Top 10 Horror Themed Music Videos

Sometimes, you just can't beat a classic. Ozzy Osbourne's “Bark at the Moon” was the title track from the ex-Black Sabbath frontman's third solo album, and featured a music video which plays around with some truly classic horror tropes, from a mad Dr. Jekyll-esque character to Osbourne's infamous wolf man make up. Add to all these horror hijinks some hair-raising guitar shreding from Ozzy's superb second guitarist Jake E. Lee, and you have one video clip which has stood the test of time.

The cult and horror status from this ex-White Zombie frontman has never been in question, yet this video clip from Rob Zombie might be the one which truly brought the singer and songwriter's peculiarly original taste into the commercial mainstream. “Dragula” mashes up 70s drive in cinema and old school pop culture kitsch alongside tons of classic horror themed visuals to create a kaleidoscopic video experience which could be nicely described as an psychedelic trip in the Munster Koach gone very, very wrong. Or is that very, very RIGHT?

#8: “The Kill” (2006) 30 Seconds to Mars

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This next video clip on our list is more than a nod to director Stanley Kubrick's legendary horror film The Shining. As Jack Torrance had before, frontman Jared Leto and his band travel to a creepy, abandoned hotel to take some time away in writing their next album. “The Kill” doesn't feature any extravagantly gory set pieces, instead choosing to play on the mood and atmosphere of its video source material, going so far as to replicate some of the scenes from Kubrick's iconic film with members of the band. It's a classic video which shows just how much 30 Seconds to Mars respect their horror heritage.

#7: “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” (1995) Marilyn Manson

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There’s no doubt Marilyn Manson and horror go hand in hand, as “The Beautiful People” would have been an equally appropriate entry, but it was this grim take on the Eurythmics classic which first sent images of Manson shooting into the nightmares of middle America. Trippy visuals, garish colors, disorienting camera work and the song's own unique atmosphere all came together on “Sweet Dreams,” proving early on that Manson's penchant for reflecting humanity's horror right back at them was not limited to just the music- he could be visually appalling as well.

The violent and surreal elements which make up the video clip for Dir En Grey's “Obscure” almost become too numerous to count, as this experimental Japanese metal band pull out all the stops in their efforts to shock. Indeed, whether it's killer clowns and gasmask wearing murderers, the video's quick edits of extreme gore or the band's own extreme sense of visual style, it's a marriage made in madness for Dir En Grey. It’s bold, it’s in your face, and it’s pure horror!

#5: “Blood Red Sandman” (2004) Lordi

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With videos like “Would You Love a Monsterman?” in the band's canon picking just one Lordi track was tricky. Ultimately, “Blood Red Sandman” became our pick due to its tongue-in-cheek homage to 80s slasher movie tropes and Sam Raimi's Evil Dead films. Mind you, making use of the band's already extravagantly over-the-top and demonic costumes doesn't hurt either. Running away from giant, morbid looking monsters never rocked as hard, or looked so good.

#4: “Until It Sleeps” (1996) Metallica

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Metallica fans were in for a shock when this video made its debut, as it featured some surprisingly creepy and otherworldly imagery for the band. Trading in their traditional jeans and t-shirts image, “Until It Sleeps” instead draws influence from Bosch paintings, which give the video a surreal tone. Portraying biblical imagery and grotesque parodies of the black death, the video also sees the band themselves even get in on the act with some dark, weird make-up effects. It's a video which has held up, even while Metallica themselves continued to experiment with horror imagery in “All Nightmare Long.”

#3: “From the Cradle to Enslave” (1999) Cradle of Filth

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Directed with extreme visual flair by indie British filmmaker Alex Chandon, this epic video from Cradle of Filth attempts to fill its five minutes of running time with as much horrific action as possible, featuring tons of gratuitous nudity, violence, blasphemy... you know, all the stuff your grandma’s church group hates! “From the Cradle to Enslave” is indebted thematically to the classic British horrors of Hammer Studios, while also paying homage to the cult cinema work of their European cousins in Italy and Spain, pulling from all ends of the horror spectrum to create an indulgent, opulent work of gothic, musical art.

#2: “Y Control” (2004) Yeah Yeah Yeahs

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While “Heads Will Roll” could made the cut, there's just something profoundly disturbing about kids portrayed as murderous, foul-mouthed little psychopaths that made us choose this morbid little ditty. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs also seem to know this fairly well, as evidenced in their frankly frightening video clip for “Y Control,” taken from their breakthrough debut album, Fever to Tell. Shot in a grainy, handheld style which only manages to boost the creep factor set by otherwise cute kids engaging in all sorts of violent and anti-social behavior this one is enough to give you the shakes for weeks. Before we reveal our top music video, here are a few honorable mentions. - “Please Don't Leave Me” (2009) Pink - “Sober” (1993) Tool - “Bonfire” (2011) Childish Gambino - “Disconnected” (2012) Keane - “The Heart's Filthy Lesson” (1995) David Bowie

#1: “Thriller” (1984) Michael Jackson

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C'mon now, you knew this was happening. Nearly fifteen minutes in length, this iconic video from MJ is a mini-movie all its own, taking stylistic cues from music video director John Landis' infamous film, “An American Werewolf in London”. Whether its Michael's famous red jacket, his zombie dance moves, or the award winning special effects of movie wizard Stan Winston, the video for Thriller not only holds up as the best horror-themedmusic video of all time, but also as one of the best music videos PERIOD. Do you agree with our list? What other horror-themed music videos should've made the cut? For more awesome top ten lists, published every day, please subscribe to WatchMojo.com.