Thriller — The First Music Film — Michael Jackson

THE FACT

When MTV refused to fund a 14-minute zombie music video, Michael paid for it himself. He had to be reassured by his Jehovah's Witness elders that the project — which depicted him as a werewolf — would not violate his faith; the famous opening disclaimer was added at their insistence.

WHAT MOST DON'T KNOW

Director John Landis, fresh off An American Werewolf in London, was Michael's first choice. The shoot used Rick Baker's prosthetic crew (the same team behind Landis's Oscar-winning werewolf), real Los Angeles cemeteries, and a then-shocking $500,000 budget — six times the cost of a typical music video. MTV was so uncertain about a 14-minute clip that they made the financing the channel's problem only if Michael let them air a making-of special alongside it. That special, Making Michael Jackson's Thriller, sold over nine million VHS copies and is still the best-selling music video of all time. The opening text card — 'Due to my strong personal convictions, I wish to stress that this film in no way endorses a belief in the occult' — was added because Michael's mother Katherine and the Jehovah's Witness elders threatened to have him excommunicated. He left the church in 1987. The Library of Congress added Thriller to the National Film Registry in 2009 — the first and so far only music video to be inducted.

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THE MOMENT

Michael Jackson — Thriller (Official 4K Video, 1983) — 14 minutes. 8 weeks in pre-production. 1 song. Pop music never recovered.

SOURCES

Library of Congress — National Film Registry ↗