Thriller
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Thriller

Thriller

Thriller

1983
Musical, Horror
TV Special
13m
Michael Jackson and his date are watching a movie. They leave, and take a shortcut through the graveyard on the way home. Michael turns into a werepanther-type creature, and then later a zombie, as he gets down and funky. (imdb)

Directed by:

John Landis
John-Landis
77 total credits
John David Landis (born August 3, 1950) is an American film director, screenwriter, actor, and producer. He is known for his comedies, his horror films, and his music videos with singer Michael Jackson...(wikipedia)

Writers:

Michael Jackson
Michael-Jackson
37 total credits
Michael Jackson was born in Gary, Indiana and entertained audiences nearly his entire life. By the early 60s the older boys Jackie, Tito and Jermaine had begun performing around the city; by 1964 Michael and Marlon had joined in. A musical prodigy, Michael's singing and dancing talents were amazingly mature and he soon became the dominant voice and focus of "The Jackson 5." Solo success for Michael was inevitable, and by the 80s he had become infinitely more popular than his brotherly group.
,
John Landis
John-Landis
77 total credits
John David Landis (born August 3, 1950) is an American film director, screenwriter, actor, and producer. He is known for his comedies, his horror films, and his music videos with singer Michael Jackson...(wikipedia)

Starring:

Vincent Price
Vincent-Price
120 total credits
Vincent Leonard Price, Jr. (May 27, 1911 - October 25, 1993) was an American actor, well known for his distinctive voice and serio-comic attitude in a series of horror films made in the latter part of his career... (Wikipedia)
,
Ben Lokey
Ben-Lokey
2 total credits
Credits include: Thriller and Breakin'
,
Michael Jackson
Michael-Jackson
37 total credits
Michael Jackson was born in Gary, Indiana and entertained audiences nearly his entire life. By the early 60s the older boys Jackie, Tito and Jermaine had begun performing around the city; by 1964 Michael and Marlon had joined in. A musical prodigy, Michael's singing and dancing talents were amazingly mature and he soon became the dominant voice and focus of "The Jackson 5." Solo success for Michael was inevitable, and by the 80s he had become infinitely more popular than his brotherly group.
,
Ola Ray
Ola-Ray
4 total credits
Credits include: Thriller, 10 to Midnight, The Making of 'Thriller' and The Night Stalker
,
Reed Armstrong
Reed-Armstrong
1 total credit
Credits include: Thriller
,
John Command
John-Command
1 total credit
Credits include: Thriller
,
Michael Peters
Michael-Peters
3 total credits
Credits include: Thriller, The Making of 'Thriller' and Stop!

Genres:

Musical, Horror, Music

AKA:

