Even after 34 years, Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ is still a perennial favourite

Nov 2 1983, no one was gonna save you from the beast about to strike. Unless it was actually Michael Jackson as a werewolf with zombie friends as part of his dance troupe.

On this day, the undisputed King Of Pop released a 14-minute music video for his single Thriller. It was directed by John Landis, famous for movies like Blues Brothers and An American Werewolf In London.

A glamourous red carpet event was held at Crest Theatre in Los Angeles for the music video’s premiere, attended by the likes of Diana Ross, Warren Beatty and Prince.

Thriller received positive response at the event, with Eddie Murphy reportedly leading a call for an encore.

The music video later won two Grammy awards and helped to boost the sales for Jackson’s sixth studio album also named Thriller, which remains the bestselling album in history, with an estimated 66 million copies sold.

Did you know that Jackson and Ola Ray, his heroine in the video, had a fling on set?

In an interview with Vanity Fair, Ray revealed that Jackson came by her trailer everyday to watch her during make-up.

“What we had was like a little kindergarten thing going on. I thought it was important for him to be around someone who would make him feel comfortable, and that was my main objective,” she shared.

John Landis On Michael Jackson As A Lonely Man

In the same interview, a nostalgic Landis recalled how despite his worldwide fame, Jackson striked him as a lonely person.

“I liked Mike. He used to come over to our house all the time and just stay there. I think he was so lonely. He and I got along fine, watching television until three or four in the morning, or looking at books,” he said.

Jackson was 50 when he died in June 2009.

Thriller

Michael Jackson cinematic Thriller music video was directed by John Landis. – Filepic

advertise
advertise
advertise

top navigation

advertise