture for everyone.

Michael Jackson's "Thriller" is a landmark music video released on December 2, 1983. It serves as a cinematic short film for the song of the same name. The video transformed music videos from simple promotional tools into a serious art form. It also helped break down racial barriers in popular entertainment. Today, it is recognized as a major piece of global pop culture. In 2009, it became the first music video inducted into the US National Film Registry.

This honor was given by the Library of Congress because of its cultural importance. In 2024, the video reached a massive milestone of one billion views on YouTube.

The video follows a specific narrative structure divided into several scenes. The story begins in a 1950s setting where Michael Jackson and a young woman, played by Ola Ray, run out of gas.

As they walk through a wooded area, Jackson's character transforms into a werecat. This creature has a mane and large ears, designed by makeup artist Rick Baker. The scene then shifts to the present day at a movie theater. After watching a horror film, the characters walk down a dark city street. They pass a graveyard where zombies rise from their graves to surround them.

Jackson eventually becomes a zombie himself and performs a choreographed dance with the horde. The story concludes in an abandoned house, ending with a twist where Jackson's werecat eyes are revealed.

Creating this production required a massive amount of planning and specialized talent. Jackson hired director John Landis after seeing his film *An American Werewolf in London*. Landis wanted to create a theatrical short using 35mm film. This approach required much higher production values than standard music videos. The budget was significant, costing approximately $500,000 to complete. This amount was roughly ten times the average cost of a music video at the time. To help pay for this, the team produced a making-of documentary. This documentary, *Making Michael Jackson's Thriller*, was sold to television networks and became a best-selling VHS tape.

The visual identity of the video was crafted by many experts. A large makeup team consisting of 40 artists worked on the transformations. Rick Baker managed the complex makeup to ensure Jackson looked creepy rather than ugly. Deborah Nadoolman, the director's wife, designed the iconic costumes. She created the famous red jacket to provide a bright contrast against the dark night settings.

She also used red for his jeans to make him appear taller. The famous zombie dance was choreographed by Michael Peters. The filming took place at various Los Angeles locations, including the Palace Theatre and an abandoned house in Echo Park.

Development of the project faced several unexpected challenges. Initially, Epic Records executives were skeptical about releasing a song about monsters as a single. However, manager Frank DiLeo suggested making a high-quality music video to drive interest. Funding was also a hurdle, as television networks initially refused to finance the project. Eventually, the channel Showtime agreed to pay half the budget, and MTV covered the rest. This was justified by treating the project as a motion picture rather than a music video. The production also faced a religious dispute. Jackson, then a Jehovah's Witness, was told the video promoted demonology. He briefly ordered the destruction of the negatives but eventually included a disclaimer stating the video did not endorse occult beliefs.

The impact of "Thriller" can be measured through impressive commercial numbers. The release of the video doubled the sales of the *Thriller* album. This helped the album become the best-selling album in history. The making-of documentary also saw great success, selling over a million copies. The video's influence is still seen in how people celebrate Halloween. Fans around the world continue to re-enact the famous zombie dance.

This dance has become a staple of popular culture.

Ultimately, "Thriller" connects music, film, and dance into one cohesive experience. It moved the music video medium toward high-concept storytelling. It also pioneered the use of making-of documentaries to drive home video sales. By combining horror film tropes with pop music, Jackson created a new way to engage an audience. The video remains a primary example of how visual media can expand the reach of a musical artist. It continues to be studied as a masterpiece of commercial art.