How many innovations remain fresh and innovative, 26 years after they debut?

The late Michael Jackson’s video Thriller qualifies as one of the few.

Jackson’s video was released on Dec. 2, 1983. It was 14 minutes long and was directed by John Landis, who also co-wrote the script for it together with Jackson. It cost an enormous $500,000, unheard of at the time. Guinness World Records claims the music video sold 9 million copies, more than any music video in history.

thrillerThriller was unconventional. It was a horror film spoof, with zombies performing with Jackson. After the video was made, the music was re-edited to match the video. The main dance sequence was filmed in East Los Angeles. In the video Jackson transforms both into a zombie, and then into a cat monster. The video includes spoken words by Vincent Price, Hollywood star of many horror movies, and includes incidental music written by Elmer Bernstein.   

When he made Thriller, Jackson was a member of the Christian sect Jehovah’s Witnesses. Because of this, the video includes a disclaimer: “This film in no way endorses a belief in the occult.”

Many many thousands of music videos have been made since Thriller. Many are direct copies of the style and content of Thriller; few come close to Thriller’s pathbreaking innovations. Readers are invited to view it again on YouTube. It is hard to believe that it was made in 1983.