Michael Jackson's Ghosts | |
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![]() Promotional poster | |
Directed by | Stan Winston |
Screenplay by | Stan Winston Mick Garris |
Story by | Michael Jackson Stephen King Mick Garris |
Produced by | Michael Jackson Stan Winston David Nicksay |
Starring | Michael Jackson |
Cinematography | Russell Carpenter |
Edited by | Marcus Manton |
Music by | Michael Jackson (songs) Nicholas Pike (score) |
Production companies | MJJ Productions Kingdom Entertainment |
Distributed by | SMV Enterprises |
Release dates |
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Running time | 39 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $15 million ($29 million in 2023 dollars) [1] |
Michael Jackson's Ghosts is a 1996 short film starring Michael Jackson, directed by Stan Winston, and written by Stephen King and Mick Garris. It is based on a story by Garris, Jackson and King.
Ghosts tells the story of an eccentric man with supernatural powers being forced out of a small town by its judgmental mayor. Jackson plays five roles, and performs dance routines set to the songs "2 Bad", "Is It Scary" and "Ghosts", taken from his albums HIStory (1995) and Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix (1997). The AV Club described Ghosts as an allegory for Jackson's life and pop culture status.
Ghosts was filmed and released in 1996 and released along with select prints of the horror film Thinner , and was first screened in the 1997 Cannes Film Festival. [2] It was released as promo a year later internationally on LaserDisc, VHS and Video CD.
The mayor of Normal Valley leads a mob to the mansion of the Maestro, who has been entertaining local children with magic tricks and ghost stories. The children assure the parents the Maestro has done nothing wrong, but the mayor intends to banish him as a "freak".
The Maestro challenges the mayor to a "scaring contest": the first to become scared must leave. He performs magic tricks and dance routines with a ghostly horde, then possesses the mayor, forcing him to dance. After the performance, the Maestro agrees to leave and crumbles to dust, but returns as an enormous ghoul. Terrified, the mayor leaps through the window. The families agree that they had fun and allow the Maestro to stay.
Ghosts began production in 1993 under the title Is This Scary? with the director Mick Garris. It was planned for release in conjunction with the family comedy film Addams Family Values . [3] Jackson backed out of the deal, returning an estimated $5 million, [4] and the Addams Family connection was dropped. [3] Stan Winston, who was previously in charge of makeup and visual effects, took over as director when Garris left to make the Shining miniseries. [3] According to Garris, Ghosts was the most expensive music video ever made, at around $15 million, all paid for by Jackson. [5]
The original orchestral score was composed by Nicholas Pike. In 2021 the soundtrack was released on the web from the non promotional CD.
The Michael Jackson songs are the following ones:
Ghosts was screened out of competition at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival. [7] At over 38 minutes long, it held the Guinness world record for the longest music video until 2013, when it was eclipsed by Pharrell Williams' "Happy". [8] In 2020, the film was available on Jackson’s YouTube channel from October 29 to November 1.
In December 1997, towards the end of promotion for Michael Jackson's remix album Blood on the Dance Floor , a Deluxe Collector Box Set of Ghosts was released only in Europe. The box set included a VHS release of Jackson's Ghosts mini-movie on home video and his Blood on the Dance Floor album on CD, as well as a CD maxi single named the Limited Edition Minimax CD. "On the Line" was the first track on this single. [9]
The A.V. Club writer Nathan Rabin described Ghosts as "clunky, leaden and overblown", and said it was a "staggeringly blunt" allegory for Jackson's life and pop culture status. [10] He attributed its failure to Jackson's place in the public imagination at the time, following his recent divorce from Lisa Marie Presley and the 1993 child molestation allegations against him. [10]
"On the Line" | ||||
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Single by Michael Jackson | ||||
B-side |
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Released | January 11, 1997 | |||
Recorded | 1996 [11] | |||
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Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) | Babyface | |||
Michael Jackson singles chronology | ||||
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"On the Line" is a song co-written and produced by Babyface. Michael Jackson performs the track and is also credited in its writing (on the writing credits of The Ultimate Collection ). It was originally recorded by Jackson for the Spike Lee film Get on the Bus (1996), but it was not featured on the soundtrack. [9] [12]
The full-length version of the song was released on November 16, 2004 as an album track of his limited edition box set The Ultimate Collection . [9] [13]
Limited Edition Minimax CD(EPC 665268 2) [16]
Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix is a remix album by the American singer Michael Jackson. It was released on May 20, 1997, by Epic Records, and is the second album also released by MJJ Productions, Jackson's own record label. The album comprises eight remixes of songs from Jackson's ninth studio album, HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I (1995), and five new songs. Jackson was involved primarily with the production of the new material; the remixes were produced by other artists. Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix incorporates R&B, pop, industrial, hip hop, house, funk and new jack swing. It concerns themes such as drug addiction, sex, relationships, and paranoia.
