Ghosts is a short filmGhosts (Michael Jackson film): Facts, Discussion Forum, and Encyclopedia ArticleShort subject
Short subject is a format description originally coined in the North American film industry in the early period of Film. The description is now used almost interchangeably with short film....
starring Michael JacksonMichael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson is an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. The seventh child of the Jackson family, he debuted on the professional music scene at the age of 11 as a member of The Jackson 5 and began a solo career in 1971 while still a member of the group....
which could also be classified as a long-form music videoMusic video
A music video is a short film or video that accompanies a complete piece of music, most commonly a pop music or rock music song with lyrics. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings....
. It was filmed and first screened in 1996 and released along with select prints of the film Stephen King's THINNERThinner (film)
Thinner is a 1996 in film horror film directed by Tom Holland and written by Stephen King , Michael McDowell and Tom Holland ....
. It was released a year later internationally on VHSVHS
The Video Home System, better known by its abbreviation VHS, is a recording and playing standard developed by JVC and launched in Europe and Asia in September 1976, and the United States in June 1977....
. The film tells the story of a scary MaestroMaestro
Maestro means "master" or "teacher" in Italian language and Spanish language. The term is most commonly used in the context of Western classical music and opera....
with supernaturalSupernatural
The term supernatural or supranatural pertains to an order of existence beyond the scientifically visible universe. Religious miracles are typically supernatural claims, as are Spell and curses, divination, the belief that there is an afterlife for the dead, and innumerable others....
powers, who is being forced out of a small town by its mayor. The movie includes a series of dance routines performed by Michael Jackson and his "family" of ghoulGhoul
A ghoul is a mythological monster from Arabian mythology that dwells in burial grounds and other uninhabited places. The English language word comes from the Arabic name for the creature: ????? ghul, which literally means "demon"....
s.
Discussion
Ghosts is a short filmShort subject
Short subject is a format description originally coined in the North American film industry in the early period of Film. The description is now used almost interchangeably with short film....
starring Michael JacksonMichael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson is an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. The seventh child of the Jackson family, he debuted on the professional music scene at the age of 11 as a member of The Jackson 5 and began a solo career in 1971 while still a member of the group....
which could also be classified as a long-form music videoMusic video
A music video is a short film or video that accompanies a complete piece of music, most commonly a pop music or rock music song with lyrics. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings....
. It was filmed and first screened in 1996 and released along with select prints of the film Stephen King's THINNERThinner (film)
Thinner is a 1996 in film horror film directed by Tom Holland and written by Stephen King , Michael McDowell and Tom Holland ....
. It was released a year later internationally on VHSVHS
The Video Home System, better known by its abbreviation VHS, is a recording and playing standard developed by JVC and launched in Europe and Asia in September 1976, and the United States in June 1977....
. The film tells the story of a scary MaestroMaestro
Maestro means "master" or "teacher" in Italian language and Spanish language. The term is most commonly used in the context of Western classical music and opera....
with supernaturalSupernatural
The term supernatural or supranatural pertains to an order of existence beyond the scientifically visible universe. Religious miracles are typically supernatural claims, as are Spell and curses, divination, the belief that there is an afterlife for the dead, and innumerable others....
powers, who is being forced out of a small town by its mayor. The movie includes a series of dance routines performed by Michael Jackson and his "family" of ghoulGhoul
A ghoul is a mythological monster from Arabian mythology that dwells in burial grounds and other uninhabited places. The English language word comes from the Arabic name for the creature: ????? ghul, which literally means "demon"....
s. Every song from the film was taken from Michael Jackson's HIStoryHIStory
HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I is a double album by Michael Jackson, released on June 20, 1995, and is Jackson's ninth. The first disc, named "HIStory Begins" consists of a selection of Jackson's greatest hits from the singer's past fifteen years, while the second, named "HIStory Continues" features new songs, with the...
and Blood on the Dance Floor albums. The film is also notable for an early film appearance of rapper Mos DefMos Def
Dante Terrell Smith , is an American MC and actor known by the stage name Mos Def. Mos Def started his hip hop music career in a group called Urban Thermo Dynamics, after which he appeared on albums by Da Bush Babees and De La Soul....
