It’s that time of year again! The time when the King of Pop and his dancing ghouls rise triumphantly from the grave the to the top of digital music charts, thrilling fans — both old and new — around the world.
It’s Halloween — one of Michael Jackson’s favourite festive occasions. It’s no secret that Jackson loved all things that Halloween is famous for, from the candy to the thrill of the spooky stuff to dressing up in all kinds of disguises and costumes.
“I love to trick or treat,” revealed Jackson in a 2001 interview. “I love dressing up like some kind of monster… and knocking on doors. Nobody knows it’s me and I get candy!”
“I missed out on Halloween for years, and now I do it. It’s sweet to go door-to-door and people give you candy. We need more of that in the world. It brings the world together.”
Michael Jackson dressed as a surgeon for Halloween.
“I always thought Halloween and ‘Thriller’ fit each other like a glove,” said Jackson in a 2008 statement about Thrill The World – an international dance event held annually in late October in which participants simultaneously perform the zombie dance made famous by Jackson in his 1983 “Thriller” short film.
“Thriller” is the widely reported to be among the biggest-selling Halloween-themed songs in music history. According to Nielsen SoundScan, as of 2013 the track has sold more than 3.4 million digital downloads in the U.S. alone — and it’s not stopping there!
Right now, today (October 31, 2013), the “Thriller” short film is #1 on numerous iTunes Music Videos charts around the world, including the U.S. (pictured above, left). The track also appears on multiple occasions on the Songs charts in most countries, including on three separate occasions within the U.S. iTunes Top 100: #21, #65 and #97.
UPDATE: November 7, 2013 – “Thriller” has re-entered the Billboard Hot 100 this week at #42 after selling an astonishing 35,000 digital downloads in the U.S. alone. That takes the song’s overall American digital download tally to 3,472,000.
Halloween just wouldn’t be the same without “Thriller,” and “Thriller” has has certainly benefitted from Halloween. Like Jackson said, they fit each other like a glove.
Jackson’s handwritten note
Halloween Television Special
When Michael Jackson signed on with AEG Live to perform a concert residency at London’s O2 Arena, his agreement to do the shows came with a specific requirement — that AEG would also help him venture into movies.
One of the first things Jackson wanted to do was produce a Halloween television special focusing on his landmark horror-inspired film, Ghosts. To do this, AEG boss Randy Phillips set up a meeting between he, Jackson, and Grammy Award show producer Ken Ehrlich. AEG’s Tim Leiweke and Jackson’s manager Frank Dileo joined the trio for the meeting, which took place before rehearsals on June 24th, 2009 at the Staples Centre — the day before Jackson was killed.
“When I saw him the night before he passed, we were having a meeting about a Halloween project that Michael wanted to do with CBS,” Ehrlich recalls.
“Ken Ehrlich was to produce the show for Michael. It centered around the Ghosts footage Michael had personally financed,” Randy Phillips told me via email today. “The intent was to create a yearly Halloween television special. Michael was going to host and perform on the show.”
“Who’s doing sculpture for Halloween special”
Jackson had dreamed of re-introducing his 1996 musical masterpiece, Ghosts, to the world. With the This Is It tour bringing the public’s focus back to Jackson as an entertainer, October 2009 was shaping up to provide the ultimate platform for the superstar’s dream to come true.
Ghosts is a 40-minute film, co-written by Jackson with legendary horror writer Stephen King, and directed by Stan Winston. Jackson plays the roles of several characters in the film including the fun-loving yet eccentric ‘Maestro’, the rude, ignorant, bigoted town ‘Mayor’ and the ‘Skeleton’. The characters are very different, but have one glaring thing in common — they all dance exactly like the King of Pop!
“The video contains some of the best, most inspired dancing of Jackson’s career,” said Stephen King in a moving piece published shortly after the entertainer’s death. “If you look at it, I think you’ll see why Fred Astaire called Jackson ‘a helluva mover’.”
