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MJ Studies Today CXVIII

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Abstract: This month, MJ Studies Today columnist Kerry Hennigan looks back on events she attended in past years at which Michael Jackson’s contributions to the Halloween season were celebrated. From Hollywood to Los Olivos, and all over the world, fans have enjoyed the annual reminder that Jackson is not only the King of Pop, but the King of Halloween.

Column by Kerry Hennigan, Australian-based editor of the free monthly newsletter A Candle for Michael, administrator of the fan group “Michael Jackson’s Short Film Ghosts” on Facebook, and an MJ blogger on WordPress. Kerry holds Certificates in the Archaeology of the Ancient World and the Archaeology of Ancient Britain from Cambridge University in the UK and is passionate about Viking longships and global maritime routes from the Bronze Age to the Early Medieval Period.

REFERENCE AS:

Hennigan, Kerry. “MJ Studies Today CXVIII: One fan’s experience of Michael Jackson’s artistry as an essential component of Halloween activities.” (14-10-2025). The Journal of Michael Jackson Academic Studies Vol 12, No. 2 (2025). https://michaeljacksonstudies.org/mj-studies-today-cxviii/

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One fan’s experience of Michael Jackson’s artistry as an essential component of Halloween activities.
By Kerry Hennigan

For Michael Jackson fans, the arrival of October heralds the celebration of Halloween and the annual campaign to push Jackson’s “Thriller” single back up the charts.[1]  Penned by the late Rod Temperton, “Thriller” is the perennial Halloween theme song, while the short film’s zombie dance is a favourite of many partygoers. This speaks to not only the iconic status of the song and its short film, but to the artist himself. Whole streets full of dancers perform Michael Peters’ “Thriller” choreography while Jackson’s voice blasts over loudspeakers. It’s an impressive sight that has become an annual event in numerous international locations.

In 2017 I was fortunate to see Santa Barbara’s World Dance for Humanity group, a registered non-profit organisation, perform to “Thriller” in the middle of the main street of Los Olivos, California.[2]  Located in the Santa Ynez Valley, Los Olivos is the closest hamlet to Neverland Valley Ranch. Later that afternoon the troupe performed again in front of the gates of Neverland on Figeroa Mountain Road. At one point during the song, the gates opened behind the dancers in salute to the artist who had spent probably his happiest years living on the property beyond those gates.[3]

On this same visit to the US, I met up with friends from Hong Kong in Hollywood to attend an official launch party for Michael’s Scream compilation album. Some have criticised this album as being totally irrelevant, in that it contains nearly all previously released and readily available material. My personal perspective was to celebrate it as another way of confirming Halloween as a Michael Jackson-related event, and reminding the world that he is not just the King of Pop, but the king of gothic pop and the king of Halloween.[4] Scream was also an opportunity for new fans to discover some of Michael’s lesser known tracks. Maybe they would hear something for the first time and fall in love with it, and feel encouraged to explore his catalogue beyond just the familiar hits.

What I personally liked about Scream, apart from its nifty packaging, was its inclusion of songs from the short film Michael Jackson’s Ghosts, as well as “Blood on the Dance Floor.” For me, Halloween revolves around Ghosts rather than Thriller simply because it had a much bigger impact when I initially became a fan. The first time I saw Ghosts (after Michael’s death), was on the VHS tape from the deluxe collector’s boxed set released in Europe after the film’s screening at Cannes in 1997. The set also included the film’s premiere booklet, the Blood on the Dance Floor album on which the songs “Ghosts” and “Is It Scary” were originally released, plus a remix of “2 Bad,” (the original is on the HIStory album), and the maxi-single CD of “On the Line.”[5]  All in all, I was impressed with Ghosts. But most of all, I was impressed by the artist responsible for it.

As the Maestro, Michael cut a romantic-looking, mischievous-acting figure, one unfairly judged by the Mayor and townspeople who, except for the kids, didn’t understand him, and thus feared him. While some of his acting in the lead role seemed a little stiff and unnatural to my untutored eyes, submerged under the prosthetics of the Mayor of Normal Valley and the Ghoul Mayor, Super Ghoul and Skeleton, he acted as though truly uninhibited by his own persona and became the individuals he was portraying.

