Synopsis

Iron Maiden perform "The Number of the Beast" on a darkened stage while a succession of horror-film images fills the screen around them. Werewolves, vampires, demons, occult rituals, monsters and other supernatural figures create a feverish visual counterpart to the song's apocalyptic lyrics. The performance footage is repeatedly interrupted by eerie movie excerpts and surreal images, building toward the arrival of Eddie, who appears as a towering embodiment of the Beast. The result is a deliberately theatrical blend of concert footage, classic horror imagery and heavy metal spectacle.

Factoids & Trivia

• The promotional video was filmed in March 1982 at Newcastle City Hall, during the period surrounding Iron Maiden's "Beast on the Road" tour.

• Its horror montage draws on older genre films, including "Nosferatu" (1922), "The Devil Rides Out" (1968), "The Wolf Man" (1941), "The Crimson Ghost" and "War of the Colossal Beast."

• The goat-headed occult figure comes from "The Devil Rides Out." Iron Maiden later used similar imagery in the live presentation of the song.

• The video also features masked ballroom dancers holding signs marked with the number 666, adding an intentionally strange and theatrical touch to the performance.

• When the video was first shown on MTV, Eddie's final appearance was reportedly removed after viewers complained that the image was frightening.

• The clip became one of the band's defining early music videos, helping establish the combination of horror imagery, stage theatrics and Eddie-centered mythology that became central to Iron Maiden's visual identity.