Michael Jackson's Thriller

1983 0h 14m EN

🙌

8.3

BANGER

★8.3TMDB · 805

HorrorMusicThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A night at the movies turns terrifying when Michael and his date are attacked by zombies. Released at the height of Thriller’s success, the short film redefined the music video, broke racial barriers, and became the first inducted into the U.S. National Film Registry.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Cast

Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Ola Ray
Michael's Girlfriend
Vincent Price
Narrator (voice)
Cynthia Garris
Zombie (uncredited)
Mick Garris
Zombie (uncredited)
Hanala Sagal
Dancer (uncredited)
Forrest J. Ackerman
Man in Movie Theater (uncredited)
Reed Armstrong
Zombie (uncredited)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: John Landis
Writers: Michael Jackson, John Landis
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 14-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $0.5M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Grossed $76M — a 152.0× return. The kind of profit studios chase for a decade.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

43 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by John Landis, shot by Robert Paynter. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Rod Temperton. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor George Folsey Jr. shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Michael Jackson and Ola Ray and Vincent Price carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

John Landis directs. Robert Paynter behind the camera. Rod Temperton scores. George Folsey Jr. cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 14-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
2Shot for just $0.5M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
3Grossed $76M — a 152.0× return. The kind of profit studios chase for a decade.
443 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
5Directed by John Landis, shot by Robert Paynter. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Rod Temperton. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor George Folsey Jr. shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Michael Jackson and Ola Ray and Vincent Price carry the top of the cast.
9IMDB entry: tt0088263 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 8 themes, including "dancing", "date", "narration", "musical".