Michael Jackson’s Thriller Video Facts & Trivia – It’s Halloween season and inevitably a local high school theatre group, dance team, cheer team, or arts department will perform routines from Michael Jackson’s thriller video.
I can’t believe the iconic video is 40 years old and I remember how slack-jawed we all were when we first saw it on MTV. It felt like such a cultural landmark.
MJ has passed but his spirit lives on… especially this time every year. It’s nice to see the youth of today pay a little reverence to this song and video even though they probably have no idea of the impact it once had. So, lets enjoy some Michael Jackson’s Thriller Video Facts & Trivia.
Michael Jackson’s Thriller Video Facts & Trivia
- The actual song “Thriller” was originally supposed to be called “Starlight,” according to Mental Floss
- Producer Quincy Jones was a fan of the song’s melody but not the name, and successfully argued that it share the title of the album instead
- According to the Los Angeles Times, MTV ran the now-iconic “Thriller” music video twice every hour when it was at the height of its popularity. That may not seem too crazy until you consider that the video is 14 minutes long
- In December 2009, the Library of Congress selected the video for the National Film Registry. It was the first music video to be selected
- At the time, “Thriller” was the most expensive music video ever made, with about $500,000 being spent on zombie choreography, on-location shoots, makeup, special effects, and more, according to Virgin Radio. But Jackson and director John Landis helped pay for all those costs by shooting and selling a behind-the-scenes documentary about the making of the music video
- Michael Jackson’s Thriller Video Facts & Trivia / “Michael’s Girl”, Ola Ray appeared as Playmate of the Month for Playboy magazine in October 1980 ;)
- In 2006, the Guinness World Records listed the film as the “most successful music video of all time”
- Michael Jackson’s red jacket was designed by John Landis’ wife Deborah Nadoolman
- John Landis made the film because he saw a great opportunity to bring back the theatrical short. “I saw it as a chance to resurrect a genre that had once been a Hollywood staple. Music videos were new in 1983, and MTV was just two years old.”
- The video’s budget was five hundred thousand dollars. At the time, music videos cost around one hundred thousand dollars to produce
- The short film was packaged on home video with The Making of ‘Thriller’ (1983) as “Making Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller'”, which became the world’s best-selling VHS musical
- On June 27, 2011, the red jacket Michael Jackson wore in this video sold for 1.8 million dollars at Julien’s Auctions of Beverly Hills
- Michael Jackson’s Thriller Video Facts & Trivia / The zombie’s costumes were purchased from The Salvation Army
- Narrator Vincent Price was offered $20,000 for his role OR a % of sales of the single. He chose the cash.
OAKLAND COUNTY MOMS BLOG ENTRIES
Godspeed MJ and Vincent Price
Ola Ray, you’re beautiful
Jonathon Landis, thank you for your vision on this video (and how to market it)
SOURCES – AXS TV / IMDB / MENTAL FLOSS / VIRGIN RADIO / LA TIMES / OLARAY.com
Thanks to our sources for these Michael Jackson’s Thriller Video Facts & Trivia tidbits.