Michael Jackson's Thriller

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Thriller

1983
Musical, Horror
TV Special
13m
Your probable score

Ratings & Reviews

Compact view
Compact view
Average Percentile: 64.67%
06 Nov 2015
100
97th
Redefined what the music video could be. It's not Halloween without watching it at least once.
09 Aug 2014
90
82nd
Seems weird to be talking about which of MJ's #1 hits was the best, but this is it. The choreography is drum-tight and it's moody as hell. I think this was the first zombie movie I ever saw.
17 Oct 2010
100
99th
Greatest Music Video EVER!!!!! This not only transcended the music video genre, it created a narrative that all future music videos endeavored to be, meaning, before this, videos were of artists singing directly to the camera and after this, they made their videos akin to short films, with plots. Having a Hollywood director with great set designs and makeup effects didn't hurt either.
04 Aug 2009
80
78th
The Citizen Kane of music video, clearly and confidently laying the groundwork for the genre for years to come. Still very entertaining today, although I've always preferred Smooth Criminal.
09 Oct 2008
100
98th
Ignorant.
30 Oct 2007
84
70th
Does Thriller honestly count as a short film? That's debatable. But really, it's simply as good as a music video can get and the song is terrific. Michael Jackson is the coolest pop star out there and this is the best video he made. Thriller rules.
13 Aug 2007
80
61st
Well, if any music video deserves to be considered a movie, it's this one. It's a great song and a great video.
30 Mar 2007
80
68th
A good effort in the globally acclaimed child-molester/zombie/dance genre
02 Nov 2023
65
87th
A classic that singlehandedly started music videos as we know them.
13 Aug 2018
80
67th
the moment when michael starts to sing is absolutely thrilling. still very important for legacy of the 80s.
06 Apr 2011
70
70th
I'm not much of a Michael Jackson fan, but admittedly this is a good film. Landis's direction, although too similar to Romero's "Night Of The Living Dead", is inspired, while Vincent Price's narration, Elmer Bernstein's score and Rick Baker's remarkable make-up create a notable atmosphere. It's an old-fashioned video but the zombie dance is cult at its best.
02 Jun 2008
86
92nd
Kind of a guilty pleasure of mine, there's nothing like ghouls dancing.
19 May 2007
55
45th
Cool music video from back when Michael Jackson was still a black dude who made nice music and didn't molest children.
30 Aug 2020
70
82nd
The greatest music video ever made. I grew up a Michael Jackson fan & a horror fan, and while my opinion on Michael the man has changed a lot over time I still have a soft spot for Michael the artist- and for horror. This is the absolute perfect blend of both, with Jackson at his peak starring in a true love letter to the cheesy zombie flicks we all adore. It does help, of course, that the song is just a banger.
19 Nov 2018
81
86th
The music video that essentially created music videos is still near the best in it's genre.
28 Mar 2018
65
63rd
it's a classic!
23 Oct 2013
45
9th
The zombie dance is amusingly campy, but not much else.
24 Jun 2013
50
7th
Michael Jackson music videos are so bad, they're good -- but they're still bad. This is one of his most lavish productions and it's as equally silly and dumb as it is entertaining and laughable (intentionally or not). The best part is actually the beginning where Jackson claims this video has no connections with the occult -- I guess he wasn't the most dangerous artist.
30 May 2013
90
91st
the ultimate music video by michael jackson at his height really elevated the form. scary funny and brilliant
20 Dec 2012
73
57th
This short film really fails to make one important point: anyone in their right mind would sleep with 1983 Michael Jackson, even if every once in a while he got a little hairy... or undead.
19 Sep 2012
85
73rd
Silly but fun. If it were any longer, it would be too much, but it's just perfect.
15 Jun 2012
96
91st
Awesome video
14 Jun 2012
90
77th
It's fucking Thriller.
17 Apr 2012
45
18th
I assume this is the extended version which plays more like a short musical than a music video. at least 9 of the 13 minutes are spent following bad actors doing stuff. Then an alternate version of Thriller gets played where MJ vainly takes his girlfriend to a movie that he stars in and makes fun of her musically when she gets scared. Zombies appear for no reason while Vincent Price's voice-over gets moved to the middle and then they dance with zombie Michael instead of trying to eat the chick.
02 Apr 2012
45
21st
Never really been moved to care about music videos, but this is better than most since it is actually like a story, but it's still a music video so I still really don't care.
31 Dec 2011
71
84th
Has lost its impressiveness over the years, but still an achievement in the genre, as limited as it is.
21 Sep 2011
65
77th
This counts as a movie? Alright, then it's got an amazing soundtrack, fantastic choreography, and lovable horror cliches and twists, enabled by the awesome Vincent Price. How do you not love this video?
27 Aug 2011
80
81st
FANTASTIC makeup job and great dance sequence.
01 Aug 2011
60
67th
When music videos are directed by film directors, they magically get transformed into movies? Still looking for Warrant's Cherry Pie...
13 Sep 2010
75
61st
Took the music video world to another level. In some ways it is fitting of the showy and decadent 80s attitude, in other ways it is both an entertaining little short and companion piece for one of his pop hits. Most of all, it's a music video like no other, but perhaps that can also limit how great you consider it to be in this genre. It is, after all, a hybrid of music and film.
03 Sep 2010
60
40th
Scared the shit out of me as a kid, but had some tasty zombie costumes and some fun dancing. Still, don't see why this should be on Criticker.
29 Aug 2010
74
33rd
Nothing annoys me more than music videos which think they are films and films which think they are music videos. Make up your mind!
07 Jun 2010
3
81st
not as good as the 4 player arcade game but then again nothing much is
30 Apr 2010
74
68th
As an MJfan, I really like this one. Nice clip, nice moves.
17 Apr 2010
86
74th
It scared me as a little kid. Michael Jackson as that effect on people I guess.
17 Feb 2010
88
90th
greatest music video ever.
09 Feb 2010
90
73rd
The music video? I'm not giving it a 100 because it's not in my Top Tier favorite movies. It's the best music video but I mean really?
19 Jan 2010
78
88th
Interesting time capsule from the era when Michael Jackson was straight and black.
19 Dec 2009
75
45th
Haha, this is listed as a film? Maybe there should be a separate section for MVs.
25 Oct 2009
8
79th
Thrillerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
11 Sep 2009
83
82nd
It's a milestone
25 Aug 2009
4
44th
Amusing, I guess. I was born years after it was released, so I don't have any nostalgia for it or anything, and I sit through about two music videos a year so I'm not particularly interested in the history of the art form. I pretty much learned about Michael Jackson via shitty Jay Leno pedophile jokes, truth be told. Anyway, I like the song a lot, but the video is overlong.
19 Aug 2009
76
47th
Silly but enjoyable and creative music video.
10 Jun 2009
67
48th
Great choreography, but not my cup of tea.
23 May 2009
73
76th
Didn't expect to find this here. MJ's peak.
22 May 2009
77
68th
We're rating music videos on this site now? How do you rate a music video!? Yeah, it's Michael Jackson. It's really cool, I guess. Fuck. If you like Michael Jackson, I guess you'll like Thriller. Course, if you liked Michael Jackson, you'd have already seen the Thriller music video. It's damn good.
22 Apr 2009
90
94th
I wouldn't even consider this a film, but it is badass. Scared the crap out of me when I was 5.
13 Apr 2009
91
74th
It has really great dancing, and the song is great. But the music video is well, more funny then scary.
02 Mar 2009
75
15th
Just saw this for the first time the other day.
26 Jan 2009
65
30th
rip MJ.
25 Jan 2009
85
71st
pretty epic.
21 Jan 2009
95
91st
Oh snap! This is on the list??? Get yourself up there, you almost black Michael Jackson you!
16 Jan 2009
100
99th
Well. Duh.
30 Sep 2008
40
25th
What the hell is the MTV clip doing here???
22 Sep 2008
52
76th
Verdens bedste musikvideo? Jeg var i hver fald imponere i 83
16 Aug 2008
50
40th
They have music videos on here?
12 Aug 2008
85
70th
Good video for its time.
05 Aug 2008
50
28th
This was a movie? I thought it was an overacted music video.
04 Aug 2008
70
61st
A revolution in terms of music video, cool choreography.
10 Jul 2008
3
45th
Pretty cool.
13 Jun 2008
90
82nd
Who doesn't enjoy watching the full Thriller video?
02 Jun 2008
95
79th
Just awesome.
01 May 2008
2
21st
I hate Michael Jackson and I hate his overpraised music. Zombies have never been gayer.
08 Apr 2008
80
81st
Dancing zombies
07 Mar 2008
40
13th
I know it's a classic music video, but I've always thought it was ridiculously boring, overlong and pretentious. A story that can be told in 4 minutes shouldn't have taken 30 minutes.
01 Mar 2008
79
82nd
The ultimate pop video. Milestone in many ways.
11 Feb 2008
82
52nd
'Twas ahead of its time when released, but from todays' standards, it's not that special.
18 Jan 2008
85
78th
One of the better music videos out there, especially the choreography is, although somewhat unfitting a zombie story, interesting and not too complicated, just as it's supposed to be. The fact that Vincent Price can give a rock goosebumps helps too.
27 Nov 2007
84
74th
Revolutionary music video before Jackson's mind went awry
25 Aug 2007
28
28th
ok
13 Aug 2007
86
82nd
Great music video, but it's still just a music video, and not a full-length film.
13 Aug 2007
67
71st
Great, though I'm not sure it's really a movie.
13 Aug 2007
40
16th
Although highly influential, it has been surpassed in every way since its inception.
13 Aug 2007
78
68th
This isn't a movie, it's a music video with a large budget so I don't get why this is on Criticker. The thought of Michael Jackson being in a relationship with a girl is highly laughable.
13 Aug 2007
75
64th
Michael Jackson sure is a skinny werewolf.
18 Apr 2007
65
53rd
some bonus points for Vincent Price :-)
11 Apr 2007
85
85th
Probably the best music video ever made.
01 Mar 2007
40
19th
Good music and good video for its time.
24 Dec 2006
83
62nd
Aww, remember the old Michael?

