Music and horror often find themselves intertwined, from horrific musicals such as The Rocky Horror Picture Show to music-centric horrors such as The Phantom of the Paradise, the two sometimes find themselves coming together to create something really special. One of the best examples of this is in music videos, many music videos are full of bizarre, disturbing imagery and horrific themes as they have the freedom to do so. Be they subtle references to horror or full on homages, there are some really terrific horror themed music videos out there, and here is my pick for the top 10.
10. Backstreet Boys- Everybody (Backstreet's Back)
When I started this blog I never thought I'd be talking about the Backstreet Boys, but there you go. This funky track of the boy bands second album may not seem so horrific upon listening, but its video is a full on gothic horror homage that sees the band transform into a variety of movie monsters while spending the night in a spooky mansion. The band members dress as Dracula, The Mummy, The Phantom of the Opera, Mr. Hyde and The Wolfman, mixing these classic monsters with their own signature style to create a ghoulishly campy music video. It's an entertaining video as the boys sing and dance around the gothic manor and because of it the song has been on the playlist of every Halloween party since 1997. Along with an appearance from Starsky and Hutch's Antonio Fargas, Backstreet were certainly back and this video reminds us of that.
9. The White Stripes- Blue Orchid
This American garage rock duo have had a history of outlandish music videos, but their first track from their album Get Behind Me Satan had a particularly ghoulish one. The video sees both Jack and Meg White rocking out inside a grimy looking house dressed like something from a Tim Burton film while model Karen Elson struggles to walk around in her high heels. It's a very gloomy video and the White Stripes look as pale as ever dressed in their gothic garments, Jack White is particularly bizarre in this one, pounding away on his piano and moving in a very exaggerated manor around the old house. It's a very fun video with bizarre visuals to add a sense of atmosphere, it all builds up to a rather grim climax where Elson is presumably trampled by a white horse. You can witness the madness here.
8. Marilyn Manson- Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)
The controversial shock rocker has some pretty disturbing stuff in all of his videos, but I just think this one is particularly dark. It sees the ghoulish looking Manson and his bandmates inside an abandoned building and is full of distorted and blurred visuals to give the video a very surreal vibe. It's almost like if David Lynch directed a snuff film. There are shots of Manson in a wedding dress and even riding a pig as he roams around his demented playground, his appearance alone in this video is enough to give you goosebumps. Dave Stewart of Eurythmics, the band who originally performed the song, said the video was one of the scariest things he's ever seen. If you're ready to let Marilyn Manson give you nightmare after nightmare, you can watch that video here.
7. Primal Scream- Can't Go Back
If you've read my blog you'll know I'm a big fan of giallo films, which is why I am a big fan of this video from the Scottish indie band Primal Scream. The video is a homage to Italian horror, in particular the works of Dario Argento and Mario Bava and sees a black gloved killer stalking and murdering a group of beautiful women, basically any giallo film shortened down to about 3 minutes. Stylistically the video is a perfect homage to films like Suspiria and Blood and Black Lace, from the colourful lighting to the direction, it really feels like you're watching a giallo film. Not even frontman Bobby Gillespie can escape this black gloved maniac. The video hasn't been on YouTube for ages for whatever reason, but you can watch it in all its gory glory here.
6. Gorillaz- Clint Eastwood
Damon Albarn's animated band have had a variety of memorable videos courtesy of Jamie Hewlett's animation, but their debut single Clint Eastwood has the best. It begins with the band playing against a white backdrop before giant tombstones rise from the ground and the setting soon changes to a gloomy cemetery, as the rain pour down the band soon come under attack by an army of zombified gorillas. Along with its undead primates and ghostly rapper, Del the funky homosapien, the video contains references to a number of zombie films from the Dawn of the Dead quote at the beginning to a crotch grabbing zombie like that in Braindead, this is a love letter to the zombie genre. You can watch this fantastic music video here.
