Rock DJ – Robbie Williams

Robbie Willams was at the height of his post-Take That solo success when he released Rock DJ in 2000. While the song itself is an upbeat disco-infused floor filler, Williams and director Vaughan Arnell shocked fans with the gruesome music video, which sees the British singer perform a strip that doesn’t stop once his clothes are off. Most music video networks heavily censored the promo.

Total Eclipse of the Heart – Bonnie Tyler

Composed by legendary Meat Loaf songwriter Jim Steinman, Bonnie Tyler’s 1983 hit Total Eclipse of the Heart is an all-time karaoke classic, but the music video that accompanied the song is very creepy indeed. Directed by Russell Mulcahy (who later made hit movie Highlander), the sinister promo is set in a boarding school in which, at nighttime, the boys take flight with glowing white eyes.

Bark at the Moon – Ozzy Osbourne

As the front man of Black Sabbath, Ozzy Osbourne was among the first musicians to combine rock music with horror iconography, and this continued into his often-controversial solo career. 1983’s Bark at the Moon, the title track from the album of the same name, boasted Osbourne’s most memorable video: a Gothic spectacle which sees him play a mad scientist, a vampire and a wolfman.

Thriller – Michael Jackson

No discussion of scary music videos could be complete without mentioning Michael Jackson’s Thriller. For the title track from his legendary 1982 album, Jackson enlisted An American Werewolf in London director John Landis to create a short horror movie which sees the King of Pop transform first into a werewolf, then a zombie. The 13-minute promo helped elevate music videos into a genuine art form.

Somebody’s Watching Me – Rockwell

Rockwell (aka Kennedy William Gordy, son of Motown boss Berry Gordy) enjoyed his one enduring hit with 1984’s spooky single Somebody’s Watching Me, notable for featuring Michael and Jermaine Jackson on backing vocals. In keeping with the paranoid theme of the lyrics, the video incorporates POV footage of an imagined threat and spooky faces peering in the windows of the singer-songwriter’s house.

Owner of a Lonely Heart – Yes

The biggest hit of prog rockers Yes, 1983’s Owner of a Lonely Heart is a much-loved rock classic with a weird and often disturbing video. Directed by esteemed artist Storm Thorgeson (designer of many classic 70s album covers), the promo sees a seemingly random man abducted and brutalized by mysterious agents, whilst he suffers nightmarish hallucinations involving snakes, spiders, scorpions and other creepy-crawlies.

Self-Control – Laura Brannigan

There’s no way to guarantee a creepy music video like hiring the director of The Exorcist. Oscar-winner William Friedkin called the shots on the promo for Laura Brannigan’s Self Control, which caused controversy on release over its blend of sexual overtones and suspense, as the singer is stalked by a threatening, white-masked figure. Some suggest the video inspired Stanley Kubrick’s later film Eyes Wide Shut.

Come to Daddy – Aphex Twin

Esteemed electronica artist Aphex Twin (aka Richard James) may have made his name on chill-out music, but there’s nothing remotely chill about the truly nightmarish Come to Daddy. The intense 1997 track boasts an unforgettably nightmarish video in which a deprived British housing estate is terrorized by mobs of child-sized demonic entities wearing the musician’s face.

Lullaby – The Cure

Taken from The Cure’s 1989 album Disintegration, Lullaby is a chilling account of a nightmare of being eaten by a giant spider. Director Tim Pope’s suitably unsettling video casts the band’s front man Robert Smith as both the victim and the ‘spider-man’ (although no one would confuse this creation with Peter Parker). It won British Music Video of the Year at that year’s Brit Awards.

Here I Go Again – Body Count

Not to be confused with the upbeat Whitesnake track of the same name, Here I Go Again was recorded by Ice-T’s rap metal band Body Count in 2017, based on an unreleased demo the rapper recorded in the 80s. Boasting extremely disturbing lyrics from the perspective of a psychotic serial killer, the video is equally graphic and grim. Definitely not for the faint of heart.