.Plot summary
The Maestro (Jackson) lives alone in a creepy-looking mansion on top of a hill, overlooking the town of "Normal Valley". Occasionally, he entertains the local children with scary magic tricks. One of the children tells his mother, who alerts the town Mayor (also played by Jackson); he in turn organizes the townspeople to go to the Maestro's mansion and force him out of town. Some of them show reluctance to do so, but are pressured into joining the Mayor on his crusade.
On a stormy night they go to the Maestro's mansion (which instead of a numbered address, is addressed "Someplace Else") holding flaming torches. When they arrive at the mansion, it is guarded by a large gate. They peer in through the gate, and by the haunting look of the mansion, have second thoughts about entering. The children assure the parents that the Maestro has done nothing wrong, and ask that they leave him alone. But the Mayor remarks, "He's a weirdo, and there's no place in this town for weirdos".
The front gate opens, frightening the townspeople, who make their way to the front door, which also opens by itself. The inside of the mansion appears to them even creepier than the outside, and the parents re-assure their children (and themselves) "there's no such thing as ghosts". They make their way into the house, and once they are all inside, the front door slams shut and locks itself.
Two more large doors swing open revealing a large, darkened dance hall. Hesitantly, the townspeople make their way to the dance hall, where they are greeted by The Maestro who makes a scary yet comical entrance. The Mayor angrily confronts him, calling the Maestro "strange", "weird", and a "freakFreak
In contemporary usage, the word "freak" is commonly used to refer to a person with something unusual about their appearance or behaviour. This usage dates from the so-called freak scene of the 1960s and 1970s....
", and telling him that he's not welcome in their town. The Maestro defends himself, and in response the Mayor threatens "Are you going to leave, or am I going to have to hurt you?" (The townspeople appear not to be as forceful in their position, but don't offer an objection).
To this the Maestro replies, "You're trying to scare me, aren't you?...I guess I have no choice; I have to try and scare you." He then makes a series of funny faces, which the Mayor calls "ridiculous" and "not funny". In a change of tone, the Maestro asks, "Is this scary?" and pulls his face sideways before pulling his face down and stretches his mouth. Then he continues to stretch his face more, ultimately pulls off his face to reveal his skullSkull
The skull is a bone structure found in the head of many animals. The skull supports the structures of the face and protects the head against injury....
and laughing maniacally. The frightened townspeople run for the doors, which the Maestro shuts with his magical powers, then smashes his skull with his fists, revealing his normal head.
The Maestro then introduces his "family" of ghouls who, along with the Maestro, perform an extended dance routine (to original music composed by Jackson) which alternately impresses and scares the townspeople. During this sequence, the Maestro's acts include ripping his skin off to reveal a skeletal body; possessingSpiritual possession
Spirit possession is a concept of paranormal, supernatural and/or superstitious belief in which Soul, deity, daemon s, demons, animism, or other disincarnate entities may take control of a human body, resulting in noticeable changes in behavior....
the Mayor and making him dance; and transformingShapeshifting
Shapeshifting is a common theme in mythology and folklore, as well as in science fiction and fantasy. In its broadest sense, it is a :wikt:metamorphosis of a person or animal....
the Mayor into an ugly, horrific demon while remarking, "Who's the freak now?" ," Freaky Boy, Freak circus freak".
After his performance ends, the Maestro asks, "Do you still want me to go?". While the townspeople respond "no", the mayor vehemently says "Yes!". The Maestro quietly agrees by saying, "Fine...I'll go." He falls, and after smashing his hands and face into the floor his face and body violently start to crumble into dust on the floor, which is then blown away by the wind. The townspeople are saddened by this, and somewhat sorry to see him go. The Mayor however thinks he has come out victorious and heads for the doors saying "I Showed him". When he opens them he finds a monstrous-looking Maestro-demon head which says "HELLO" and terrifies him, and he runs away scared (leaving a comically Mayor-shaped hole in the glass door).
The townspeople then turn back to the now open front doors to see the Maestro standing there, laughing. They realize he isn't so bad after all and make peace with him. The story ends with one of the children asking, "Is this scary?", and the camera moves to a long shot of the mansion while terrified screams are heard.Influences
Ghosts has much in common with its most direct predecessor, ThrillerThriller (music video)
Michael Jackson's Thriller is a 14-minute music video for Thriller released on December 2, 1983 and directed by John Landis who also co-wrote the screenplay with Jackson....
