Michael Jackson's Ghosts

Michael Jackson's Ghosts is a short film starring Michael Jackson, co-written by horror novelist Stephen King and directed by film director and special effects guru Stan Winston which could also be classified as a long-form music video. It was filmed and first screened in 1996 and released along with select prints of the film Stephen King's THINNER. It was released a year later internationally on VHS and Video CD.

The film tells the story of a scary Maestro with supernatural powers, who is being forced out of a small town by its mayor, pictured as a comically arrogant, plump man who bears more than a passing resemblance to Thomas Sneddon (the main prosecutor in Jackson's infamous child sexual abuse case from three years earlier). The movie includes a series of dance routines performed by Michael Jackson and his "family" of ghouls. Every song from the film was taken from Michael Jackson's HIStory and albums.

Plot

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 himself, who makes a scary yet comical entrance. The Mayor angrily confronts him, calling him "strange", "weird", and a "freak", and telling him that he's not welcome in their town. 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 Jackson replies, "You are trying to scare me. I guess I have no choice; I guess I have to scare you." He then makes a series of funny faces, which the Mayor calls "ridiculous" and "not funny". In a change of tone, 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, and ultimately pulls off his face to reveal his skull 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 reminds the Mayor he's not alone, and introduces his "family" of ghouls who, along with the Maestro, perform an extended dance routine to 2 Bad (original music composed by Michael Jackson) which alternately impresses and scares the townspeople. During this sequence, Jackson's acts include ripping his clothes off to reveal a skeletal body; possessing the Mayor and making him dance; and transforming the Mayor into an ugly, horrific demon while remarking, "Who's the freak now? Freaky Boy, Freak circus freak".

After Jackson's performance ends, he asks, "Do you still want me to go?". While the townspeople respond "no", the Mayor says "Yes!". The Maestro quietly agrees by saying, "Say no more...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 that freak." 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. He asks if they all had a good time, and the townspeople realize they did. They figure he isn't so bad after all and make peace with him. The story ends with one of the children asking with a vicious look on his face, "Is this scary?"; he grips his lower face, and the camera moves to a long shot of the mansion while terrified screams are heard.

During the credits, backstage footage of Jackson's make-up sessions and green screen shots reveal how he was able to play five different roles within the film; indeed, the Cast list credits him as "Maestro", "Mayor" (which explains the Mayor's impeccably Jacksonian dance moves), "Mayor Ghoul" (the horribly transformed Mayor), "Superghoul" (a giant and grotesquely deformed version of Jackson) and "Skeleton" (a CGI dancing skeleton, animated by Jackson through motion capture).

Songs used in the film

Release and reception

Deluxe Collector Box Set

Name	On the Line
Cover	LimitedEditionMinimaxCD.jpeg‎
Artist	Michael Jackson
B-side	"Ghosts" (Mousse T's Radio Rock Singalong Remix)"Is It Scary" (DJ Greek's Scary Mix)
Released	1997
Format	CD maxi single
Recorded	1996
Genre	R&B;, pop, soul
Length	4:37 (short version)4:53 (long version)
Label	Epic Records, Sony Music
Writer	Kenneth "Babyface" EdmondsMichael Jackson
Producer	Babyface
Last single	"Is It Scary"(1997)
This single	"On the Line"(1997)
Next single	"Smile"(1997)
Misc	In December 1997, while Michael Jackson's remix album was being promoted, a Deluxe Collector Box Set of Ghosts was released in the UK (however, it was not released in the US). The box set included 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. Since "On the Line" was the leading track of this single, some fans simply call the Limited Edition Minimax CD "On the Line". "On the Line" The song "On the Line" was 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 Michael for the Spike Lee movie Get on the Bus in 1996, but not featured on the soundtrack. However, it featured on a Columbia Pictures Get on the Bus promotional CD, as a potential Oscar nominee, for Best Original Song. Personnel Written and composed by Babyface and Michael Jackson Produced by Babyface Solo and background vocals by Michael Jackson Track listing Limited Edition Minimax CD (EPC 665268 2) # "On the Line" – 4:37 # "Ghosts" (Mousse T's Radio Rock Singalong Remix) – 4:25 # "Is It Scary" (DJ Greek's Scary Mix) – 7:12 References External links Category:1997 films Category:Michael Jackson Category:English-language films Category:Short films Category:Films directed by Stan Winston Category:Screenplays by Stephen King This text is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-SA License. This text was originally published on Wikipedia and was developed by the Wikipedia community. Advertise with us! Search Archives Languages Submit your Article Feedback Privacy Policy Copyright © 2011 World News Network All rights reserved