To be eligible for the Oscars, it needed a week-long theatrical release, so Landis arranged for it to open, bizarrely, for Disney's Fantasia at a single cinema in LA. Miss Scarlet and The Duke, starring Kate Phillips and Stuart Martin, is a high-octane, smart and sassy mystery series filled set in 1882 . She has visions of her dead lover in the mansion and remembers moments when they were together. "Then YouTube came along and that suddenly brought film-makers back to a more unconventional way of thinking, which I see as a totally positive thing. They won the MTV VMA for video of year. "Romain Gavras he did M.I.A. The pair conceived a short film with a budget much larger than previous music videos. "The Thriller video became a worldwide megahit and an iconic pop culture phenomenon that has continued to generate profits for defendants Optimum Productions and Michael Jackson, who have wrongfully refused to pay or account for such profits to plaintiff," the suit read (via The Guardian). A videocassette of "Thriller" opened the door to priced-to-own videos. She won the MTV award for video of the year. [10] "Come Out Come Out, Wherever You Are" takes place at a creaky country house hotel: a female guest begins asking about her missing travelling companion whom the owner claims was not with her upon arrival the previous evening and whom none of the other guests initially recall seeing. J-Lo brought in the new millennium with her video for "Waiting for Tonight." He's taking things to a whole new place. The second stars Bush in a red dress doing the same memorable dance moves and emotive faces, but instead of a room, she is in the middle of the woods. The video includes clips from "Purple Rain," too. Vestron paid an additional $500,000 to market the cassettes. By clicking Sign up, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider [14] He initially imagined the werecat would resemble a black panther, but added a longer mane and larger ears. Feel free to tell me if you think I'm being over protective but I'm really not happy that my son's Yr3 class has been shown the full version of Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' video this afternoon in school. Landis had helmed several big movies, including the horror-comedy An American Werewolf in London, whichJackson so enjoyed (per Vanity Fair) that he wanted the director to tell another werewolf story and helm his "Thriller" video. The video one video of the year at the VMAs. I just wanted to create something that would do justice to the song and I was excited about making, and I think Thriller was the same way.". 3 Take On Me A-ha. She was the mother of the character Ken Reeves from the TV Show "The White Shadow". Following a worldwide audit during 200304 by the then copyright-holders Carlton, almost all the original UK PAL fisheye-titled 2" videotapes of Thriller were located and transferred onto modern digital tape by the British Film Institute, with subsequent restoration work by BBC Resources. Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. I'm sure VCRs had timers even then. Spooks (a.k.a. [1] It is an anthology series: each episode has a self-contained story and its own cast. The critic Kobena Mercer found similarities to the werewolf in The Company of Wolves (1984). "Smells Like Teen Spirit" is considered one of the greatest songs of all time, and the video is a testament to the song as a teen rock anthem. Set in a futuristic looking white room, the video stands out for the illusions it features. The clips promoting "Thriller" helped turn MTV into a vital cultural force, solidified Jackson's stature as the "King of Pop," and significantly raised both the quality and expectations of music videos. It was the first music video to be selected. "It's simple all you've got to do is dance, sing, and make it scary," DiLeo says he told Jackson at the time. There's even data to suggest that the existence of Making Michael Jackson's Thriller helped fuel the massive rise of VCR sales in late 1983. 