. Originally released in 1983, "Thriller" also featured Jackson as the main protagonist/antagonist, interacting and choreographed with "undead" dancers. Likewise, both films act as homages to monster films past.
While Thriller could be viewed as a tribute to 1950s - '70s genre films (I Was a Teenage WerewolfI Was a Teenage Werewolf
I Was a Teenage Werewolf is a 1957 horror film starring Michael Landon as a troubled teenager and Whit Bissell as the primary adult. It was co-written and produced by cult film producer Herman Cohen, and was one of the most successful films released by American International Pictures ....
and George Romero's Living Dead seriesLiving Dead
Living Dead is a blanket term for various films and series that all originated with the seminal 1968 zombie movie Night of the Living Dead created by George A....
among them), Ghosts owes more directly to the Universal MonstersUniversal Monsters
'Universal Monsters' are fictional characters created or popularized by Universal Studios in a number of famous horror films. The approach began with the 1923 film version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame , and continued to encompass such movies as The Phantom of the Opera , Dracula , Frankenstein , The Mummy , Bride of Fran...
series of films. Even its opening sequence recalls scenes of torch-wielding villagersOchlocracy
Ochlocracy is government by mob or a mass of people, or the intimidation of constitutional authorities. In English language, the word mobocracy is sometimes used as a synonym....
storming the castle gates of an assumed antagonist, a repeating motif in movies ranging from 1931's FrankensteinFrankenstein (1931 film)
Frankenstein is a horror film from Universal Pictures directed by James Whale and very loosely based on the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley as well as the play adapted from it by Peggy Webling....
to 2004's Van Helsing.
Ghosts also can be viewed as a not-so-thinly veiled self-commentary by Jackson on his personal circumstances in the years preceding its production. Direct parallels can be drawn between various elements in the film and Jackson's own life: The Maestro - a reclusive, solitary figure, living removed from the townspeople, and interacting primarily with their children - is attacked by evil-seeming white and black figures with power in a manner similar to how Jackson perceived his own situation.Cast
- The Maestro - Michael
- The Mayor - Michael
- The Townspeople:
- Kendall Cunningham
- Pat Dade
- Mos Def
Mos Def
Dante Terrell Smith , is an American MC and actor known by the stage name Mos Def. Mos Def started his hip hop music career in a group called Urban Thermo Dynamics, after which he appeared on albums by Da Bush Babees and De La Soul....- Heather Ehlers
- Shawnette Heard
- Edwina Moore
- Loren Randolph
- Amy Smallman
- Seth Smith
Seth Smith
Garry Seth Smith is a Major League Baseball utility outfielder for the Colorado Rockies....
Songs used in the film
- "2 Bad (film version)"
- Taken from the HIStory
HIStory
HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I is a double album by Michael Jackson, released on June 20, 1995, and is Jackson's ninth. The first disc, named "HIStory Begins" consists of a selection of Jackson's greatest hits from the singer's past fifteen years, while the second, named "HIStory Continues" features new songs, with the...
album- "Ghosts"
- Taken from Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix
- "Is It Scary (film version)"
- Taken from Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix
Also while the maestro's family walks up the wall around the room, an instrumental piece from The Bee Gees song You Win AgainYou Win Again
You Win Again may refer to:* You Win Again , an album by Van Morrison and Linda Gail Lewis* You Win Again , a song by the Bee Gees* You Win Again , a song by Hank Williams...
was used.VHS release
On December 8, 1997, SMV Enterprises released the movie on VHS video cassette. The video was packaged in a "Limited Edition Deluxe Collector Box Set", which contained the 38-minute movie on a VHS video cassette, an A5 full colour program (similar to the A4 Cannes Film Festival Ghosts programme) and 2 CDs: the Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix CD album and a minimax CD with three tracks: "On the Line" (written by Jackson and produced by Babyface, later used for the Spike Lee movie Get on the BusGet on the Bus
Get on the Bus is a 1996 film about a group of African-American men who are taking a cross-country bus trip in order to participate in the Million Man March....
), "Ghosts (Mousse T's Radio Rock Singalong Version)", "Is It Scary (DJ Greek's Scary Mix)".
In February 1998, SMV Enterprises released the movie on a single VHS video cassette, without the additional CDs and packaging.External links
