I’ll be grotesque before your eyes: The expanding monstrousness between Is This Scary? (1993) and Michael Jackson’s Ghosts (1996)

Abstract

This article examines the role of the monster in the film Michael Jackson’s Ghosts (Stan ) by comparing it to its original unreleased version Is This Scary? (Mick ). Despite on the surface telling very similar stories about an angry mob storming the mansion of the reclusive and eccentric Maestro, its use of monsters and monstrousness changes drastically due to the contexts in which both films were made, namely before and after allegations of child molestation were made against Jackson. Comparing these two films offers a uniquely comprehensive insight into how Jackson perceived himself within society, as well as how and why cultural backlash against him manifested. The article includes a comparative analysis of both films’ characters, themes and shared sequences, supplanted by analysis of Jackson’s life and fluctuating critical reality within these two eras. Ultimately, the article will demonstrate an expansion of Jackson’s understanding of his own media freakishness: acknowledging the societal perceptions that made the allegations against him so believable and using it to advocate for his humanity.