1 Thriller Michael Jackson. "Due to my strong personal convictions," the disclaimer credited to Michael Jackson reads, "I wish to stress that this film in no way endorses a belief in the occult." It's a moot point whether or not a bit of fear does them any harm in the long term. The comic book character later attempts to join her in the real world and eventually does. Millions of people who somehow hadn't yet purchased Thriller were inspired to do so, and during the peak of the video's popularity, the album sold more than a million copies a week, according to Vanity Fair. She was the first woman to win video of the year at the MTV Video Music Awards for the work. The Untold Truth Of Michael Jackson's Thriller Video. Brandy and Monica's apartments are right next to each other and the girls are seeing the same man. Missy Elliot is also featured in the video and song. As Katy Perry makes her way through the board game world, she rescues some girls from candy-related prisons and then defeats Snoop Dogg and his gummy bear army with whipped cream. "I won't say that I have seen him in his birthday suit but close enough.". She leaps and hang over the cars with a rope and flip her ex off is iconic. Jackson urged the Epic executives Walter Yetnikoff and Larry Stessel to help conceive a plan to return the album to the top of the charts. TheOddOne - no, I know . The story is great, the scenes are marvelous, the music is fantastic and overall the clip is fun, eye-popping, spooky and is a real spectacle. One of the Zombie ladies from "Thriller" short film by Michael Jackson is Claire Sisk Reeves. Thriller extended the usual pop video format with a long build-up to the start of the music in which Jackson was slowly transformed into a werewolf, and later a zombie.The horror film star Vincent Price was hired to provide a suitably eerie commentary. [8] At the 1984 MTV Video Music Awards, Thriller won the awards for Viewers Choice, Best Overall Performance and Best Choreography, and was nominated for Best Concept Video, Best Male Video and Video of the Year. 4 My Heart Will Go On Celine Dion. There's nothing flashy about the video, but the choreography was an instant hit and easy enough for people to learn. "I auditioned a lot of girls and this girl Ola Ray first of all, she was crazy for Michael," Landis said. She manages to escape and there's a whole action series with her jumping into a pool, riding a jet ski, and making her great escape to an island with her man and dog. Narration: Darkness falls across the land / The midnight hour is close at hand / Creatures crawl in search of blood / To terrorize y'all's neighbourhood / And whosoever shall be found / Without the soul for getting down / Must stand and face the hounds of hell / And rot inside a corpse's shell. But the video ends with a shot of her in bed. Trudy Bellinger was studying art in Brighton when it first shown and it inspired her to start making music films herself. More than 300 people dressed as Bush in the red dress recreated her video in a Brighton park in 2013. Thriller was an event even when it was being shot in October 1983. Jackson called his assistant, John Branca, and ordered him to destroy the negatives. Thriller is a British television series, originally broadcast in the UK from 1973 to 1976. 1. Amazon Studios. Nearly 100,000 viewers voted in the VH1 all-time greatest 100 poll, which also saw Jackson at No. 08/07/2009 17:32. They eventually head down a river to a rave in the forest. Filming began in South Africa on this new eight-part adaptation of Jules Verne's classic novel in February 2020, and was halted in March by Covid-19 with an episode and a half in the can, before. [10], To help finance the production, Landis's producer George Folsey Jr. suggested a making-of documentary that, combined with the "Thriller" video, would produce an hour-long film that could be sold to television. The "Dancing Zombie" enemy was originally resembled Jackson dressed in his Thriller outfit and the "Backup Dancer Zombies" that surrounded the Dancing Zombie resembled the backup dancers from the part of Thriller where Jackson turns onto a zombie. "Thriller" remains a classic, as well as an unprecedented moment in music and film, and it wasn't easy to pull off. [5], The zombie dance sequence corresponds the lyric about a masquerade ball of the dead. 'we Need To Talk About Kevin' (2011) Based on Lionel Shriver's novel of the same title, this Golden Globe-nominated film stars Tilda Swinton as Eva, the mother of a disturbed teenager (Ezra Miller) who has committed mass murder at his school. Michael Jackson had a huge 1983. [33] It was also screened at the Toronto International Film Festival,[34] followed by a US premiere at the Grauman's Chinese Theatre. The first thing he said to me when he came out of school was 'Are zombies real, mum?'