Riding the Bullet is a 2004 horror film written, co-produced and directed by Mick Garris. It is an adaptation of Stephen King's 2000 novella of the same name. The film, which received a limited theatrical release, was not successful in theaters; it earned a domestic gross of $134,711.
"Smile" is a song based on the theme song used in the soundtrack for Charlie Chaplin's 1936 film Modern Times.
"Blood on the Dance Floor" is a song by American singer-songwriter Michael Jackson, released as the first single from the remix album Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix (1997). Jackson and Teddy Riley created the track in time for the 1991 release of Dangerous. However, it did not appear on that record and was worked on further for its commercial release in 1997. One interpretation of the song describes a predatory woman named Susie who seduces Jackson before plotting to stab him with a knife. The composition explores a variety of genres ranging from funk to new jack swing.
"HIStory" is a 1995 song by American singer-songwriter Michael Jackson. It was composed by Jackson, James Harris III and Terry Lewis, and was included on his album HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I. Although the original version of "HIStory" was not released as a single, it was later remixed in 1997 as part of Jackson's remix album Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix. These remixes would be released as part of "HIStory" / "Ghosts", a double A-side single with the newly recorded song "Ghosts" as the second single from that album.
"Ghosts" is a 1997 song by American singer Michael Jackson, written, composed and produced by Jackson and Teddy Riley. It was released as part of "HIStory" / "Ghosts", a double A-side single with remixes of the song "HIStory" from Jackson's 1995 album as the second single from Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix. The Ghosts music video was a five-minute clip taken from a longer film, Michael Jackson's Ghosts. The song was a top five hit in the UK and Belgium.
"Seven Whole Days" is a song performed by American singer Toni Braxton. It serves as the third single from her self-titled debut album (1993). It was released on October 8, 1993 by LaFace and Arista Records. Written and produced by Kenneth Edmonds, Antonio Reid and Daryl Simmons, the track describes a romance that was fading. As the single was not commercially released in the United States, it was ineligible to chart on the Billboard Hot 100, and only managed to chart on the Hot 100 Airplay at number forty-eight in early March 1994. Nevertheless, it successfully topped the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay in late January 1994.
HIStory on Film, Volume II is a collection of music videos by Michael Jackson released by Sony Music Video Enterprises in May 1997. It contains the music videos belonging to Jackson's ninth studio album, HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I, and his first remix album, Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix, as well as content featured in Jackson's previous video collection, including "Thriller" and "Beat It".
Number Ones is a video album by American recording artist Michael Jackson. It was released on DVD on November 13, 2003 under the Epic Records record label, in conjunction with the promotion for Jackson's greatest hits album, of the same name. The DVD, which is Jackson's fourth DVD album, contained fifteen music videos, which were directed and produced by various people. It consists of music videos filmed and released by Jackson from 1979's Off the Wall to 2001's Invincible. As with the album, the DVD has four different covers.
"This Time Around" is a song by American singer Michael Jackson from his ninth studio album, HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I, with a guest appearance by rapper the Notorious B.I.G. It was released as a promotional single in the US, and is the album's fourth single overall. The song, which details a musician's problems with being famous and dealing with stardom, was written by Jackson, while the music was composed by Dallas Austin, Bruce Swedien and René Moore. Austin and Jackson produced the song, while Swedien and Moore served as co-producers. In the United States, "This Time Around" entered three Billboard component charts, respectively peaking at numbers 18, 23, and 36 on the Dance Music/Club Play Singles, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay, and Rhythmic Top 40, having charted solely due to radio airplay throughout the country. It received positive reviews from contemporary music critics.
