Top Five Music Videos That Were Accidentally Terrifying

Music videos were meant to be fun and stylish — but in the ’80s and ’90s, directors often leaned into experimental or surreal imagery that ended up creeping us out. Sometimes they were groundbreaking, sometimes just plain weird, but either way, plenty of viewers ended up hiding behind the sofa.

Here are five music videos that scared us silly without really meaning to.

5. Genesis – “Land of Confusion” (1986)

The vibe: Political satire meets pop anthem.

The terror: Starring grotesque Spitting Image puppets, the video featured rubbery caricatures of world leaders, celebrities, and band members. What was supposed to be satire often veered into horror territory — those bulging eyes and twisted mouths were more nightmare fuel than comedy.

Accidental or intentional? Intentional satire, but nobody told the kids tuning in for a bit of Phil Collins.

4. Peter Gabriel – “Sledgehammer” (1986)

The vibe: An innovative, award-winning video full of stop-motion and morphing effects.

The terror: While creative, the constant transformations — Gabriel’s face turning into fruit, chickens dancing, plasticine heads melting — felt eerie and unsettling. Kids weren’t ready for avant-garde body horror in between cartoons.

Accidental or intentional? Entirely accidental. It won Video of the Year — but also a place in childhood nightmares.

3. The Prodigy – “Breathe” (1996)

The vibe: Hard-edged rave culture with a horror-tinged aesthetic.

The terror: Keith Flint’s demonic grin, Maxim glaring down the lens, cockroaches skittering across dirty walls, reptiles lurking in the shadows. It looked more like a horror short than a dance track promo.

Accidental or intentional? Probably intentional, but the sheer intensity meant a lot of us hid behind the sofa anyway.

2. Kate Bush – “Experiment IV” (1986)

The vibe: A mini-movie about scientists trying to create a “sound that could kill.”

The terror: Ghostly apparitions, shadowy corridors, and soldiers being ripped apart by invisible forces made this one of Bush’s darkest videos. It’s brilliant, but for younger viewers, it was pure nightmare material.

Accidental or intentional? Kate Bush was aiming for eerie — but perhaps not to the point of terrifying an entire generation.

1. Michael Jackson – “Thriller” (1983)

The vibe: A landmark short film-style video that changed pop music forever.

The terror: Werewolves, the living dead, and Vincent Price’s sinister laugh. Yes, it’s iconic and tongue-in-cheek, but for kids seeing it in the ’80s and ’90s, the combination of zombies clawing out of graves and Jackson’s glowing eyes was far too much to handle.

Accidental or intentional? Aimed at being campy horror — but still one of the most effective “scary” music videos ever made.