Nevertheless, it was the Maestro I loved, and it was his dance routine in the company of a room full of gorgeously costumed ghosts that made my jaw drop. I especially loved the scene in which they floated down from the ceiling to the tune of Nicholas Pike’s wonderfully spectral theme “Angels Descend.”[6]  You can imagine how thrilled I was on attending the premier of This Is It to discover the reference to this latter scene in the “Thriller” segment. And, even more so when it segued into “Threatened,” from Michael’s Invincible album (another worthy inclusion on the “Scream” compilation.)

At the launch of Scream in Hollywood in 2017, the Thriller short film was shown in 3D in the famous Chinese Theatre, along with trailers for the then-forthcoming Michael Jackson’s Halloween animated TV special. John Landis, director of Thriller, spoke before the screening, and gave a shout out to legendary make-up wizard Rick Baker (this year’s winner of the Vincent Price Award at Hollywood Horrorfest) who was in the audience.[7]  After Thriller came the full length version of Ghosts – not in 3D but at least on the big screen. The most gratifying part of the evening was the way the audience responded to the first appearance of the Maestro, and to the start of the “2 Bad” dance sequence. It was wonderful to realise that my appreciation of Michael in this film was obviously shared by the many other fans who filled the Chinese Theatre that night.[8]

I don’t ever expect to see flash mobs performing the Ghosts choreography like they do Thriller’s, and I don’t expect any of the songs from Ghosts to supplant “Thriller’s” crown as the most often-played Halloween-themed song. I’m fine with that because it’s not about one fan’s personal preferences. It’s about Halloween being a time when people all over the world – who otherwise may not have cause to listen to Michael Jackson – are reminded that the man and his music are an essential component not just of Halloween, but of global popular culture.

Kerry Hennigan
14 October 2025

Sources:

[1] McIntyre, Hugh. “Michael Jackson’s Annual Chart Comeback Has Already Begun.” Forbes, 12 Oct 2025. https://www.forbes.com/sites/hughmcintyre/2025/10/12/michael-jacksons-annual-chart-comeback-has-already-begun/

[2] World Dance for Humanity official website. “Thriller” https://www.worlddanceforhumanity.org/thriller

[3]Hennigan, Kerry. “A Thriller of a Halloween in the Santa Ynez Valley, 29 October 2017.” https://kerryhennigan.wordpress.com/2017/12/13/a-thriller-of-a-halloween-in-the-santa-ynez-valley-29-october-2017/

[4] Official Michael Jackson website. “Listen To ‘Michael Jackson’s SCREAM’ Album At Your Halloween Party.” 31 Oct 2023. https://www.michaeljackson.com/news/listen-to-michael-jacksons-scream-album-at-your-halloween-party/

[5] Hennigan, Kerry. “MJ Studies Today XCI: ’All good things come in due time…’ Spotlight on a rare gem: Michael Jackson’s recording of ‘On the Line.’” (14-07-2023). The Journal of Michael Jackson Academic Studies Vol 10, No. 1 (2023). https://michaeljacksonstudies.org/mj-studies-today-xci/

[6] Michael Jackson’s | Ghosts Soundtrack OST by Nicholas Pike (Previously Unreleased 7 Tracks) posted on YouTube by Michael Jackson FanSquare, 23 Nov 2021. https://youtu.be/uAr9pzSak70?si=-PQv2hGKYo7aC2oH

[7] Hollywood Horrorfest 2025. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/hollywood-horrorfest-rick-baker-in-conversation-screen-one-tickets-1599257495219

[8] Hennigan, Kerry. “One Night In Hollywood – MJ Scream LA, 24 October 2017.” https://kerryhennigan.wordpress.com/2017/10/28/one-night-in-hollywood-mj-scream-la/

Further reading, listening and viewing:

  • Hennigan, Kerry. “MJ Studies Today XLVIII. Ghosts, ghouls and zombies: Michael Jackson’s indelible Halloween legacy in the wake of a year of controversy.” (14-12-2019) The Journal of Michael Jackson Academic Studies 6, no. 2 (2019). http://michaeljacksonstudies.org/mj-studies-today-xlviii/
  • Merx, Karin, and Elizabeth Amisu. Episode 18 – Halloween Special: “Ghosts” Podcast, Michael Jackson’s Dream Lives On: An Academic Conversation 3, no. 2 (2016). Published electronically 30/10/16. http://michaeljacksonstudies.org/halloween/.

Illustration: “is it scary for you?” compiled by Kerry Hennigan from the Scream album original artwork, using PhotoScape X Pro software and Pixlr X. No infringement of original photographic or artwork copyright is intended in this not for profit, educational exercise.

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