The horror genre has been a staple of filmmaking since the invention of moving pictures. In fact, some of the first films were in fact, horror! Take a look at some of the few short-subject horror films released before the turn of the century like House of the Devil (1896) or Photographing A Ghost (1897). Most of them just remind you of music videos! Needless to say, it was no surprise many of the music videos of the MTV era would feature plenty of horror elements! Sometimes it’s gory, gratuitous, and horrifying, but other times they can be campy and fun! Let’s take a look at a few examples! This is Video Rage: Horror In Music Video Vol. One!
Of course, we could be here all night picking apart what it means to be horror-themed in the music video format. Does it have to be scary? Do songs from horror movies count? How about humor? Well, I suppose just like any good horror movie, anything goes! But I think it’s fair to limit our list to videos with horror elements in themselves and not just lyrics or clips from movies they may be part of.
Rob Zombie – “Dragula” (1998)
I’m not sure there’s ever been an artist to embody all elements of horror like Rob Zombie. While his previous band, White Zombie was kind of a watered-down version of Ministry, Rob went all in with his solo career. “Dragula” is a pop-metal bop with simplified metal riffs, processed drums, and lyrics that make absolutely no sense. However, the music video acts like a buffet of every corner of horror imaginable! Campy, colorful, psychedelic, and evil! It’s also the perfect starting point if you’re interested in seeing what Rob Zombie is all about.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs – “Y Control” (2004)
I don’t know what it is about little kids, but sometimes they can be pretty creepy. Director, Spike Jonze clearly knows this and exploits it here. Despite the song being about how society tries to control women, the music video is a surreal nightmare of kids gone dark. They start out flipping the camera off, then beating up a car, and eventually carrying around a dead dog. Things get really serious when one kid asks another to chomp his hand off! There’s also some self-mutilation. Ya know, the fun stuff!
MGMT – “Kids” (2007)
Continuing the theme of children, comes MGMT. But in this video, surrealism is used to the opposite effect. An inattentive mother ignores her toddler as the child is terrorized by all sorts of ghouls and monsters. With the band’s nostalgic lyrics, it’s obvious they’re speaking of how the world is a scary place and it’s constantly attacking our youthful innocence. But the real impact of the music video comes from the toddler looking genuinely terrified in every single scene. Put yourself in that kid’s shoes. You’re being terrorized by monsters and zombies but no one is hearing your cries for help. Well, I guess that’s what we’re all dealing with anyway.
David Bowie – “Heart’s Filthy Lesson” (1995)
Remember when David Bowie discovered industrial music, tried it out, and out Nine Inch Nailed, Nine Inch Nails? I do! I remember seeing “Hearts Filthy Lesson” on MTV in 1995 and blowing my mind! How could the dude who dances around as The Goblin King in the Labyrinth a few years before, do this kinky, atmospheric goth-rock!? There’s not much in the music video that sets it apart from any other brooding rock video of the time (Tool anyone?). But the shock felt more like a jump scare than anything else. God, I miss Bowie so much.
Fastball – “Fire Escape” (1998)
Everyone remembers Fastball for their summer hit “The Way”. But for me, “Firescape” is the one that sticks out. Not only is it a much better song, but the music video is far more interesting. The video follows the morning routine of a woman (an obvious Fastball superfan) on her daily morning routine. She eats breakfast, works out, gets ready, and heads to work. But as the TVs in her home play news segments discussing the sudden disappearance of the band, the video takes a dark turn. It’s revealed that this woman is not just a diehard fan, but she has murdered Fastball and their bodies are strewn throughout her home. Despite being played for laughs, the bodies of the band look pretty authentic. It’s jarring, funny, and pretty eerie. I also want to point out how cool this video is from a cinematography stand point as it was filmed in a single continuous take!
