Halloween songs aren’t as popular as Christmas songs, and it’s easy to see why. Not too many Halloween songs exist. However, if there is one song that everyone listens to to get in the Halloween spirit, it’s “Thriller” by Michael Jackson, a song that wasn’t even meant to be a Halloween song, that was released in early 1984.

Not only is the song very popular, but the music video to go along with is widely considered to be one of the greatest music videos to ever exist. Uploaded to YouTube in 2009, the music video, which is 13 minutes and 42 seconds long, has garnered over 690 million views and 4.3 million likes.
The music video starts off with Jackson and his girlfriend, portrayed by actress Ola Ray, walking through a forest at night after Jackson’s car runs out of gas. As they are walking, Jackson confesses that he is “not like other guys” before the full moon comes out, and Jackson transforms into a werewolf, chasing and attacking Ray.
As it turns out, however, they are both just watching a scene from a movie in a theater. Ray’s character is scared by the movie, and they both leave.
During the walk home, Jackson begins to sing “Thriller” while playfully teasing Ray over her being scared of the movie.
However, about half-way through his singing, zombies begin to rise from a graveyard that they are walking by.
The zombies encircle the couple, and before Ray can do anything, Jackson turns into a zombie. Jackson and the other zombies continue to dance and sing “Thriller” while chasing Ray through the streets.
It ends when they chase Ray into an abandoned house, at which point they attack. However, as it turns out once again, the sequence was all a dream as Ray wakes up on a couch. Jackson comes to comfort her, but as he hugs her, the video freezes on his face as his eyes change to be those of a werewolf as maniacal laughing can be heard. “Thriller” continues to be played as the video cuts to the credits.
When I first watched this music video as a much younger kid, I found it very terrifying. Watching it now, I can say this music video really is the best music video to ever exist.
I went into the comments of the music video on YouTube, and generally saw the same reaction. They said it was terrifying, but it was also an amazing music video.
The acting is spot-on in the video. Ray’s emotions portray how would you likely react in a situation like that. The special effects are also really good as well, including Jackson’s transition from a human to werewolf, as well as a human to zombie. The dancing is also really well-done in this movie; it fits well with the beat of the music.
This music video is easily accessible on YouTube, and you can view it at any time you want with the app.
Want an easy scare for the Halloween season to get you into the spirit of Halloween? Watching this video is the best way to do so.