See below Michael Jackson’s Ghosts film in full:
The first Michael Jackson Halloween Special was to be broadcast on October 31, 2009 by CBS. This was perfect timing for all parties involved. By the time Halloween rolled around Jackson would be one month into a three-month break from the This Is It tour. The King of Pop’s final show of the tour’s first leg was scheduled for September 29, 2009. Jackson was not scheduled to return to the O2 stage until January 7, 2010 for the commencement of the second leg.
Because Jackson would not be on tour at the time of the broadcast, his ‘performance’ for the special would have been sourced from a trove of high-definition footage AEG Live had planned to capture during the first leg.
It was planned that footage of the spectacular “Thriller”/”Ghosts”/”Threatened” portion of the live show would be edited as Jackson’s performance in the special, giving the home-viewing audience their first up-close glimpse of the superstar’s triumphant return to the stage.
“Michael was very happy. I solidified [the] Halloween special that he wanted,” explained Frank Dileo in an interview. “We laid out what we wanted to do with the film, Ghosts, and what his participation was and he was acceptive of that. He was extremely happy.”
Tragically, the This Is It tour and the Halloween Special weren’t to be, with Jackson passing away the day following his meeting — on June 25th, 2009.
See below the “Thriller” segment of the Sony/AEG/Estate film This Is It, edited together from footage filmed at Culver Studios, as well as from performances captured during Jackson’s rehearsals:
Four Halloweens have now passed since Jackson’s tragic death, and there has been no Halloween Special to speak of. However, I personally believe there is a good enough argument in favour of The Estate commissioning the project’s resurrection — or at least something like it.
Michael Jackson’s Ghosts, which would have been the centre-point of the CBS broadcast, is among the most impressive pieces of Jackson’s artistic body of work. I’m sure plenty of Michael Jackson fans around the world would love to see this film released in an official capacity, remastered in high-definition. And not only the film itself, but an extensive ‘making of’ documentary featuring all kinds of rare and unseen bonus footage.
And let’s not forget the fact that it was Michael himself who wanted to share Ghosts with the world. He had put the wheels in motion to make it happen, so there is no question over whether or not Michael would approved of its release.
Then you have the platform of home movie — or these days, streaming. Jackson himself wanted both the Ghosts film and Making Of to be rolled out on DVD according to a 2001 interview.
“Do you have any plans of releasing [Ghosts] as a DVD?” Jackson was asked. “Yes, it will be released as a DVD in its entirety, and some of The Making of Ghosts,” he answered. “That was one of my most favourite things I’ve ever done, because it’s been a dream of mine for a long time to do something scary but comical at the same time. It’s all the elements. [It’s] just fun. Because I don’t want to scare people to the point where they’re afraid to go to sleep. I want it to have a little twist of humour. And within the laugher there is a tear, you know? It’s fun, you know.”
Jackson’s 2001 wishes for a home movie release were never brought to fruition.
Beyond the release of the Ghosts film, there are other ways the Estate and could be capitalising on Halloween, while providing Jackson’s fans with something new and exciting to celebrate the occasion with. Things like mega-mixes, using a collection of similarly-themed Jackson tracks (i.e. “Thriller,” “Is It Scary,” “Threatened” etc.) could be released, along with the original tracks, as Halloween EPs. Judging by the chart positions of “Thriller” alone today, it’s clear that people are on the hunt for these types of songs on Halloween. So why not introduce those people to more from Michael Jackson?
NOTE: Since the publication of this article the Estate and Sony have released Scream — an album containing some, but not all, of Jackson’s spooky-themed songs, along with a number of completely irrelevant tracks. They have also produced an animated film, Michael Jackson’s Halloween, using Jackson’s music.
What Michael wanted (top) vs what his Estate delivered (bottom)
Another thing that could be done is to revisit a track that Jackson was looking forward to releasing as a single, with a short film, but was never able to. The song I’m talking about is “Threatened” from Jackson’s 2001 Invincible album.
On October 26, 2001 Jackson took part in an online audio chat sponsored by Get Music and Rolling Stone, answering fans’ questions over the phone. During the interview Jackson was asked if there were any tracks on the Invincible album that he wanted to release as singles and create short films for.
