A thrilling experience in the aisles
IT’S without a doubt a real Halloween classic and the staff of Morrisons in Jarrow have gone viral with their take on Michael Jackson’s Thriller.
Thirty-two years have passed since the music legend released the iconic track and, while he is no longer with us, while they gear up for a busy Halloween period, the staff at the South Tyneside store have definitely done him proud with their highly entertaining video, which has been shared hundreds of thousands of times in the past few days.
It follows hot on the heels of a Footloose spoof they did in the summer and store manager David Grey could not be prouder.
“I think it’s already the most viewed video ever on the Morrisons staff intranet. Everyone is talking about it,” he told The Chronicle the day after filming wrapped on the video.
“The idea for it came up from a Your Say forum where discussions were being had on boosting staff morale. We just thought, ‘Why not?’
“The staff involved did it in their own time, coming in at 6am every morning for a week while we filmed the different parts. I’m mega -proud of them all.” The star of the video is Lee Hewitt, who stepped away from the oven fresh counter and into MJ’s shoes.
And to say he’s taken aback by all the attention he’s getting would be a huge understatement.
“I can’t believe it. I’ve already been recognised by loads of customers. I’ve been dead embarrassed but it was so much fun.
“The dance routine is so iconic and I wasn’t sure we’d manage it but we did. We’d been practising for a few months and then filmed it on Sunday morning. The store’s community champion Andria Williams also stars in the video, along with her little boy, and definitely thinks Michael Jackson would approve.
“I don’t know how long the original video took to film, but I don’t think a week is bad going,” she joked.
“We’ve been practising in the diner room, using laptops at home and we’re just all really excited by the response it’s had so far.
“It’s reached as far as New Zealand and I definitely think Michael Jackson would be proud. Who knows, he might have even been there in spirit!”