| Michael Jackson's Ghosts | |
|---|---|
 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 Optimum Productions |
| Distributed by | SMV Enterprises |
Release dates |
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Running time | 39 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $15 million ($30 million in 2024 dollars)[1] |
Michael Jackson's Ghosts is a 1996 short film starringMichael Jackson, directed byStan Winston, and written byStephen King andMick 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 albumsHIStory (1995) andBlood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix (1997). TheAV Club describedGhosts as anallegory for Jackson's life and pop culture status.
Ghosts was filmed and released in 1996 and released along with select prints of the horror filmThinner, and was first screened in the1997 Cannes Film Festival.[2] It was released as promo a year later internationally onLaserDisc,VHS andVideo CD.
The mayor of Normal Valley leads a mob to the mansion of the Maestro (Jackson), 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 titleIs This Scary? with the directorMick Garris. It was planned for release in conjunction with the 1993 family comedy filmAddams Family Values. The original video featuredChristina Ricci andJimmy Workman reprising their roles asWednesday andPugsley Addams, as well as futureScrubs starKen Jenkins as the Mayor.[3] Jackson backed out of the deal, returning an estimated $5 million,[4] and theAddams Family connection was dropped.[3] Stan Winston, previously in charge of makeup and visual effects, took over as director when Garris left to make theShining miniseries.[3] According to Garris,Ghosts was the most expensive music video ever made, at around $15 million, all paid for by Jackson.[5]
Ghosts was screened out of competition at the1997 Cannes Film Festival.[7] At over 38 minutes long, it held theGuinness world record for the longest music video until 2013, when it was eclipsed byPharrell Williams' "Happy".[8] In 2020, the film was available on Jackson’sYouTube channel from October 29 to November 1.
In December 1997, towards the end of promotion for Michael Jackson'sremix albumBlood on the Dance Floor, a Deluxe Collector Box Set ofGhosts was released only in Europe. The box set included a VHS release of Jackson'sGhosts mini-movie on home video and hisBlood on the Dance Floor album on CD, as well as aCD maxi single,Limited Edition Minimax CD. "On the Line" was the first track on this single.[9]
TheA.V. Club writerNathan Rabin describedGhosts 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 fromLisa Marie Presley and the1993 child molestation allegations against him.[10]
| "On the Line" | ||||
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| Single byMichael Jackson | ||||
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| Released | January 11, 1997 | |||
| Recorded | 1996[11] | |||
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| Producer | Babyface | |||
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"On the Line" is a song co-written and produced byBabyface. Michael Jackson performs the track and is also credited in its writing (on the writing credits ofThe Ultimate Collection). It was originally recorded by Jackson for theSpike Lee filmGet 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 hislimited edition box setThe Ultimate Collection.[9][13]
Limited Edition Minimax CD(EPC 665268 2)[16]
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