“Absolutely,” responded Jackson. “There’s an array… an encyclopedia of great short films to make from the album. It’s very exciting. I can’t wait to do ‘Threatened’. It’s a kind of scary one with Rod Serling from The Twilight Zone. I can’t wait to get my hands on that one.”
Alas, just like the Halloween TV special for CBS, Jackson never got the chance to create a short film for “Threatened.” It could still happen. Just like the CBS special or the release of the Ghosts film could. But will it? Who knows? Only time will tell.
I’ll leave you with a fantastic fan-made short film for the song “Threatened” made up of a combination of clips taken from classic horror movies mixed visuals from supernatural-themed short films released during Jackson’s life – including both Thriller and Ghosts.
Follow Damien Shields on Twitter to stay up-to-date with Michael Jackson-related news.
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Ghosts was released on a limited edition video box set with the on the line ep and blood on the dancefloor album it also had a replica ghosts program I have it here unfortunately it just missed the DVD boom that followed a year or so later and wasn’t re released on DVD but their are vcd copies which came out in Japan I think its mjs best ever work I really hoped he would do more like this in the future alas it wasn’t to be
So many great things would have happened if MJ hadn’t died… Comeback tour, a new album and a Halloween special? What more could someone ask for? If I ever get my hands on a time machine I’m going to go back in time and stop Conrad Murray.
It’s Allah’s will , only God could decide who will live and who will die !
Idiot
I sincerely hope that Ghosts can be shown worldwide as a tv event or even a cinema release. it sure deserves it. first time i saw it, my jaw dropped.
Damien, there’s no question but that the Estate should be focusing on re-mastering Ghosts and the making of-documentary. I couldn’t agree with you more that it is Michael’s finest work with regard to imagination, creativity and powerful message. After reading your take on Quincy Jones suing the Estate, I continue to have my doubts about them. Releasing Ghosts as a Halloween special woud be a wonderful tribute to Michael. Perhaps they will do it next year. It will then be five years since his passing. Frankly, I think it should be an annual special. There are millions of people, fans included, who would watch it and enjoy it. It has the potential to become a cult movie, just like Rocky Horror Picture Show. He deserves to have Ghosts recognized. Thanks for focusing on it. You are awesome, my Friend!
Megamixes are a dreadful idea, in my opinion. MJ himself said he hated it when people remixed his songs.
I can’t see the Estate making a good job of a posthumous ‘Threatened’ video, based on the toe-curling bodge-jobs they made of Hold My Hand, Hollywood Tonight and Behind The Mask. It’s also difficult to see how a Halloween Special could be put together in MJ’s absence, short of just showing Ghosts and Thriller with a bit of making of footage – and I think that’s already been done, about 10 years ago.
I would certainly be in support of a comprehensive DVD release of Ghosts, with extensive ‘making of’ features. We know that a wealth of ‘making of’ footage, including on-set interviews with MJ, exists. I imagine the only reason they haven’t done it is because it wouldn’t be a money-spinner. It isn’t particularly well-known, doesn’t feature any big hits and is quite dark and challenging. It doesn’t fit the caricature image they have chosen to exploit for maximum profit.
I can’t understand why the Making of Thriller has never had a DVD release, though. A horrendous oversight. How can the Estate be apparently planning a 3D transfer of something as cringe-worthy as the HIStory Tour when it has something as seminal and significant as the Making of Thriller – at one time, I think, the biggest selling home video of all time – sitting in the vault gathering dust?
Megamixes: I agree. In my opinion they’re not great. But I’m not talking about releasing it on a CD worldwide, adding it to MJ’s official discography and acting like it was what he wanted. All I’m suggesting is an EP containing a megamix for use at parties and on radio, plus all the original tracks featured within. Put up an iTunes advertisement once a year, on Halloween and the days leading up to it. Instead of selling 3 versions of “Thriller” and having it appear #21, #65 and #97 on the charts, sell the Michael Jackson Halloween EP with all the songs and a mix. Maybe even bundle the video in there! Based on all the sales it’d probably chart. Just a suggestion 🙂
“Threatened” video: I agree. In my opinion the directors used for the posthumous videos so far have been sub-par when it comes to Michael Jackson and short films. The Estate actually asked Mark Romanek (“Scream”) to do a video for “Breaking News” (before single plans were cancelled after fans protested its authenticity) and “Hold My Hand” but he said no to both. Thank fuck he didn’t touch “Breaking News.” I believe there is enough material and creative ideas to pull off something brilliant for “Threatened,” especially if they put a decent budget into it. But we know that won’t happen. Money and resources are put towards legally pursuing foreigners who sell keyrings and lighters rather than creating something that could visually enhance a piece of work that Michael did during his life.
