Pop legend Michael Jackson transformed music videos as an art form with his horror-centric “Thriller” in 1982, co-written with director John Landis (An American Werewolf in London), and featuring makeup effects by Rick Baker and narration by Vincent Price.
The video is credited for helping Jackson’s album become an all-time bestseller, let alone catapulting the single to a perennial Halloween staple. Even the making-of documentary became a huge hit on home video at the time.
So, it’s no surprise that Michael Jackson would continue to experiment with elaborate short film productions throughout his career, including an oft-forgotten “Thriller” follow-up in the ’90s.
Michael Jackson’s “Ghosts” sought to top its supernatural predecessor in just about every way; it screened at the Cannes film festival and held the Guinness World Record for the longest music video until 2013, for example. More importantly, it saw Michael Jackson teaming with the likes of horror stalwarts Stephen King, Mick Garris, and SFX legend Stan Winston.
The short film, with story by Stephen King and Michael Jackson, was initially conceived as a tie-in for Addams Family Values in 1993, titled “Is This Scary?” Mick Garris, who’d previously played a zombie in “Thriller,” was attached as writer/director. That was also when Jackson was hit with abuse allegations, halting production and its ties to the family film sequel.
“Ghosts” eventually resumed production in 1996, with all Addams Family connections dropped and SFX master Stan Winston taking over directorial duties after Mick Garris departed to helm The Shining miniseries. While some of Garris’ footage was used, the six-week shoot added new scenes, dance numbers, and special effects.
The lengthy film clocks in at 39 minutes and centers on an eccentric magician named Maestro, who entertains the local children every day in his spooky mansion. One stormy night, the town’s mayor leads a group of angry citizens to the mansion in an attempt to run Maestro out of town.
Michael Jackson plays five roles in Ghosts, including:
- The Maestro
- The Mayor
- A Skeleton
- The Super Ghoul
- The Ghoul Mayor
Four of those characters required extensive prosthetic work and hours in the makeup chair, along with a slew of dancers made up to look like ghouls.
“I wanted Michael to play the haunted house guy,” explained Winston via his School of Character Arts, “but also the mayor of the town, and an evil demon who comes in at one point. Michael wanted badly to be accepted as an actor, as something more than the King of Pop. But it was so difficult for people to get past Michael’s persona. I thought that the only way he would be accepted as a real actor was if he played all these parts, disguised in makeup, so that no one would know it was him until the end. And he was very agreeable to that idea.”
The pop legend was said to be terrified by genre films but deeply admiring of special makeup effects and prosthetic work. That’s certainly reflected here, with Stan Winston’s team crafting memorable ghouls, ghosts, and demons, and Michael Jackson fully embracing all five roles in a dazzling horror video with heartfelt messaging of tolerance and acceptance.
Retitled and released as Michael Jackson’s Ghosts, the special effects showcase is also notable for being included with select prints of the Stephen King adaptation Thinner, further entrenching this extension of “Thriller” in the horror genre.
Parallels between its story and Jackson’s real life ultimately meant that, in addition to production delays, Ghosts received only a limited release that prevented it from reaching the same heights in popularity as its predecessor. That Ghosts features multiple tracks likely means it’s not as earworm catchy as the extended Thriller feature, too, further rendering this ambitious follow-up to forgotten territory.
Michael Jackson’s Ghosts was also Stan Winston’s last outing as director.
While the full short film isn’t streaming currently in an official capacity, you can watch the abridged music video and the complete 39-minute experience below.