That voice belongs to Vincent Price.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The legendary horror actor provides the spoken narration and famous laugh near the end of Michael Jackson’s \u201cThriller\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And he recorded the performance in just two takes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even better, the writer of the song had barely finished the narration before Price arrived at the studio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rod Temperton wrote much of the spoken section while travelling to the recording session in a taxi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of the most famous moments in pop history was completed remarkably close to the deadline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Vincent Price was an American actor strongly associated with horror cinema.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
By the early 1980s, he had spent decades appearing in films involving:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
monsters<\/p>\n\n\n\n
murder<\/p>\n\n\n\n
haunted houses<\/p>\n\n\n\n
mad scientists<\/p>\n\n\n\n
and gothic terror.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His voice was instantly recognisable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Deep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Theatrical.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Deliberately sinister.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He could make an ordinary sentence sound as though somebody was about to die in an elaborate castle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That made him an ideal choice for \u201cThriller\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Through Quincy Jones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jackson’s producer wanted a genuinely recognisable horror voice for the track.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jones’ then-wife, actress Peggy Lipton, knew Price.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That connection helped arrange the recording session.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This was not a random voice actor selected after an audition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Price already represented an entire era of horror entertainment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His appearance gave Jackson’s playful monster song instant credibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rod Temperton.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The British songwriter was responsible for \u201cThriller\u201d itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He had previously worked with Jackson on Off the Wall and was known for combining sophisticated pop arrangements with irresistible melodies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Temperton knew he wanted a spoken section near the end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But the exact words weren’t ready.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to accounts from the recording sessions, he wrote part of the monologue while waiting for a taxi and completed it during the journey to the studio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Price then delivered it in two takes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some people prepare for a legendary recording session months in advance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Temperton apparently preferred public transport deadlines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
No.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The song developed through several ideas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One early version was called \u201cStarlight\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Temperton eventually realised the album needed a stronger title.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He wanted something visually powerful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Something that could immediately suggest:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
horror<\/p>\n\n\n\n
mystery<\/p>\n\n\n\n
cinema<\/p>\n\n\n\n
and excitement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThriller\u201d provided all four.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The title became so important that it also named the album.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yes, the famous narration is part of the recording used in the video.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But the extended film directed by John Landis introduces additional dialogue and storytelling around the song.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That distinction matters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The original audio recording is a song containing a horror monologue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The video is essentially a miniature horror movie incorporating that song.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Because Price wasn’t pretending to be a generic horror villain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He had already spent decades developing that performance style.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His delivery has precise timing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He understands when to pause.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When to emphasise a phrase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When to make the audience uncomfortable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And when to laugh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That theatrical control is why the performance works so well against the music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Price reportedly accepted a flat fee rather than an ongoing share of the song’s earnings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That became a famous music-industry anecdote as Thriller developed into one of the biggest albums ever released.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The exact financial opportunity he missed is difficult to calculate without knowing the full contract terms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But the broad story is well documented: Price was paid for the session rather than becoming a continuing royalty participant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not exactly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The song was designed around horror-film imagery, but it was not created as a conventional seasonal novelty record.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It appeared on Thriller in 1982.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The famous video arrived in 1983.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Over time, Halloween audiences adopted it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now it returns to playlists every October.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That is a particularly valuable form of musical longevity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A normal hit may have one major commercial period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A seasonal song gets another opportunity every year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
John Landis directed it after having worked on An American Werewolf in London.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jackson wanted something more ambitious than an ordinary promotional clip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The result included:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
elaborate makeup<\/p>\n\n\n\n
cinematic dialogue<\/p>\n\n\n\n
zombies<\/p>\n\n\n\n
choreography<\/p>\n\n\n\n
special effects<\/p>\n\n\n\n
and a proper narrative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The production helped establish the idea that a music video could function as a major cultural event in its own right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the famous video, Jackson initially transforms into a wolf-like creature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The makeup was designed by Rick Baker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The transformation belongs to the film’s playful horror-movie language rather than the literal content of the audio track.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The song itself is less concerned with one specific monster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It creates an entire horror atmosphere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dance-pop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Funk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are strong disco and post-disco influences too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The horror elements are thematic rather than a separate musical genre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Underneath the scary narration sits an extremely polished dance record.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That combination is central to its success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Try:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rockwell \u2013 Somebody’s Watching Me<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ray Parker Jr. \u2013 Ghostbusters<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Oingo Boingo \u2013 Dead Man’s Party<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rihanna \u2013 Disturbia<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Talking Heads \u2013 Psycho Killer<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Specials \u2013 Ghost Town<\/p>\n\n\n\n
R\u00f3is\u00edn Murphy \u2013 Ramalama (Bang Bang)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Radar already has a dedicated article about Michael Jackson’s involvement in Rockwell’s \u201cSomebody’s Watching Me\u201d, making that a particularly useful internal link.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Because Price’s voice sounds completely different from Jackson’s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you grow up hearing \u201cThriller\u201d without knowing older horror cinema, the narration can feel like a mysterious character suddenly entering the recording.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That mystery is intentional.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The voice transforms the song into an event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Vincent Price.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rod Temperton wrote the narration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Quincy Jones helped arrange the collaboration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Price recorded it in two takes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And more than four decades later, that laugh still means Halloween is approaching.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
That voice belongs to Vincent Price. The legendary horror actor provides the spoken narration and famous laugh near the end of Michael Jackson’s \u201cThriller\u201d. And he recorded the performance in just two takes. Even better, the writer of the song had barely finished the narration before Price arrived at the studio. Rod Temperton wrote much of the spoken section while travelling to the recording session in a taxi. One of the most famous moments in pop history was completed remarkably close to the deadline. Who was Vincent Price? Vincent Price was an American actor strongly associated with horror cinema. By…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4906,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[2917,2655],"coauthors":[2],"class_list":["post-4905","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-halloween","tag-michael-jackson"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n