Ghosts DVD: I agree.
Making of “Thriller”: I agree. December 2013 is the 30th anniversary of the “Thriller” short film and making of documentary. What better time to release it? Ultimate combo of Thrillerness and Christmas. That WOULD be a money-spinner.
Making Of Thriller DVD is a No-Brainer and if the stories I’ve read are true about the high-quality Victory Tour tapes that Michael had are true, I’m confused about what the Estate is waiting for…As for Ghosts,
I’m going to be honest with you. I love Michael Jackson, but while some fans call it his best work, & I do enjoy it overall, the truth is, some of it is annoying. It’s obviously too long for what it is truly meant to be. There is far too much filler in the Ghosts video. The seemingly endless section where the “ghouls” are walking up & down walls while Michael constantly screams & yells to the point that even a fan as big as I am, gets annoyed. I can only imagine what others would think. My wife & daughter watched it for the first time with me a couple of years ago and they both had that “Is this part ever going to end?” look on their faces. In fact my wife did ask “why does he keep yelling”. I had know idea how to answer that and I was a bit embarrassed during that portion of the film. In my opinion, it’s not as good as fans make it out to be. If they do plan on releasing it, I think they better edit it down a bit or do us all a favor & put it in a “do not release box” with the History tour. Aside from some fantastic dancing (as always with MJ) it’s just too dragged out. I hate to be a downer, but I just can’t exaggerate the “greatness” of something just because it’s Michael. It’s definitely not his best work and I don’t think it would sell beyond his established fan base if released as is. I would buy it. I have the VHS Ghosts box set & the VCD, but I don’t watch them. I’ve seen them maybe 4 or 5 times. I really hope I’m not coming off like I’m bashing Michael.
You’re right, there are portions which are a bit weird. During the 90s, MJ did become a bit obsessed with standing in front of/on top of wind machines and screaming ‘hooooooooaaarrrrh!’ over and over again. I’m not really sure what all that was about.
It’s one of the things that makes HIStory Tour so cringe-worthy, actually. You’ve got a man onstage miming to album vocals from as far back as 1979, then constantly shrieking ‘hooooooooo!’ over the top of them through a scratchy head mic, which serves only to demonstrate the clear difference in both voice and sound quality between the recorded vocals and the live screaming, thus making it painfully obvious that he’s miming.
Moreover, fans often make up stories that MJ was miming because he had laryngitis (for two years!?) or nodules – of which there is no evidence at all – but the fact that he keeps screaming at the top of his voice proves beyond any doubt that these stories are not true. Nobody with nodules or laryngitis would do that to their throat/vocal chords – and especially not a long-time professional singer like MJ – because it can cause massive, irreparable damage. Besides which, they’d be incapable of doing it as loudly and frequently as MJ did if they were genuinely suffering with either affliction.
On top of all that, it’s just weird. Why did he keep pointing to the sky and screaming ‘hooooooaaaarrrhhhh!’? Nobody bought a concert ticket to see MJ miming to the 1979 recording of ‘Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough’ and sprinting around the stage making strange roaring noises. It was very peculiar.
“Nobody bought a concert ticket to see MJ miming to the 1979 recording of ‘Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough’ and sprinting around the stage making strange roaring noises.”
Michael Jackson’s billion dollars says diferrent.
What nobody is paying for is somebody like u behind a computer tearing him down.
