Directed by John Landis, the 14-minute video ushered in a whole new era of theatrical video making. The watershed mini-movie, which cost more than $1 million to make in 1983, included prosthetics by movie make-up mastermind Rick Baker that turned Jackson into a werewolf. MTV (and its movie partners) ponied up $1 million for exclusive rights and aired the clip five times a day at designated times. The video went on to sell more than 9 million copies.

-Melinda Newman