"Thriller" and the Modern Zombie

[3pidemiC]

This is something that I've thought about for quite some time. Now, I would think that most people when asked about the look of modern zombies, most would say that it came from films such as Day of the Dead or Return of the Living Dead because those were the first actual films that feature the look that zombies have that still remains today. Realistic makeup, dirty and disgusting gore, heavy prosthetics, the whole sha-bang-a-bang. Films prior to those featured minor makeup effects or only major effects done on only a handful of the zombies. But when you think about it, all of these films were preceded by Michael Jackson's "Thriller" music video which came out in 1982. This was 2 to 3 years before the next wave of zombies films were released. I just have not seen many people mention this and give the makeup team behind the "Thriller" music video credit for creating the zombie imagery that we all have grown to know and love.

[Mike70]

This is something that I've thought about for quite some time. Now, I would think that most people when asked about the look of modern zombies, most would say that it came from films such as Day of the Dead or Return of the Living Dead because those were the first actual films that feature the look that zombies have that still remains today. Realistic makeup, dirty and disgusting gore, heavy prosthetics, the whole sha-bang-a-bang. Films prior to those featured minor makeup effects or only major effects done on only a handful of the zombies. But when you think about it, all of these films were preceded by Michael Jackson's "Thriller" music video which came out in 1982. This was 2 to 3 years before the next wave of zombies films were released. I just have not seen many people mention this and give the makeup team behind the "Thriller" music video credit for creating the zombie imagery that we all have grown to know and love. thriller came out in 83 - actually on the 2d of dec 83. but i digress. thriller had a first rate team working on it. directed and co-written by john landis with makeup done by rick baker and his team. i really don't think that savini and co. were copying thriller at all. probably just a case of two great makeup artists coming up with kick ass looking zombies. i think that savini is a creative enough guy that he doesn't really need to rip off rick baker. maybe savini saw it and said "frak me, those are awesome zombies. let's go in that direction." then again maybe he didn't. day was in the works for a while before it finally starting shooting in 1984. i am betting that savini had been toying with the zombie makeup that we saw in day for several years before he ever got a chance to show it off on film. i think a lot of people fail to realize that just because something is done earlier or whatever does not mean in any way that what comes after it is a copy. lots of great artists/writers come up with ideas all on their own that seem to bear a resemblance to things that have come before. my moral is: if you go looking for connections of this type, you will find them.

[3pidemiC]

I don't believe that I was implying that movies "ripped off of" or "copied" Thriller's look or anything. I was just stating that Thriller is not really recognized as being the first piece of media that featured the "modern zombie" look and the look that was started there is still in use today. And I stated the year of 1982 because I would assume that was when they were is pre-production thinking up the zombie concepts and creating the makeup and costumes.

[Mike70]

I don't believe that I was implying that movies "ripped off of" or "copied" Thriller's look or anything. I was just stating that Thriller is not really recognized as being the first piece of media that featured the "modern zombie" look and the look that was started there is still in use today. And I stated the year of 1982 because I would assume that was when they were is pre-production thinking up the zombie concepts and creating the makeup and costumes. no you didn't say it outright. i was just heading this off at the pass because there will be some jughead out there that will see it as a "rip off." that is almost guaranteed in these days of linear and literal thinking. plus by this time of the evening my consciousness is pretty well altered. i should an after 9pm proofreader. hehehe. no offense intended to you.

[EvilNed]

Gianetti de Rossi created similar zombies way back in 1979.

[3pidemiC]

I really wouldn't consider the zombies featured in Zombi 2 to be anything similar to the modern look of them. Yes, most of them looked more realistic than those seen previously, they were still pretty basic. I know that the "cover zombie" and a couple of others had what seemed like heavy prosthetics on, they were few and far between.

[DubiousComforts]

This is simply a case of Thriller being the among the first to use prosthetics for their living dead. 1980s make-up effects were obviously headed in that direction, and Savini used it in Friday the 13th for his first take on Jason Voorhees, which looks much more similar to his Day of the Dead zombies than anything in Thriller.

[EvilNed]

I really wouldn't consider the zombies featured in Zombi 2 to be anything similar to the modern look of them. Yes, most of them looked more realistic than those seen previously, they were still pretty basic. I know that the "cover zombie" and a couple of others had what seemed like heavy prosthetics on, they were few and far between. As I said, Gianetti di Rossi created them back in the 1979 and they also appeared in City of the Living Dead and The Beyond. Two more films that appeared before Thriller.