I don’t agree with you. Ghosts short film is justbp perfection. The effects, the plot the whole movie is just magic. And the yelling and screaming is part of the magic. They show the strength of Maestro, his unbreakable soul and spitit, his superiority and in my opinion maybe the ecstasy music gives toMichael( music is MJ )and the perfection of it!
that halloween special sounded like it would have been fantastic, i would have loved to see that. it’s a shame Michael passed before any of this could happen, the world was so ready for his return and i think these projects would have done Michael Justice. He had such a grasp on halloween, a vision into the creative side.. to thrill the world’s audiences with theatre/illusions & Magic. i do hope that the estate will one day plan to have this project created, using the red shirt rehearsal of Thriller from at the forum in 2009. And the airing/release of Ghosts. Maybe they could plan a 5 track ep, using: 1. Monster (authentic Differential demo). 2. Is It Scary. 3. Thriller. 4. Ghosts & 5. Threatened. it could be a real treat. and i’d certainly love that. Ghosts Blu-Ray, remastered by Warner Bros. who worked on the Moonwalker Blu-Ray in 2010, with Making of footage would be great.. the motion capture footage is fantastic.. as is the footage they used in the vh1 & wowow making of’s. and yes, the making of thriller definitely needs to be released. Maybe with some additional making of footage as bonus features.
Thriller and Halloween will always go hand in hand.. Forever. And the possibilities of Thriller/Halloween shows, movies, products etc are endless.. But I’d hate to see the suits currently running the MJ estate shit out a subpar product simply to further cash in on MJ’s art.
I’d rather wait till someone responsible is calling the shots, and produces something with the respect it deserves.
“Maybe they could plan a 5 track ep, using: 1. Monster (authentic Differential demo”
Monster is not a Michael Jackson song. It is a fake. The voice on the track demonstrably does not sound like Michael Jackson’s in any sense. No proof has ever been brought forward to suggest he had any involvement in the song whatsoever.
I believe there is another recording with the same title that WAS recorded by Michael in the 1990’s.
Yes, Zakk, Michael Jackson worked on a song called “Monster” in 1998 with Michael Prince and Brad Buxer. It was never finished and is not the same song that Eddie Cascio whipped up in his basement.
There was a box set of Johnny Cash’s music called Love, God, and Murder released not to long ago. It compiled songs of similar themes (love, god, and murder) onto three respective CDs. I always thought that would be a great way to re-package MJ’s music. I would even be interested in hearing a good, really, really well-chosen compilation of his ballads (I recall some of the Motown Love CD compilations of the J5/MJ and I always thought song selections could have been better). Something like a transition of Got To Be There to Dreamer (Jacksons) to Human Nature to Push Me Away (Jacksons) to Time Waits For No One (Jacksons) to Someone Put Your Hand Out would make for an achingly beautiful, mesmerising listening sequence.
Im in 2 minds about this………maybe im in the wrong frame of mind to comment,but am i the only fan to get sick of rehashing old ideas and then putting it out to the world….i dont know……maybe im a bitter fan that used to love any kind of MJ release,but now as im older everything MJ related has become more political..or tinged with regret on how his career has gone………..or should have gone,maybe the whole Estate has ruined things or even the forums,i wish i could go back to a time when i just enjoyed his music without the f**king bullshit………….the whole Ghosts video box set was a tragedy,it did not get the credit it deserved……and i don’t think it ever will.
Actually I agree. Don’t get me wrong, I like anniversary releases with bonus stuff, but it’s getting a bit redundant. I mean, I can’t wait to tell my wife “wow guess what, they’re releasing Thriller again, but with an interview & a couple of new remixes”. Hell, at this point, I’d prefer the Estate release a coffee mug line or breakfast cereal, MJ-Os.
um What about something animated … the old holiday season with rudolph and all the old claymation animation etc or modern tim burton before christmas type of thing.
