Thriller (Michael Jackson album) and John Landis. Funded by MTV, the film sold over 350,000 copies in its first few months. In a market then driven by singles, "Thriller" raised the significance of albums, yet its multiple hit singles changed perceived notions as to the number of successful singles that could be taken from an individual album. The era saw the arrival of novelties like the Michael Jackson doll, that appeared in stores in May 1984 at a price of $12 (US$ in dollars). "Thriller" retains a position in American culture; biographer J. Randy Taraborrelli explains, "At some point, "Thriller" stopped selling like a
Social thriller the U.S., more than one reviewer has named the 1961 British film "Victim" as a social thriller. As the first English language film on record to use the word "homosexual" in its dialogue, "Victim" raised controversy in the United Kingdom for its critique of Britain's anti-gay laws that would remain in place until the passing of Sexual Offences Act 1967 decriminalized homosexuality for men in England and Wales. Ismal Xavier called the 1962 Brazilian train robbery film "O Assalto ao Trem Pagador" a social thriller. Taiwanese director Bai Jingrui's 1982 film "Offend the Law of God" has been called "an