Michael Jackson – “Ghosts” (1996)
You can’t talk about horror-related music videos without bringing up Michael Jackson. You just can’t! But everyone always brings up “Thriller”. Don’t get me wrong, “Thriller” is timeless, amazing, and will always be one of the greatest videos of all time. But don’t sleep on some of his other endeavors! Like “Thriller”, “Ghost” was basically a short film event airing on MTV as some sort of special presentation. Written by Stephen King and directed by Stan Winston, “Ghost” sees Jackson as an eccentric man exiled from town by its xenophobic mayor (also played by Jackson). Things come to a boiling point when the mayor and a lynch mob confront Jackson at his creepy old mansion.
The rest of the video is basically Jackson doing a series of horror-theme dance-offs (of course). There are ghosts, demons, moonwalks, and even a scene where Jackson rips his flesh off and cats around as a skeleton. It’s awkward, corny, and hasn’t aged well (especially as a metaphor for allegations against Jackson). But it feels very much like a TV Halloween special I loved as a kid. Isn’t that the best part of the best holiday?
[Editor’s Note: This is the shortened, music video edit. See the full short film here.]
Cradle Of Filth – “From The Cradle of Enslave” (1999)
This one is sort of a cheat because the correlation between Cradle Of Filth and horror is as obvious as blood and vampires. But you gotta admit, Cradle Of Filth know how to make a music video! It has all the ingredients of edge-lord goth rock and let me tell you, it revels in it! Brooding, blood, boobs, and blasphemy. What more could you ask for? I remember seeing this video when I was a teenager and thinking it was gonna be from some sort of Full Moon Features movie or something. That’s enough for me!
[Editor’s Note: This is the censored version. See the unedited version here]
My Chemical Romance – “Helena” (2005)
I know I know, Hot Topic vibes aren’t really horror but man, I love this band, song, and music video. There was a time when rock music was taken over by overly sensitive, skinny jean wearing boys with flat-ironed hair. But My Chemical Romance offered up a bonus Misfits horror-punk vibe. Part Smashing Pumpkins and part Danzig, “Helena” really sells it with extra pale makeup, darker eyeliner, and cinematic shots of a Catholic funeral. Oh, and while everyone says the closing prayer, the body slips out of the casket and prances around like a ballerina. Why? Who knows! It’s sensitive horror punk! In all seriousness, “Helena” is a cut above many of the pseudo-creepy videos of the era and it still holds up today!
Alien Sex Fiend – “Now I’m Feeling Zombiefied” (1990)
I distinctly remember seeing this music video on late-night TV when I was 8 or 9 and not knowing what it was. Was it supposed to be funny? Horrifying? I didn’t know and still don’t! But it has that weird, overplayed VHS quality about it that makes it feel very deliberate and gritty. The horror element comes in the form of neon, tape effects, and feverish editing. Much like a local haunted house attraction at the county fair, having fun is the top priority. If my memory serves me correctly, I think this may have been my proper introduction to industrial music. Bonus points for the singer looking like sister Zelda from Pet Sematary. Why not?
Ozzy Osbourne – “Bark At The Moon” (1983)
As a kid, I grew up hearing about how evil and scary Ozzy Osbourne was. He was insane! Possessing teenage girls at concerts, convincing boys to kill themselves, eyes glowing red from every stage, devouring heads of live bats. But that was before I actually heard his music or saw one of his music videos. Needless to say, when I did stumble across “Bark At The Moon” when I was 10 years old, I was a little disappointed. He didn’t sound evil. It sounded like a moodier Van Halen. He didn’t look scary. He looked like everyone’s aunt who drinks too much at birthday parties.
At the time, I didn’t realize “Bark At The Moon” was meant to be a fun tribute to the Hammer movies I’d eventually fall in love with a few years later. Sometimes Ozzy is a mad scientist, sometimes he’s a werewolf. He even has a Dracula cape! It’s a celebration of bringing together horror and rock n’ roll. To me, “Bark At The Moon” is the quintessential horror music video!
