🎥 The Making of Thriller: Behind the Scenes of the Video That Changed Music Forever
When Michael Jackson dropped the Thriller music video in 1983, he didn’t just release a hit — he rewrote the rulebook for music videos. Clocking in at nearly 14 minutes and packed with horror-movie flair, movie-quality makeup, and choreography so addictive it’s now universal language, Thriller became a global pop-culture earthquake.
But the story behind the making of this iconic short film is just as wild, innovative, and surprising as the video itself.
🧟♂️ A Music Video… That Wasn’t Supposed to Exist
After the Thriller album came out, sales started slipping. Yep — slipping! Hard to believe for the best-selling record of all time, but it’s true.
Michael and his team wanted to revive interest, and his idea was bold:
“Let’s shoot a horror movie disguised as a music video.”
This had never been done before. Music videos were typically cheap, fast, and promotional. Michael wanted cinema — big budget, real sets, professional actors, and Hollywood talent.
🎬 Enter John Landis: The Hollywood Director Who Made It Possible
Michael hired John Landis, the director of An American Werewolf in London, because he loved Landis’ transformation effects.
Landis agreed — under one condition:
“We’re making a short film, not just a music video.”
That’s why the official title is Michael Jackson’s Thriller — A Short Film.
💰 The Budget Was Outrageous (And No One Wanted to Pay It)
MTV and record labels thought Michael was crazy. They didn’t want to fund a 14-minute mini-movie. The final cost?
$900,000 — unheard of in 1983.
So Michael used some showbiz genius:
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He and Landis filmed a behind-the-scenes documentary,
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Sold it to Showtime and MTV,
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And used the profit to pay for the video.
This made Thriller the first music video in history financed by licensing its own making-of documentary.
🧟 The Zombies Were… Dancers From Fame
Those undead creatures you see crawling out of the graves? Most of them were dancers from the TV show Fame. Michael wanted professionals, not extras, so the team recruited trained dancers who could hit every beat with creepy precision.
🧪 Michael Jackson Sat 3–4 Hours in the Makeup Chair Every Day
Legendary makeup artist Rick Baker transformed Michael into a werewolf and a zombie.
Fun fact:
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The werewolf makeup took 4 hours.
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The zombie look took about 2 hours.
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Michael actually kept some of the prosthetics and wore them to scare people on set.
🧛 A Weird Legal Twist: Michael Had to Make a Public Disclaimer
After joining the Jehovah’s Witnesses, Michael’s church objected to the horror elements and “occult imagery.” They threatened to excommunicate him.
Michael briefly considered scrapping the entire video — yes, really.
The compromise was the now-famous opening text:
“Due to my strong personal convictions, I wish to stress that this film in no way endorses a belief in the occult.”
Without that disclaimer, Thriller might never have been released.
🔥 Things You Might Not Know
1. Ola Ray (the girlfriend) was a former Playboy Playmate
Casting her caused a minor scandal — and she later sued for unpaid royalties.
2. The red jacket became a worldwide fashion boom
People didn’t just buy versions of it — demand jumped so high that knockoff manufacturers sprang up overnight.
3. The dance almost didn’t happen
Michael was worried that zombie choreography would look silly. Landis convinced him that “monsters dancing is the fun.”
4. The cemetery wasn’t spooky… at all
The graveyard was a soundstage in Los Angeles. Most of the fog was created by overworked smoke machines that kept breaking down.
5. Guinness World Records certified it as the most successful music video ever
It sold more than 9 million copies, making it the best-selling video in history.
6. The premiere shut down MTV’s phone lines
People called begging for replays because no one had ever seen a music video like this.
7. It revived the Thriller album in a massive way
After the video debuted, album sales tripled, ultimately making Thriller the best-selling album of all time.
💡 Why Thriller Still Matters Today
It set the gold standard, and 40+ years later, its influence is still everywhere — from Halloween flash mobs to modern music-video storytelling.
"What happened to Ola Ray?".....
BJ 👻💀😦
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