Price leaned into the microphone. He didn't just read the lines; he inhabited them. When he reached the climax of the narration—the part about the "hounds of hell"—the room went cold. Then came the laugh.
The air in the studio was thick with more than just cigarette smoke and the smell of expensive reel-to-reel tape. It was late 1982, and was about to wrap up a track that felt more like a movie than a song. Thriller End Laugh
Price simply stepped back, straightened his tie, and asked if that would be enough. He was paid a flat fee of $20,000 for the session—a decision he later jokingly lamented after the album went on to sell over 30 million copies while he received no royalties. Price leaned into the microphone