Is It Scary

The song was among those considered for inclusion on Jackson's 1995 double album HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I, but it was not chosen as it did not complement the other tracks on the album.{{cite book |last1=Halstead |first1=Craig |last2=Cadman |first2=Chris |title=Michael Jackson: The Solo Years |publisher=Authors OnLine |year=2003 |isbn=0-7552-0091-8}} Jackson subsequently re-recorded the song for his 1996 short film Ghosts. Jackson, Harris and Lewis were given producing credit for the song on Blood on the Dance Floor.Blood on the Dance Floor liner notes Epic Records (1997).

A remix of "Is It Scary", called "DJ Greek's Scary Mix", was included on a three-track 'minimax' CD single that was released as part of the Ghosts Deluxe Collector Box Set. Remixes of "Is It Scary" were also included on Jackson's cancelled single "Smile". The radio edit for "Is It Scary" was later included on the third disc of the deluxe edition of Jackson's greatest hits album King of Pop in 2008 in the United Kingdom.{{cite web |url=https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/tracks/B001EC6JDA |title=King of Pop: Deluxe Box Set Edition [Limited Edition – Box set] |website=Amazon.co.uk |publisher=Amazon.com, Inc |access-date=2010-03-01}} "Is It Scary" was also featured on the deluxe edition of King of Pop in France. Samples of "Is It Scary" and "Threatened" (from Jackson's tenth studio album Invincible) are featured in the "Thriller" segment of the concert documentary film, Michael Jackson's This Is It (2009).Michael Jackson's This Is It [DVD] Sony Entertainment (2010). Tommy D. also produced a remix of the song, but this mix was never officially released.

"Is It Scary" was never lifted as a commercial single, but it was given out to radio stations and dance clubs to promote Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix. Promo CD singles containing a radio edit and 12" promos containing three remixes of the song were released to the Netherlands. The United States and the United Kingdom received 12" promo singles containing remixes of the song by Deep Dish,{{cite magazine |last=Martins |first=Chris |date=July 2, 2013 |title=Michael Jackson Estate Releases Nearly 270 Remastered Tracks and Rarities to iTunes |url=https://www.spin.com/2013/07/michael-jackson-itunes-remastered-collection-extras/ |magazine=Spin |access-date=January 10, 2023}} while the UK also received 12" promos with remixes of the song by Eddie Arroyo known as "Eddie's Love Mixes". Due to lack of a full release, "Is It Scary" did not enter any music charts.

"Is It Scary" received mixed reviews from contemporary music critics. Jim Farber, writer for the New York Daily News, commented that "Is It Scary" "boasts a few innovative sounds but no real melodies".{{cite news |last=Farber |first=Jim |date=May 19, 1997 |title=The 'Thriller' is gone... |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/entertainment/1997/05/19/1997-05-19_the__thriller__is_gone_micha.html |work=New York Daily News |publisher=Mortimer Zuckerman |access-date=March 5, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090710050313/http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/entertainment/1997/05/19/1997-05-19_the__thriller__is_gone_micha.html |archive-date=July 10, 2009}} Roger Catlin of The Hartford Courant stated that "the most intriguing pairing" was "Ghosts" and "Is It Scary" because Jackson "asks those who've only read about him in tabloids if he seems monstrous".Catlin, Roger (May 22, 1997). "Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix — Michael Jackson". The Hartford Courant. Anthony {{Not a typo|Violanti}}, a writer for The Buffalo News, remarked that Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix{{'}}s songs "Superfly Sister", "Ghosts" and "Is It Scary" were "programmed plastic soul that makes you wonder how someone as talented as Jackson can churn out such tracks".Violanti, Anthony (May 23, 1997). "Lost Soul...". The Buffalo News.

Jae-Ha Kim, a writer for Chicago Sun-Times, noted, that "Is It Scary" shows a "darker side of Jackson than even the tabloids would have you believe".Jae-Ha Kim (June 3, 1997). "King of flop Jackson's 'Blood' dies on charts". Chicago Sun-Times. Neil Strauss, a writer for The New York Times, described "Is It Scary" as "sounding more like the ghoulish rocker Marilyn Manson than the Motown prodigy that he is".{{cite news |last=Strauss |first=Neil |date=May 20, 1997 |title=Stars Adrift: Further Out, Further In |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/05/20/arts/stars-adrift-further-out-further-in.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 4, 2010}} A longtime commentator on Jackson's public life, J. Randy Taraborrelli, gave a retrospective analysis on Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix{{'}}s critical reviews in the biography, The Magic & the Madness (2004). Taraborrelli argued that certain sections of the world took interest in tabloid stories about Jackson's personal life over his musical career.Taraborrelli, pp. 610–611.

;Promo CD single{{Cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/Michael-Jackson-Is-It-Scary/release/1273391|title=Michael Jackson – Is It Scary (1997, Purple cover edition, CD)|website=Discogs|date=1997 }}

1. "Is It Scary" (Radio Edit) – 4:11

;Promo 12" single{{Cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/Michael-Jackson-Is-It-Scary/release/1273375|title=Michael Jackson – Is It Scary (1997, Vinyl)|website=Discogs|date=1997 }}

1. "Is It Scary" (Deep Dish Dark and Scary Remix) – 12:07
2. "Is It Scary" (Eddie's Rub-a-Dub Mix) – 5:00
3. "Is It Scary" (Eddie's Love Mix) – 8:00
4. "Off the Wall" (Junior Vasquez Remix) – 4:57

;Eddie Arroyo mixes

• "Is It Scary" (Eddie's Love Mix) – 8:00
• "Is It Scary" (Eddie's Love Mix Radio Edit) – 3:50
• "Is It Scary" (Eddie's Rub-a-Dub Mix) – 4:33
• "Is It Scary" (Downtempo Groove Mix) – 4:32

;Deep Dish mixes

• "Is It Scary" (Deep Dish Dark & Scary Remix) – 12:07
• "Is It Scary" (Deep Dish Dark & Scary Radio Edit) – 4:38
• "Is It Scary" (Deep Dish Double-O-Jazz Dub) – 8:35

;Chris "The Greek" Panaghi mix

• "Is It Scary" (DJ Greek Scary Remix) – 7:11

;Tommy D mix

• "Is It Scary" (Tommy D's Death Row Mix) – 4:15

{{Reflist}}

;Bibliography

• {{cite book |last=Taraborrelli |first=J. Randy |author-link=J. Randy Taraborrelli |title=The Magic and the Madness |year=2004 |publisher=Headline |location=Terra Alta, WV |isbn=0-330-42005-4 }}

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Category:1997 singles

Category:1997 songs

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Category:American rock songs