Ghosts as is would be nice too .. but i think we need something added. i dont know BUT Thriller alone on every year on network CBS … ABC (pick a main channel) would be a good deal to sign and have it on every year like clock work like all the other American classic halloween – christmas specials … Thriller really should be on that list as it is a short film .. not only music video. Plus I think its nice to remember the young Michael too. I know Michael loved Ghosts and I do like the beat but the song Thriller had everything plus added Vincent Price laugh… that video should be on every year. It should be on network tv. youtube-dvds are great but the point of the holiday season is to tune into network tv with your family and watch together. its so simple. big audience. Make this happen!
music stations used to sometimes show it but not everyone has cable and its not the same
Damien, I was very much interested to learn more about the meeting on June 24 you mentioned in this post and looked up the article to which you made a link. But that article says that Ken Ehrlich was at the Staples center just by chance:
• “Ken Ehrlich: I had gone down just kind of coincidentally to Staples, where he was rehearsing, for a meeting with him. And while I was down there, he was in rehearsal. They were going to show him a 3-D film that a guy that we work with a lot (Rob Wagner) had prepared for the tour that was based on Earth Song. And I just happened to walk in, maybe a few minutes before that, and Michael said, “Come on in. You know I’d love for you to look at this thing with me.” And there were several people standing around, you know, kind of watching this. And I think he had probably seen a couple of versions prior to this, but we watched this about-four-and-a-half-minute film. This was to be a standalone piece.” http://www.sheknows.com/entertainment/articles/813388/grammy-awards-producer-dishes-michael-jackson-tribute
Could you give a link to a source saying that Michael had a meeting arranged for him by Randy Phillips that day, please? Or did I understand it right that Randy Phillips told YOU about it? Or were you quoting someone when you wrote it?
Damien, I was very much interested to learn more about the meeting on June 24 you mentioned in this post and looked up the article to which you made a link. But that article says that Ken Ehrlich was at the Staples center just by chance:
• “Ken Ehrlich: I had gone down just kind of coincidentally to Staples, where he was rehearsing, for a meeting with him. And while I was down there, he was in rehearsal. They were going to show him a 3-D film that a guy that we work with a lot (Rob Wagner) had prepared for the tour that was based on Earth Song. And I just happened to walk in, maybe a few minutes before that, and Michael said, “Come on in. You know I’d love for you to look at this thing with me.” And there were several people standing around, you know, kind of watching this. And I think he had probably seen a couple of versions prior to this, but we watched this about-four-and-a-half-minute film. This was to be a standalone piece.” http://www.sheknows.com/entertainment/articles/813388/grammy-awards-producer-dishes-michael-jackson-tribute
Could you give a link to a source saying that Michael had a meeting arranged for him by Randy Phillips that day, please? Or did I understand it right that Randy Phillips told YOU about it? Or were you quoting someone when you wrote it?
Sorry for the double post. The previous one said that my message could not be posted unless I corrected something in the fields marked*
About Ken; the coincidence wasn’t that Michael was at the Staples. The coincidence was that Ken came in right when MJ was viewing the 3D “Earth Song” piece and he got to see it. The meeting with Michael was the reason Ken was at Staples. And yes, Randy Phillips personally confirmed that for me. The quote is from a private communication.
Damien, thanks, but could you give a link to the quote from Ehrich mentioned in your text please? I mean this one (the link you provided does not have it):
“When I saw him the night before he passed, we were having a meeting about another show; a Halloween project that Michael wanted to do with CBS,” Ehrlich recalls.
The reason I am asking is because I’d like to have a confirmation from Ehrich of what Randy Phillips said to you in a private communication. In his testimony Randy Phillips never spoke of discussing the Ghost project on June 24th.
The AEG General Counsel trial Shawn Trell also said that the time for developing scripts for three films under their film agreement with Michael expired on June 1 and nothing came of those projects.
As explained by Randy, “Ghosts” has already been financed by MJ independently. The film was done so the script required no development.
As for Ken Ehrlich; the quote is hyperlinked by clicking “Ehrlich” in this passage:
“When I saw him the night before he passed, we were having a meeting about another show; a Halloween project that Michael wanted to do with CBS,” Ehrlich recalls.
I hope this answers your question 🙂
Yes, Damien, now I see it, sorry for overlooking it. But I still think it is a mistake to say that the project Ehrlich discussed with Michael was arranged for him by AEG.
Ehrlich had been in negotiations with Michael for a very long time.