. Jackson's sixth album, Thriller, was released in November 1982 and spent months at the top of the Billboard 200, backed by successful videos for the singles "Billie Jean" and "Beat It". I want to do what's right. [42], number of copies sold were 900,000 at a price of $30, Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, YouTube video of more than 1,500 prisoners performing the dance, Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center, "Director: Funds for "Thriller" almost didn't appear", "Michael Jackson's "Thriller" is the eternal Halloween bop and so much more", "John Landis says Michael Jackson was too 'grotesque' to film: Howell", "How Michael Jackson's Thriller changed music videos for ever", "Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' is the eternal Halloween bop and so much more", "Michael Jackson's Life & Legacy: Global Superstar (198286)", "It Happened This Week in L.A. History: Silver Screen Thrills Los Angeles Magazine", "Michael Jackson's videos set a new standard", "VH1 Names '100 Greatest Videos of All Time', "Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' Added To National Film Registry", "MTV: 100 Greatest Music Videos Ever Made", "The 30 All-TIME Best Music Videos Michael Jackson, 'Thriller', "Jackson "Thriller" film picked for U.S. registry", "Michael Jackson's Thriller added to US film archive", "Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' remains a Halloween hit", "Barack and Michelle Obama make Halloween a thriller for DC kids", "John Landis on 'Thriller 3D', the 'American Werewolf' Remake, & Lucasfilm's Director Troubles", "Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' Could be Broadway Show", "Review: Masterful Plants vs. Zombies Proves Less Is More", "Plants vs. Zombies (Windows, Mac OS X) - the Cutting Room Floor", "Michael Jackson Estate Forces 'Plants vs. Zombies' Update", "Monster Metaphors: Notes on Michael Jackson's Thriller", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Michael_Jackson%27s_Thriller_(music_video)&oldid=1142427273, This page was last edited on 2 March 2023, at 09:09. The Gorillaz are known for their animations, but it all started with their first single from their debut, "Clint Eastwood." In 2013, she settled with the Jackson estate for $75,000. It was (as others have said) billed as a "The Tube" special. [12] The documentary, Making Michael Jackson's Thriller, was directed by Jerry Kramer. In May 2009, Ray sued Jackson, along with his production company, for breach of contract. Fans worldwide re-enact its zombie dance and it remains popular on YouTube. Fantastic, the full length version, last night on Channel 4. The 13-minute film that resulted changed the music video for ever, becoming less a promo clip than a cultural phenomenon. The proposed cost of the "Thriller" video: slightly less than $1 million. Quotes 08/07/2009 18:21. Prior to its production in 1983, music videos weren't taken seriously or considered anything more than a way to cheaply promote a single or an album. [9][14] Brian Clemens' own favourite episode, "A Coffin for the Bride" (US: Kiss Kiss, Kill Kill), featured a performance from a young Helen Mirren.[15]. Welcome to the Digital Spy forums. Isn't it ironic? "[8] According to Vanity Fair, Jackson preferred "benign Disney-esque fantasies where people were nice and children were safe", which ensured the video would be "creepy-comical, not genuinely terrifying". The video features the four guys of OK Go doing a choreographed dance on treadmills all filmed in one shot. All eight episodes of Prime Video's new show The Consultant made their debut last week, allowing folks to fly through the entirety of the workplace saga like the levels of an . [7], Michael Jackson's album Thriller was released in November 1982 on Epic Records and spent months at the top of the Billboard 200. | Why did you need to stay up late if you were 'tape'ing it? He was tortured, but he was happy-go-lucky for a lot of it. The music video director Brian Grant credited Thriller as the turning point when music videos became a "proper industry". I don't think we had video recorder then. There's a lot to unpack in Miley Cyrus' "Wrecking Ball" video. Eminem impersonates various TV shows and people throughout the video for "My Name Is." Anjelica Oswald. He grooves on an escalator, he flies in the air, he shimmies in the lobby. Injustice: Created by Anthony Horowitz. The video's budget was five hundred thousand dollars. Back in 1983, the video was preceded by a disclaimer from the singer, who said: "Due to my strong personal convictions, I wish to stress that this film in no way endorses a belief in the occult." I didn't have this thought intellectually at the time, but when I watch it now I realise that there's no reason for a lot of