5. Rob Zombie- Living Dead Girl
Rob Zombie's whole career is based around the horror genre, from his songs to his films, so it's only natural that his music videos are especially horrific. I could have chosen literally any of Zombies videos, but I like the one for Living Dead Girl the most as it's essentially a shortened remake of the classic silent horror The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. Zombie himself takes on the role of the Doctor while his wife Sheri portrays a female version of somnabulist Caesare called the Living Dead Girl, the two recreate classic moments from the film in this ghoulish vid. What really makes this video stand out is Zombies attention to detail, from the production design to the cinematography, the video stays very true to Weine's classic film while adding a signature Rob Zombie flare to it. You can tell he has a sincere love for the genre. You can watch the video for Living Dead Girl here.
4. Lordi- Hard Rock Hallelujah
Like the Backstreet Boys, I never thought I'd be writing about the Eurovision, but the demonic looking metal band Lordi won the competition in 2006 with this tune. The video follows a loner goth girl who is rejected by her high school peers, particularly the cheerleaders, but they all get what's coming when the Finnish rock band burst through the gymnasium doors and raise hell upon the school. The video is a weird blend of a satanic monster movie and a high school drama that results in every goth kids dream, commanding an army of zombified cheerleaders through their schools corridors. Lordi are scary enough to look at, their faces caked in realistic looking monster makeup, so watching them invade a high school and turn some unsuspecting students into zombies is pretty horrific yet oddly entertaining. You can watch these fiendish Finnish demons in all their glory here.
3. Slipknot- Spit It Out
Another band who are scary enough to look at, this American metal band paid homage to Stanley Kubrick's acclaimed horror The Shining in this video for their second single off their self titled debut. The video cuts between clips of the band performing and scenes that pay homage to The Shining with the bandmates dressed as different characters around the sinister Overlook Lodge. Joey Jordison takes the wheel behind Danny Torrance's tricycle while frontman Corey Taylor takes on the role of Jack Torrance in this darkly comical Kubrick tribute. The Shining was scary enough as it is but when all the characters are wearing Slipknot masks it becomes very much more disturbing, I just wonder what Stephen King thinks of it. You can check in with Slipknot to the Overlook Lodge here.
2. Aphex Twin- Come To Daddy
This drum and bass classic by British electronic produced Aphex Twin is notorious for its disturbingly bizarre music video that makes a lot of horror films look like Disney. Directed by Chris Cunningham, the video sees an army of children who all look like Aphex Twin as they terrorise the council estate from A Clockwork Orange after a dog pisses on a possessed television. Sounds mad right? Well it is completely bonkers and many will find it terrifying, especially towards the end when an old woman is confronted by a terrifying demon. There is this really chilling atmosphere throughout thanks to a combination of the disturbing imagery and the violent music complete with the eerie chanting of 'I want your souls', it's a full blown assault on the senses. Of course, me describing it doesn't do it justice at all, it's something that has to be seen to truly be believed and you can watch the surreal video here.
1. Michael Jackson- Thriller
You saw this one coming didn't you? Yes the top spot on this list goes to the iconic video for Michael Jackson's Thriller, directed by John Landis of An American Werewolf in London fame. More of a short film thanks to its 13 minute run time, the video begins with Jackson turning into a savage werewolf before we realise that it's actually a film-within-a-film being watched by Jackson and actress Ola Ray. They proceed to leave the cinema only to encounter a horde of rotting zombies who break into dance while terrorising the duo. It's an incredibly entertaining video that has since become iconic both for its memorable dance routine and the monster makeup courtesy of Rick Baker, it's evident that the King of Pop had great fun making this one. To further cement this video in horror history, a part of the song is narrated or 'rapped' by horror legend Vincent Price who adds his own macabre touch to the song. Werewolves, zombies and Vincent Price, this video has them all and remains to be just as frightfully entertaining even 33 years after its release. If you haven't seen it already, you can watch Thriller here.
So there's my list, if you've got any terrifying music videos that aren't on the list (Pitbull doesn't count) let me know in the comments. I'll be doing a post on David Lynch soon along with one on the new Ratchet and Clank game so stay tuned for those, until next time!
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