movie poster

Michael Jackson's Thriller

1983

14 minutes

HorrorMusicMystery

Overview

A night at the movies turns into a nightmare when Michael and his date are attacked by a horde of bloody-thirsty zombies. On top of the success of the Thriller album and Michael Jackson's electrifying performance at Motown 25, the short film/music video for "Thriller" established Jackson as an international superstar and global phenomenon. Thriller is credited for transforming music videos into a serious art form, breaking down racial barriers in popular entertainment, popularizing the making-of documentary format and creating a home video market. The success transformed Jackson into a dominant force in global pop culture. In 2009, it became the first music video inducted into the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant". "Thriller" was also Jackson's seventh and final U.S. Hot 100 Top 10 hit from the Thriller album. It was the first album in history to have seven U.S. Top 10s.

Top Cast

Michael Jackson headshot

Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson

Ola Ray headshot

Ola Ray

Michael's Girlfriend

Vincent Price headshot

Vincent Price

Narrator (voice)

Cynthia Garris headshot

Cynthia Garris

Zombie (uncredited)

Tiana Davidson 'Thelma' Davis headshot

Tiana Davidson 'Thelma' Davis

Zombie (uncredited)

Mick Garris headshot

Mick Garris

Zombie (uncredited)

Hanala Sagal headshot

Hanala Sagal

Dancer (uncredited)

Forrest J. Ackerman headshot

Forrest J. Ackerman

Man in Movie Theater (uncredited)

Reed Armstrong headshot

Reed Armstrong

Zombie (uncredited)

Rick Baker headshot

Rick Baker

Zombie Opening the Crypt (uncredited)

Miko C. Brando headshot

Miko C. Brando

Zombie (uncredited)

James Canino headshot

James Canino

Zombie (uncredited)

Greg Cannom headshot

Greg Cannom

Zombie (uncredited)

Michael DeLorenzo headshot

Michael DeLorenzo

Zombie (uncredited)

Kim Blank headshot

Kim Blank

Zombie (uncredited)

John Command headshot

John Command

Zombie (uncredited)

Michelle Defevre headshot

Michelle Defevre

Zombie (uncredited)

Tony Fields headshot

Tony Fields

Zombie (uncredited)

Richard Gaines headshot

Richard Gaines

Zombie (uncredited)

Tony Gardner headshot

Tony Gardner

Zombie Crawling out of a Grave (uncredited)

Cory Hawkins headshot

Cory Hawkins

Zombie / Dancer (uncredited)

Tom Hester headshot

Tom Hester

Zombie Moving the Grave Cover (uncredited)

DeAnne Holliday headshot

DeAnne Holliday

Zombie (uncredited)

Tim Lawrence headshot

Tim Lawrence

Bald Zombie (uncredited)

Ben Lokey headshot

Ben Lokey

Zombie (uncredited)

Ned Nalle headshot

Ned Nalle

Deputy (voice) (uncredited)

Jeff Parker headshot

Jeff Parker

Zombie (uncredited)

Vincent Paterson headshot

Vincent Paterson

Zombie (uncredited)

Michael Peters headshot

Michael Peters

Zombie (uncredited)

Mark Sellers headshot

Mark Sellers

Zombie (uncredited)

Cheryl L. Sington headshot

Cheryl L. Sington

Zombie (uncredited)

Kevin Yagher headshot

Kevin Yagher

Zombie (uncredited)

Stephen Bishop headshot

Stephen Bishop

Man in Movie Theater (uncredited)

Casey Cole headshot

Casey Cole

Zombie with blue dress (uncredited)

Ian A. Stevens headshot

Ian A. Stevens

Zombie Dancer and Buried Zombie (uncredited)

Kevin Brennan headshot

Kevin Brennan

Zombie (uncredited)