This Is Thriller
Posted Fri 30 Oct 2009 12:53PM GMT by Dave Rumour in Snap, Crackle and Pop
"I have something to tell you. I'm not like other guys", said Dave Rumour last night to Mrs Rumour as she was preparing the tea. Happily, though, I'm not a werewolf, rather a man who likes to keep the house tidy, something most men seem incapable of. But with Halloween fast approaching, our thoughts turn to scarier matters, namely pop's most frightening promos. So, presented below is our Top Ten, the music videos which put the H into Horror. Please, don't have nightmares...Radiohead "There There"
There is a point in this marvellous, fantastical, stop-animation clip, taken from the band's 2003 album, "Hail To The Thief", that singer Thom Yorke appears to be laughing. The fact that his entire body is about to be turned into a tree shows what a sick sense of humour he must have.
Interpol "Evil"
Car crash, harrowed family members, death, it's all here, as promised in the song title. And, look, we've even got hunky singer Paul Banks imitating a none-more-freaky puppet! What ever did Helena Christensen see in him? And as for poor old Rosemary...
The Cure "Lullaby"
We're not sure whose idea it was to try and turn Robert Smith's befuddled clown look into the sinister theme for a video but we're glad they did. All he can do is lie in bed and wait for the spiderman to arrive with his knife and fork. Yummy.
Queens Of The Stone Age "Burn The Witch"
It's not all nicotine, valium, vicodin, marijuana and cocaine around Josh Homme's house, you know. Sometimes he invites occult chums around for a cold one and a chinwag, culminating in this vision of hell. Light the pyre, suggests Dave.
Metallica "Enter Sandman"
No scary music video list could be complete without a charming slice of Metallica. To their devastating, demolishing noise they build a story based around a very old man, strobing images and a little boy who appears rather troubled. Say your prayers, people.
Marilyn Manson "The Beautiful People"
For a man born Brian Warner, Marilyn Manson had done well to become amongst the generation's most controversial and provocative figures. That might have something to do with his shlock-horror genius, captured to full-on effect here. Good work, Brian!
Nine Inch Nail "Closer"
"You make me violate you / You make me desecrate you", moans Trent Reznor in the opening bars of this 1994 weirdorama. If this was an idea any of our friends had for a music video, we'd be calling the cops, quite frankly.
Michael Jackson "Thriller"
"Due to my strong personal convictions, I wish to stress that this film in no way endorses a belief in the occult", insisted Jacko before morphing into a blood-thirsty werewolf. Whichever way you look at it, this still astounding John Landis-directed clip remains surely his (and amongst pop music's) greatest work.
Skinny Puppy "Warlock"
What do Skinny Puppy actually look like? We're not sure, because "Warlock", originally released in 1990, features all manner of horror footage but none of the band during its shocking visitation. Other songs in their catalogue include "Tin Omen", "Rabies" and "Spasmolytic", naturally.
Aphex Twin "Come To Daddy"
This truly disturbing visual and sonic tour-de-force may not be the best place to start with Aphex Twin, given the pioneering ambient electronica on which he made his name. "I want your soul!!!" screams the Chris Cunningham-directed madness. You can have it, reply all, while trembling.
Check it out on youtube, it's japanese but it is kinda . . . overboard
oh, and I personally think Metallica's "One" would have been a better choice as well....but that's just me.
....I still can't watch it by myself. It's even worse now that he's actually dead.
Totally agree
Cradle of Filth's "Scorched Earth Erotica" or "From the Cradle to Enslave" would definitely scare people,