Michael Jackson Thriller Costume

When we're talking about Michael Jackson, the famous king of pop (may he rest in peace), there are many things that are undeniable about his career. His amazing talent spanned across many areas of performance, but most notably were his contributions to musical technique, dance, and style. Each one of these could have novels written about them, so for this article, we're going to focus in our magnifying glass on the king of pop's style, and even more narrowly, the Michael Jackson Thriller Costume.

What we have to remember is that everything about the music video for Thriller was entirely thought out. MJ wore two different costumes, one of which was done up in a couple of different ways. All of the costumes shared a similar color palette -- which is to say, that whatever one we're looking at, the Michael Jackson thriller costume was primarily red.

Why was this? Well, in addition to the fact that Michael looks pretty snazzy in red, there are a couple other major things. First of all, the color red is classic to the horror genre. Since Thriller was a mock recreation of the entire horror genre, this is one of the more major reasons. In addition, though, the Michael Jackson thriller costume being red served the purpose to distinguishing MJ from the rest of the zombies in the music video. With the low lighting, minor fog effects, and the amount of make-up that they put on him, the red costume allowed him to be seen throughout the video.

Another significant thing about the costume is the exact way it's styled. Some may think that these things are just for style, and were choices from a completely fashion point of view. Though this had a major contributing factor, it's not the only thing. You'll notice in the video that for the Michael Jackson thriller costume that's used to dance in, Michael's pants are tight yet flexible, and his jacket is a relaxed fit. This music video had some of the most advanced and revolutionary dance techniques ever to be used, and he needed clothing that allowed him to complete these difficult moves without any interference.

With how many difficult and fast steps there are, having loose pants would have been an interference. Similarly, the loose jacket of his costume allowed for the full range of motions needed for moves that fully involved the arms. These dance moves, even more than the makeup, gave the sensation that Michael Jackson was "undead." The jerky movements, only magnified by the sunken face and bulging eyes, create a very real "thriller" sensation.

Now, with Halloween approaching, a lot of people are wanting to pay homage to the King of Pop. With it being Halloween, the Thriller costume seems to the most appropriate to many. A few words to advice to all the Thriller hopefuls out there, though! First, if you're going to get the outfit and you're not as fit as Michael was, then don't wear the tight pants! (We don't want to see that, trust me.) Second, if you're going to do it, you've got to learn the dance as a tribute.