Who would ever thought rock n’ roll could be so scary? Hello, and welcome to my new music post, this time to celebrate Halloween with some of the scariest rock videos ever made.
"Every day is Halloween, isn't it? For some of us." – Tim Burton
Halloween, a contraction of All Hallows’ Eve, is a holiday observed on October 31, the evening before All Saints’ (or All Hallows’) Day. It had had its origins in the festival of Samhain among the Celts of ancient Britain and Ireland.
Today, in honor of Halloween, the freakiest day of the year, I’ve compiled my 10 favorite scary rock videos for you to watch right now.
On this list you will find usual suspects like Ozzy, Marilyn Manson and Rob Zombie, but you will also discover others probably haven’t seen yet.
I’m kinda sorry for not including something by Rammstein, Tool, The Prodigy, Alice Cooper, or MJ’s Thriller, but don’t worry I can assure you the next ones are not short on the macabre side.
I hope you’re not afraid of spiders, crows, zombies, skulls, medical instruments or even water.
So, let’s start our scary ride, here we go:
10 - Kiss – I Love it Loud (1982)
Kiss - I Love It Loud (Official Music Video)
In 1982 Kiss went back to their roots after some disco incursion and gain the respect of their fans again. This song was the first single of the album Creatures of the Night; it was written by bassist Gene Simmons guitarist Vinnie Vincent and is Simmons the one who sings showing us his tongue and has a superb drum work, courtesy of the great Eric Carr. The video, which was the final video for which Kiss wore their famous make-up before unmasking in 1983, features a nice suburban family whose teenage son is mesmerized by the rock video he watches on TV. Soon strange things start happening and exploding around the house, then a group of zombie-like teenagers come for the kid and he becomes, like them, one of those creatures of the night that never close their eyes. This is my favorite Kiss video ever. RIP Eric Carr.
9 - Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers – Mary Jane's Last Dance (1993)
Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers - Mary Jane's Last Dance (Official Music Video)
This was the last great video Tom Petty ever released and it helped the song become a success; it also won the Best Male Video at the 1994 MTV Video Music Awards. It was released in the last part of 1993 and I remember being a lot in rotation until the first part of 1994. The song was written by Petty himself and was included in his Greatest Hits album. In the morbid video, directed by Keir McFarlane (who in 1996 directed Sheryl Crow’s If it makes you happy), Tom Petty plays a mortician who steals the corpse of a beautiful blonde woman just to have a last dance with her. Great lightning and production design; the house of the guy is a reference to the house in Psycho and Kim Bassinger looked so beautiful in a video you never get tired of watching.
8 - Metallica – All Nightmare Long (2008)
Metallica: All Nightmare Long (Official Music Video)
The ninth studio album Death Magnetic prove to be a hell of a comeback for Metallica. All Nightmare Long was the third single of that album and the lyrics deal with common Metallica themes about death, nightmares, and are a sort of homage to the H.P. Lovecraft’s horror tales. Metallica has released a slew of freaky videos in its career, but I think this one is the one that deserves to be on this list. Conceived by a guy who calls himself Roboshobo as part documentary and part animation, it tells the story of a strange extraterrestrial sponge found in the 20th century by the Soviets. The experiments lead to the attack of the United States and a zombie apocalypse. But the experiment takes a turn when a corpse with no head start walking and causing havoc in a laboratory. The band is not featured in the video. An excellent horrific video and a great underrated tune.
7 - Rob Zombie – Dragula (1998)
Rob Zombie - Dragula
In 1998, Rob Zombie released his first studio album as a solo artist after leaving White Zombie. He wrote Dragula with another guy and the title is a reference to the Granpa’s car of The Munsters series. The video was directed by Rob Zombie himself and features a car similar to the Munsters’ and footage from vintage horror films. With great colors and a somewhat decadent atmosphere, it had heavy rotation back in 1998. Both the song and the video are the biggest hits of Zombie’s career. He went later to direct horror movies. Such a cool video, a work of art, and a chorus you want to sing all night long.
6 - Soundgarden – Black Hole Sun (1994)
Soundgarden - Black Hole Sun
What hides behind the perfect suburbia of white picket fences and smiley people? Does that appearance reflect real life? What are people willing to do just to keep appearances? Those are the themes you will find in this psychedelic and creepy video. Directed by a British director who has worked with the likes of Muse, Placebo and George Michael among others, it features the band playing in an open field while we see a nice suburban neighborhood that is soon swallowed up by a black hole; I love the green T-shirt with the skull front man Chris Cornell wears there. The song was the third single of the magnificent album Superunknown and, supposedly, was written by Chris in 15 minutes. It was the band’s biggest hit. The dark sun in the video, the colors and lightning and those creepy smiley faces make a true work of art and an enduring classic. RIP Chris Cornell.
