Synopsis
The Misfits perform "Dig Up Her Bones" amid stark graveyard imagery, with Michale Graves singing among tombstones and the band delivering a theatrical live performance. The video intercuts these scenes with footage from the 1935 horror film "The Bride of Frankenstein," connecting the song to the band's classic monster-movie aesthetic. Its macabre setting, stark lighting, and vintage film inserts create a compact horror-punk presentation rather than a conventional narrative, emphasizing atmosphere, performance, and the Misfits' visual mythology.
Factoids & Trivia
- "Dig Up Her Bones" was the Misfits' first official music video. It supported the 1997 album "American Psycho" and marked the band's return to the music-video era after its original lineup had split in 1983.
- The video was commissioned by Geffen Records and produced alongside the "American Psycho" video. The two clips were shot back to back in 1997, although post-production on "American Psycho" continued into 1998.
- Live footage was filmed at Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel in Providence, Rhode Island, on June 22, 1997.
- Clips from the 1935 Universal horror film "The Bride of Frankenstein" were included at the band's request because the movie helped inspire the song.
- Permission was obtained from Sara Karloff, daughter of Boris Karloff, for the use of her father's likeness. Consent was also obtained from the estate of Elsa Lanchester, who played the Bride.
- Two versions of the video circulated. One included an introduction using the 1930s Universal Pictures logo and a dialogue excerpt from "The Bride of Frankenstein"; the other began without that material.
- The video debuted on MTV's "120 Minutes" and also appeared on the Sci-Fi Channel. It subsequently received rotation on MTV outlets in the United States, Europe, Japan, Latin America, and Brazil, as well as MuchMusic and The Box.
- The promotional campaign included limited physical releases: 5,000 copies of the single were pressed on blue seven-inch vinyl, while a promotional CD single was sent to radio stations.
- The video was widely circulated on promotional VHS tapes in both NTSC and PAL formats. It remains unavailable as part of an official Misfits home-video release.