vote for your favourite thriller era video

[83magic]

‘the detail.’ channel just posted this poll on their homepage. I thought it would interesting to see how/if the results differ here versus there.


you get one vote, so think carefully. it would be great if you could state your reasoning, so we could get a discussion going.

have fun

@filmandmusic @zinniabooklover

 

[zinniabooklover]

Beat It. Every. Single. Time.

It's just a brilliant short film. Great story, brilliant dancing and choreography. Michael looks cool af (sorry, 83!) It is perfectly formed, perfectly executed. Pretty sure I've said this before - if I was teaching film to students I would get them to watch this thing over and over. So many themes in there, so much detail. One detail that I think often gets overlooked is the two gang leaders getting ready to battle and their wrists are bound together before they start the knife fight. They can't escape, it's a fight to the death.

Michael's outfit.

His lithe, loose-limbed grace. Just the cool way he outdances all the other dancers.

Another great anti-violence protest song from Michael.

Did I mention that Michael is

Both gangs are multi-racial/multi-ethnic. A message within the message!

Beautifully lit, magnificently edited.

Michael's jacket.

The power of dancing can change the world!

Um, Michael is

I love it!

have fun

I'm having so much fun, lol. Watching it right now!

you get one vote, so think carefully. it would be great if you could state your reasoning, so we could get a discussion going.

There is too much to say! I need to calm down.

 

[ChanceToDance]

Hard for me to choose between Beat It and Thriller, I think they both have their own qualities where one exceeds the other.

In my opinion the setting, the outfit (I crave for that red jacket) and the music of Beat It is better than Thriller, but then Thriller has a cinematography that's more interesting to watch than the former. And Thriller's choreography is also something that I think is more iconic, more complex, while still being easy to follow.

But if I had to choose to take one home it'd be Thriller because I've been rewatching it non stop for a while now, watching that dance break never gets old lol. Thriller 3D is my go-to version though, I don't know if it's the reverb from the theater or the new mix that was made but something about it makes it hit harder than the original.

 

[filmandmusic]

Thriller

Imagine watching it again for the very first time ever, guessing what is going to happen next. It looks pretty normal now but it really isn’t. I am a horror fan and especially horror of the 70s and 80s and Thriller has that very special look and feel of that era. Zombies rising from the grave, werewolf transformations, fog, otherworldly lighting and the numerous plot twists that keep you guessing‘ what is going to happen next? The dance segment, the MUSIC during the dance segment, the perfect make up and costumes. But perhaps my favorite part is Michael teasing Ola Ray acting both creepy and funny when walking away from the cinema during the verses, he was very expressive, especially his eyes! It looked romantic and seductive and fun.
I really like how the song gets altered with the iconic chorus now only heard during the zombie climax.
That gif of Micheal eating pop corn that is me when watching Thriller.

Thriller did not change music videos, it remains till this day unparalleled because no other artists has ever attempted to create videos like Thriller (only Michael tried a couple more times but imo never came close again). Other artists simply realize it cannot be matched so they don’t even try. it was unique in 1984 and it really still is in 2024.

I wonder what ideas got discarded because the creativity juices were flowing hard here, it is difficult to imagine there wasn’t more that was not filmed for monetary reasons or time constraint.

 

[Mister_Jay_Tee]

My pick is actually Say Say Say. It's quite neat and underrepresented.

 

[Hot_Street]

Michael Jackson - Human Nature (Official Music Video)

 

[Michaels Lover]

Michael Jackson - Human Nature (Official Music Video)

Fan made, not official

 

[83magic]

Michael Jackson - Human Nature (Official Music Video)

although this is fan made and taken from ‘moonwalker’, I truly wish that ‘human nature’ had a video made in this style. it would be innovative and distinctive enough to stand out from the others. yet it would be colourful and match the meaning and vibe of the song. a possible reason why there was such a large gap between ‘beat it’ & ‘thriller’ is because michael was without manager in that time. also the record label wasn’t willing to pay much money for videos, otherwise we might have gotten some more.

‘beat it’ & ‘thriller’ are now neck and neck..

 

[83magic]

as @zinniabooklover mentioned in the 40th anniversary thread, all three of the ‘thriller’ short films have reached over a billion views on youtube

I haven’t been able to browse the internet lately as much I usually do. in order to get my mj fix, I’ve been watching the ‘thriller 25’ dvd which features the 3 short films from the album as well as the motown 25 performance of ‘billie jean’.

visually, this is honestly all I need. it never gets old no matter how many times I watch it. michael expands his dance vocabulary with each appearance, whilst remaining rooted in his (then) new traditions. each clip pushes the medium further.

there isn’t a weak one among the bunch. they all deserve their success I am surprised that ‘beat it’ currently is outperforming ‘thriller’ on this poll though

 

[@mjfanatic777]

I gotta say 'Say, Say, Say' (see what I did there) I love M's outfit and the background for the short film. It's such an underrated film too! Plus, Applehead just look soooo handsome in it! (he looks handsome in ALLLL his short films but I just took a liking to Say Say Say)) But I gotta say the outfit is chefs kiss!

 

[Mister_Jay_Tee]

I gotta say 'Say, Say, Say' (see what I did there) I love M's outfit and the background for the short film. It's such an underrated film too! Plus, Applehead just look soooo handsome in it! (he looks handsome in ALLLL his short films but I just took a liking to Say Say Say)) But I gotta say the outfit is chefs kiss!

I actually wanna change my answer to this. I agree.

 

[Mister_Jay_Tee]

Can I say this too?

 

[zinniabooklover]

[...] michael expands his dance vocabulary with each appearance,

This is what I love to see, the evolution and development of Michael's dance vocab.

whilst remaining rooted in his (then) new traditions. each clip pushes the medium further.

They do and, as you say, it never gets old.

there isn’t a weak one among the bunch. they all deserve their success

Love it!

Each one of the videos (sorry, Michael !) stands alone as a unique piece of art and yet, together, they tell a coherent story about Michael as a dancer and artist.

I am surprised that ‘beat it’ currently is outperforming ‘thriller’ on this poll though

Yes !!!