5 - Marilyn Manson – The Beautiful People (1996)
Marilyn Manson - The Beautiful People
Of course I couldn't make a list of creepy rock videos without including a prince of darkness like Marilyn Manson. The song was the first single of the band’s second album Antichrist Superstar, was written by Marilyn Manson and bassist/guitarist Twiggy Ramirez, and it seems to be about a demagogue fulminating against the most privileged classes and elites of the world. Italian-Canadian Floria Sigismondi directed the video which has been called "the creepiest of creepy videos". You can see very bizarre things like earthworms, mannequin heads, prosthetics, medical instruments and Manson wearing a dental device; then a group of people march in circle pumping their fists into the air. Sigismondi created a jarring and creepy work of imagery that gives the viewer a real and uncomfortable feeling, but it’s also a work of true art that was nominated for three MTV Video Music Awards. It could be Manson’s best video ever. Get ready for what is coming for you.
4 - Nine Inch Nails – The Perfect Drug (1997)
Nine Inch Nails - The Perfect Drug
A song written by Tent Reznor and included in the soundtrack of the bizarre David Lynch’s movie Lost Highway. The video was directed by visionary Mark Romanek and features a mustached Trent Reznor in a black coat playing a rich aristocrat of the Edwardian era who drinks absinthe to mourn the death of his daughter; you can also see a crow and skulls and other actors in period clothing.The lightning changes between blue and green and the whole atmosphere is dark, bleak and desperate. A true beautiful work of art of which Reznor himself is not proud of; too bad for him. I went to see Lost Highway in early 1998; it was one of those shocking movies where you don’t understand a thing but you know is amazing. “The perfect drug” is supposed to be absinthe and its effects are said to be similar to the effects of opium and marijuana. Try not to be shocked by this great video.
3 - The Cure – Lullaby (1989)
The Cure - Lullaby
The Disintegration album proved to be a milestone for The Cure. Dark and mysterious, it elevated the band status and gave us some of their most beloved songs; it is also their highest selling record to date. Lullaby, written by front man Robert Smith and the rest of the band, was released as the first single of the album. The song is about the fear of sleep and a nightmare about a giant spider man creature. In the video you can see Robert Smith with painted lips, lying in his bed who is slowly covered in cobwebs while a giant spider man, who has Smith’s face, prepares to eat him alive; meanwhile the rest of the band plays the song as tin soldiers and are also covered in cobwebs. Dark and gothic and amazing, this video won the British Video of the Year at the 1990 Brit Awards. A real spooky work by a legendary dark band. Don’t show this one to the kids before bedtime.
2 - Ozzy Osbourne – No More Tears (1991)
OZZY OSBOURNE - "No More Tears"
For this list I was thinking about using Ozzy’s video of 1983 Bark at the Moon, but decided later to use this one instead. From the excellent 1991 album of the same name, No More Tears was the first single of Ozzy’s sixth studio album and he wrote it himself in collaboration with Zakk Wylde and Alice in Chains’ bassist Mike Inez; the lyrics are about a stalker who torments women in a red-light district. Intense vocals by Ozzy and the killer riffs and solo by guitar god Zakk Wylde make this song a true masterpiece. The video was directed by South African Ralph Ziman, who has directed over 400 videos for the likes of Michael Jackson and Rod Stewart, among many others; in 1989, he directed the famous Faith No More video Epic. The No More Tears video show us a woman in a red dress who sits in a room and starts crying until she is eventually drowned in her own tears. You can see Ozzy and his band playing while the whole atmosphere feels creepy and the lightning in Ozzy’s face is just unnerving. This was the first video I ever saw by Ozzy and to this day my favorite from him.
1 - David Bowie – Blackstar (2015)
David Bowie - Blackstar
Before dying in 2015, the great White Duke released one of the best final albums of this 21st century. The song Blackstar was the first single from the album of the same name and was written by Bowie himself. The lyrics are about an imminent death and has references from the freaky Aleister Crowley and even the king Elvis Presley; the music is a strange mixture of progressive rock, electronic and even jazz. The video was directed by Swedish Johan Renck who has previously directed videos for Madonna, Robbie Williams, Suede and New Order, among others. In it you see a dead astronaut, skulls, women dancing and scarecrows, but I won’t tell you anymore and let’s just say the first time I saw it really freaked me out; a part in an attic is just something unnerving. Be prepared, this is not for the faints of heart. David Bowie was a legend that took his own death and made an amazing work of art with it. May he rest in peace.
After watching all of these creepy videos you may want to sleep with the lights on tonight… but tell me what do you think, which one was the one that scare you the most? Which one is your favorite? Did I miss your favorite scary video? If so, share it with us and leave it in the comment section, I’ll be waiting for your answer.
Now check 10 great modern songs by great old bands here:
@thereadingman/10-good-modern-songs-by
(Image at the beginning via: google.com)
Follow my blog for more content like this.
Wishing you all a great Halloween!
Thank you for stopping by, please share this post and don’t forget to upvote!
Until next time
Take care
Orlando Caine