it; it's so free and loose. The boy returns in ghost form but his mom can't see him, and both the man and woman fade from the video. In 2009, according to Broadway World, theater production company the Nederlander Organization announced that it had obtained the rights to Jackson's magnum opus and would be making a big musical based specifically on the "Thriller" video. Stars: Alexander Arnold, David Bamber, Claudie Blakley, Denise Gough Votes: 3,682 3. Garcia taped and uploaded videos of the sessions to YouTube, and in 2007, the one of the "CPDRC Dancing Inmates" doing the "Thriller" dance hit big and went viral. [12] Jackson's parents Joseph and Katherine Jackson also visited. I don't know the answer to that, but I do worry about DCs being desensitised to horrible things. The "Ironic" video stars Morissette getting into her car at a gas station and then driving into a wintery landscape. She and other dancers groove and show off their moves throughout the video. At the end, everyone gets out of their cars and walks before mysteriously vanishing. Certainly the largest example of the phenomenon:In 2009, 13,957 people in Mexico performed the "Thriller" dance all at once, setting a Guinness World Record. "In many ways, it wasn't something you really wanted to aspire to," he says. He suggested that Jackson should become a werewolf in a 1950s setting, inspired by the 1957 film I Was a Teenage Werewolf. Thriller was the biggest recording artist in the world at the time working with probably the biggest director and it was an amalgamation of the two talents. "It was really groundbreaking to have such a long video, and it helped to shape the future of music videos, which previously had been more performance-based," she says. The imagery in Lamar's "Humble" is evocative and breathtaking. However, Ray sued Jackson on May 6, 2009, less than two months before his death on June 25. 1. I was suing him for 14 years. afraid (he hasn't really got much of a "front" yet). [8] In a statement published in Awake!, a magazine published by the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, Jackson said: "I just intended to do a good, fun short film, not to purposely bring to the screen something to scare people or to do anything bad. The Pale Blue Eye (2022) Image via Netflix. With James Purefoy, Charlie Creed-Miles, Sasha Behar, Dervla Kirwan. Kate Bush's "Wuthering Heights" has two iconic videos. And yet, it was something of an afterthought: the seventh single from a 10-track album that didn't have the most auspicious of starts when it was released a full year before the Thriller video (long enough for Jackson's nose to look different in the film than it does on the LP cover). Director John Landis Writers John Landis Michael Jackson Stars Michael Jackson Ola Ray This steamy drama, which is adapted from a book series by Diana Gabaldon of the same name, follows former World War II nurse Claire Randall as she unexpectedly travels back in time to . Throw Katy Perry and her dancers in clothing covered in sweets, dress Snoop Dogg in a cupcake suit, make the setting a board game called Candyfornia, and you've got yourself the basis of the "California Gurls" video. If youd like to join in, please sign in or register. [10] Landis felt Jackson should become scary and creepy, but not ugly. Jackson was 25 years old at the time of filming. The remastered 3D version first premiered at the 74th Venice Film Festival on September 4th, 2017 alongside the 'Making Of' documentary. The "Honey" video starts with Mariah Carey as a Bond-esque spy named Agent M who is being held hostage by an organization known as D.U.N.C.E. [2] As the title suggests, each story is a thriller of some variety, from tales of the supernatural to down-to-earth whodunits. Directed by John Landis, known for "Animal House" and "An American Werewolf in London," the mini-movie has the perfect horror aesthetic. It's a weird video, but that's why it's unforgettable. So in the beginning of the video, Michael has a message stating that "Due to my strong personal convictions, I wish to stress that this film is no way endorses a belief in the occult". Michael Jackson seems like this kid who loves music, horror films, special effects, makeup, zombies and wants all of those things in the video. The signs on the theater are as follows: The main sign reads "Vincent Price's Thriller". According to NPR, government security consultant Byron Garcia instituted an exercise program in the mid-2000s at the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center. [2] As the title suggests, each story is a thriller of some variety, from tales of the supernatural to down-to-earth whodunits. It is credited for transforming music videos into a serious art form, breaking down racial barriers in popular entertainment and popularizing the making-of documentary format. 