Cast & Info

Directed by:

John Landis
John-Landis
77 total credits
John David Landis (born August 3, 1950) is an American film director, screenwriter, actor, and producer. He is known for his comedies, his horror films, and his music videos with singer Michael Jackson...(wikipedia)

Writers:

Michael Jackson
Michael-Jackson
37 total credits
Michael Jackson was born in Gary, Indiana and entertained audiences nearly his entire life. By the early 60s the older boys Jackie, Tito and Jermaine had begun performing around the city; by 1964 Michael and Marlon had joined in. A musical prodigy, Michael's singing and dancing talents were amazingly mature and he soon became the dominant voice and focus of "The Jackson 5." Solo success for Michael was inevitable, and by the 80s he had become infinitely more popular than his brotherly group.
,
John Landis
John-Landis
77 total credits
John David Landis (born August 3, 1950) is an American film director, screenwriter, actor, and producer. He is known for his comedies, his horror films, and his music videos with singer Michael Jackson...(wikipedia)

Starring:

Vincent Price
Vincent-Price
120 total credits
Vincent Leonard Price, Jr. (May 27, 1911 - October 25, 1993) was an American actor, well known for his distinctive voice and serio-comic attitude in a series of horror films made in the latter part of his career... (Wikipedia)
,
Ben Lokey
Ben-Lokey
2 total credits
Credits include: Thriller and Breakin'
,
Michael Jackson
Michael-Jackson
37 total credits
Michael Jackson was born in Gary, Indiana and entertained audiences nearly his entire life. By the early 60s the older boys Jackie, Tito and Jermaine had begun performing around the city; by 1964 Michael and Marlon had joined in. A musical prodigy, Michael's singing and dancing talents were amazingly mature and he soon became the dominant voice and focus of "The Jackson 5." Solo success for Michael was inevitable, and by the 80s he had become infinitely more popular than his brotherly group.
,
Ola Ray
Ola-Ray
4 total credits
Credits include: Thriller, 10 to Midnight, The Making of 'Thriller' and The Night Stalker
,
Reed Armstrong
Reed-Armstrong
1 total credit
Credits include: Thriller
,
John Command
John-Command
1 total credit
Credits include: Thriller
,
Michael Peters
Michael-Peters
3 total credits
Credits include: Thriller, The Making of 'Thriller' and Stop!

Genres:

Musical, Horror, Music

AKA:

Michael Jackson's Thriller

Country:

USA

Language:

English
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