"D.S." is a song by Michael Jackson, released on his 1995 album HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I. It is a rock song that conveys themes such as bitterness, mistrust and corruption within law enforcement. It was written, composed and produced by Jackson and includes an instrumental accompaniment and guitar solo by Slash.
"Every Time I Close My Eyes" is a song written, produced and performed by American musician Babyface. It was released as the second single from his fourth album, The Day (1996). Mariah Carey performs the backing vocals, after Babyface did the same for her on "Melt Away", a track written by both, included on her 1995 album Daydream. It also has a participation by Kenny G playing saxophone. An alternate version without Carey's vocals and additional sax elements is included on Kenny G's The Moment (1996).
"Is It Scary" is a song by American singer-songwriter Michael Jackson. The song was written in 1994 during sessions for Jackson's 1995 album HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I, but it was not included on the album. It was later released on Jackson's 1997 remix album Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix. "Is It Scary" was written and produced by Jackson, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis.
Michael Jackson's Vision is a deluxe DVD video album by American recording artist Michael Jackson. It was released on November 22, 2010 by Epic Records, Legacy Recordings, and Jackson's own label, MJJ Productions. It includes three DVDs, featuring 4.5 hours of content of 42 music videos with newly restored color and remastered audio. Jackson referred to each of these productions as a "short film" and not a music video. This is the first time that all of Jackson's videos have been released on DVD. According to a statement by the producers, the video recognizes Jackson's "pioneering short films that transformed the entertainment industry with timeless, pop culture classics".
"Hollywood Tonight" is a song by American singer-songwriter Michael Jackson, included on his posthumous album, Michael. The song was released by Epic Records on February 11, 2011, as the second single from Michael. The spoken parts were performed by Jackson's nephew, Taryll Jackson and written by Teddy Riley. An accompanying music video was released on March 10, 2011. It features Algerian dancer Sofia Boutella dressed in a Jackson-inspired outfit performing a routine with 60 dancers.
Immortal is a remix album of music originally recorded by American recording artist Michael Jackson, released on November 18, 2011, by Epic Records. The album is also a soundtrack to Cirque du Soleil's Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour, which debuted on October 2, 2011, in Montreal. It was preceded by the release of the title track in the form of a megamix: "Immortal Megamix: "Can You Feel It" / "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" / "Billie Jean" / "Black or White" which features the songs: "Can You Feel It", "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough", "Billie Jean" and "Black or White".
"Pretty Girl" is a song performed by American contemporary R&B singer Jon B, issued in August 1995 as the second single from his debut studio album, Bonafide (1995). The song, written and produced by Babyface, peaked at #25 on the Billboard Hot 100.
"Dream Away" is a song recorded by American singer Babyface and English singer Lisa Stansfield for the soundtrack to the 1994 animated film The Pagemaster. It was written by Diane Warren and produced by David Foster. Released as a single in the United States on November 7, 1994, it reached number nine on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart and number eighty on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. "Dream Away" was also issued in selected European countries and Australia, and on January 21, 1995, it was released in Japan. The song was remixed by Dave Way, Paul Waller and Ollie Marland. The accompanying music video, directed by Randee St. Nicholas, featured Babyface, Stansfield and fragments from the film. In 2003, "Dream Away" was included on the remastered edition of Stansfield's third album, So Natural (1993).
Xscape is the second posthumous album by American singer-songwriter Michael Jackson. It was released on May 9, 2014, by Epic Records, MJJ Music and Sony Music Entertainment. Xscape is the tenth release by Sony and/or Motown since Jackson's death in 2009. L.A. Reid, chairman of Epic Records, curated and served as executive producer for the album, enlisting Timbaland to lead a team of record producers, including Jerome "J-Roc" Harmon, Rodney Jerkins, Stargate, and John McClain, to remix and contemporize the eight selected tracks. The album was #1 in its first week of release in worldwide sales.
"Blood on the Dance Floor x Dangerous ", often shortened to just "Blood on the Dance Floor x Dangerous", is a song by American singer and recording artist Michael Jackson. A mashup by the White Panda, it was released digitally on September 6, 2017 in promotion of Jackson's posthumous compilation album Scream.