1983 - Channel 4 premiere of Michael Jackson's Thriller video - YouTube 0:00 / 0:30 1983 - Channel 4 premiere of Michael Jackson's Thriller video Blocks Videos 11.2K subscribers 65 7.4K. Outlander. Michael Jackson's Thriller was launched to great anticipation and played regularly on MTV. It was filmed at various locations in Los Angeles, including the Palace Theater. [10] MTV, which had found success with Jackson's earlier videos, had a policy of not financing music videos, instead expecting record companies to pay for them. There's also a memorable scene of her covered in diamonds. [23] 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". Either in the VHS or Betamax format, the TV accessory allowed them to watch movies or other content at home via a cassette borrowed for the cost of a few bucks from a local video rental outlet. [36], A Hollywood production company attempted to turn Jackson's song "Billie Jean", which is also featured on Jackson's Thriller album, into a feature film, but no plans were completed. There are shots of Missy covered in bees and tributes to the late Aaliyah and Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes spray-painted on the hoods of cars it's truly filled with striking visuals. Michael Jackson's estate owes Quincy Jones $9.4m in royalties, jury decides, NewMichael Jackson music to be produced by Timbaland, Michael Jackson is top-earning dead celebrity, beating Prince and Bowie, Mysurreal 1980 interview with Michael Jackson: Direct your questions to Janet; shell put them to Michael, Michael Jackson's Thriller becomes first album to sell 30m copies in the US, Michael Jackson: Five years after his death, how his influence lives on, Michael Jackson: Xscape review - a fitting bookend to the man's career, Kirsty Wark can perform the Thriller dance. The Rig is a horror thriller series arriving on Amazon Prime Video in early 2023. Blink-182 does parodies of the Backstreet Boys, Christina Aguilera, NSYNC, and more as the camera flashes to different scenes. | Less than two years later, sister network VH1 would also name "Thriller" the top video ever made. We can only really go by the experience of our own DCs, though. Dendle wrote that the video captures the feelings of claustrophobia and helplessness essential to zombie films. | Sessions had been previously sparsely attended, so Garcia introduced elaborately choreographed dance routines, and before long, as many as 1,500 inmates reported to the prison yard to learn some moves. Directed by Colin Trevorrow. After production on the video wrapped, Jackson was told by leaders of his church (Jackson was a practicing member of the Jehovah's Witness faith) that they thought "Thriller" encouraged demon worship, and if it were released, he'd be excommunicated. "We came to the conclusion that if Michael was going to dance, it would be a hell of a lot easier for his monster to have two legs instead of four." ", Jonze doubts Thriller has had a direct influence on the new school of music video directors, but he is nonetheless convinced it will survive as a portrait of an artist on the mountaintop. The video shows two stories: one in which a boy is killed in a drug deal after not listening to his mom to stop and another where a man contracts AIDS after having unprotected sex with a woman. The Library of Congress described it as the most famous music video of all time, and it has been named the greatest video by various publications and readers' polls. The rules have been rewritten, unleashing a new surge of creativity. [20] In 2009, Jackson sold the Thriller rights to the Nederlander Organization to stage a Broadway musical based on the video. Michael Jackson's "Thriller" video is a cinematic masterpiece. [16] The director of photography was Robert Paynter, who had worked with Landis on Trading Places. [4] The series evolved from Clemens' previous work, in particular two films in a similar style: And Soon the Darkness (1970) and Blind Terror (aka See No Evil, 1971); the latter shares plot similarities with the Thriller episodes "The Eyes Have It" and "The Next Voice You See". After falling asleep and dreaming that a saint statue turned into the man, she wakes up, goes to the prison, and tells them that the man is innocent.