On February 4, 2008 when AEG was not even in the picture Ken Ehrlich said he been mulling “for weeks” the idea of marking the 25th anniversary of Jackson’s “Thriller” with a big show. Ehrlich hoped that Michael would perform but agreed to “just have him appear on stage” because Jackson was “saving his moves for a show where he’ll make some money – a “Thriller” TV special and a series of concerts.“ http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/gossip/michael-jackson-grammy-awards-gotta-glove-article-1.308906
So the “Thriller” TV special was discussed or at least envisaged as early as 2008. The 50th Grammy was on February 10, 2008 and those negotiations with Ehrlich had nothing to do with AEG.
In winter 2009 Ehrlich approached Michael again about him performing at that year’s Grammy [February 8, 2009]. The negotiations must have been at least several weeks before the ceremony, when AEG was not even in contract with Michael. Ehrlich indeed says AEG and Michael “were still in talks”:
And on June 24th, 2009 Ehrlich says he had a meeting with Michael to discuss appearing at the Grammy awards again – this time in January 2010:
• “Ehrlich met Jackson at the Stapes Center while he was rehearsing This is It to discuss appearing on the 2010 Grammy Awards.”
The Halloween project was evidently raised there just as part of their negotiations. “Michael wanted to do it with CBS” as Ehrlich says.
Frankly, I don’t understand what Ehrlich has to do with the film in CBS. He was there primarily about the Grammy awards and Michael naturally spoke to him of the TV project he wanted to make.
And your text says the Halloween project was central to that meeting and it was set up for Michael by AEG:
“One of the first things Jackson wanted to do was produce a Halloween television special focusing on his more horror-type music and film pieces; “Thriller” and “Ghosts”. To do this, Jackson had Randy Phillips set up a meeting between he and Grammy Award show producer Ken Ehrlich.”
AEG by then had dropped all movie deals with Michael – their contract with him for movie deals expired on June 1, 2009 and was not resumed.
So when Randy Phillips now is attributing to himself that meeting on June 24 he is not telling the whole truth: Ken Ehrlich had been in negotiations with Michael for a very long time and his meetings with him in winter 2009 and on June 24 were simply a continuation of their previous negotiations.
AEG HAS VERY LITTLE TO DO WITH IT. Michael was carrying out this work with Ken Erlich ON HIS OWN.
Firstly; Michael had been talking to AEG since early 2007, so they were very much in the picture in early 2008 when Ehrlich was discussing the Grammys with MJ. However that point is irrelevant as Ehrlich stated that there are a number of people he invited to perform at the Grammys EVERY year – MJ being one of them. He almost got him in 2008 with the “Thriller 25” proposal, as you mentioned. He proposed it in 2009 and MJ said no. And MJ had loosely agreed to do something in 2010 but never got the chance.
Secondly; AEG would be required to sit in on the meeting with Ken Ehrlich on June 24, 2009 if the This Is It tour was involved in their discussions – which it was. Michael had planned to use footage, which AEG would capture during the tour, to present his live “Thriller/Ghosts/Threatened” performance within the Halloween special. As detailed in the article.
Thirdly; I’ve presented handwritten notes from MJ, both detailing the Halloween special. One of those notes reads: “Movies when? Randy Phillips. Dileo. Halloween Special. Ken Ehrlich.”
I hope that helps you understand the situation a little better, Helena.
Thank you again, Damien, for the insightful post.. Ghosts is without a doubt my favorite video. Michael’s dancing in it is mesmerizing, literally, and it also gave us a chance to see what a gifted actor he was, something he wanted to do his whole career. Threatened is one of my favorite songs. The few seconds we get to see him dance at the end of the TII Thriller clip with fresh, new moves is my favorite part of TII, brief as it is. I have never understood why Ghosts hasn’t been officially released. How sad that he came so close to releasing projects that were close to his heart and such a disappointment for us as fans. Hopefully your ideas – and those of others – will be heard by the Estate. We all know there’s still so much out there that fans would give anything to see/hear. So much mystery surrounding unreleased material.
You’re welcome 🙂
Why did Frank Dileo claim he booked Michael for an NBC TV special (as opposed to CBS, which you mention)?
He made a boo boo. Definitely CBS.
Fantastic! I’ve been hoping for a Halloween-themed Michael Jackson project! Amazing songs like ‘Thriller’, ‘Ghosts, ‘Is It Scary’ and ‘Threatened’ could be unveiled to the world just like Michael would have wanted, and videos such as the ‘Thriller’ short film, the ‘Michael Jackson’s Ghosts’ film, and live performances of ‘Thriller’ (even the ‘Ghosts’ short film edited from the film) could also be released. They could also re-release the ‘Ghosts Deluxe Collector Boxed Set’ containing the ‘On The Line’ single.
Damien,
If there was to be a Michael Jackson Halloween-themed project, featuring his scary songs such as ‘Thriller’, ‘Ghosts’, ‘Is It Scary’ and ‘Threatened’, do you think it would be possible for ‘Torture’ to be included. The song itself it quite scary (scarier than ‘Threatened’ if you ask me), and it’s not a song many Jackson fans know about.
Do you think that perhaps some short documentaries could prepared for each of the songs listed above, much like ‘Making Michael Jackson’s Thriller’? I think many fans would appreciate seeing documentaries of how ‘Torture’, ‘Threatened’ and ‘Ghosts’ & ‘Is It Scary’ were made.
Some very good constructive suggestions. But, I absolutely do not agree with allowing anyone to sell MJ merchandise (key rings included) or anything else without licensing. It is stealing and I won’t condone it. Disappointing that several fans excuse it and use it to poke at the estate.
Excellent article, Damien! This is exactly what I had been dreaming about! Seriously, I was blown over when I saw Ghosts (on YouTube) and kept wondering where the hell I was all these years for not having discovered this masterpiece. And none of my friends knew about it as well! They were stunned when I showed them! Right after that I started searching news regarding a BluRay release of Ghosts and your article gives me hope. I was disappointed when I found out there was very little promotion of Ghosts except that it was premiered at Cannes and its making was shown on VH1 at some point. And its 2014 already but nothing notable is being re-released of MJ’s old works. I really hope the estate gives it the much needed grand release, it is one of the most underrated MJ short films ever! I was hoping it could be released in the theaters in 3D. I had read an article about the estate having plans of releasing Thriller in 3D. They can combine it all as some sort of a spooky movie. In that article, John Landis said he was approached by MJ in 2007 for some project that he declined and I wonder if it was regarding making the short film of “Threatened”. I hope they can also add “Threatened” in there and let the audiences listen this amazing track. Especially after hearing the Immortal Tour’s version I can imagine how epic it can be. 😀
There is the rumored “Halloween Night” song that MJ recorded in the 2000’s.
The estate could TOTALLY release a Halloween Night EP
1. Halloween Night
2. Ghost
3. Thriller
4. Threatened
5. Is It Scary
Special edition could include the Ghost and Thriller shortfilms in HD.
Maybe one 3D animated short film could be built around Threatened & Halloween Night.
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Hi, I found your article (but I think I already read it at the time) in searching of sources for a Wikipedia page about the new album/compilation Scream who’s set to be released on September 29, 2017. Plus there have been talks of a CBS special in October 2017 and the presentation of Thriller 3D at the Venice Film Festival and Ghosts was shown in HD on the screens at the after party (I was there)! So I think that this Haloween special with Thriller&Ghosts (+a cartoon) is finally happening!
Martin
John Landis was in London in 1983 when Michael Jackson called to ask if he was interested in making a video for Thriller, the title track of the album he’d released a little under a year before. Seemingly unaware of the time difference, Jackson had called at m UK time and the sleepy director had to feign knowledge of the song, which he hadn’t heard. Jackson, for his part, hadn’t seen Landis’s films Animal House, The Blues Brothers or Trading Places; he wanted Landis because of An American Werewolf in London. Landis said he would do the video if it could be a short film, and Jackson embraced the idea. The 13-minute film that resulted changed the music video for ever, becoming less a promo clip than a cultural phenomenon. Even now, Kirsty Wark can perform the Thriller dance on Newsnight as a Halloween joke, and everyone gets it.