Thriller (song) adapted by director John Landis into a highly successful music video, known independently as "Michael Jackson's Thriller". At fourteen minutes, the video is substantially longer than the song and ties together a narrative featuring Jackson and actress Ola Ray in a setting heavily inspired by horror films of the 1950s. In the video's most iconic scene, Jackson leads other actors costumed as zombies in a choreographed dance routine. Though it garnered some criticism for its occult theme and violent imagery, the video was immediately popular and received high critical acclaim, being nominated for six MTV Video Music Awards in 1984
Michael Jackson's Thriller (music video) would never do anything like that again." He claimed that he had blocked further distribution and promotion in the areas where he had control. "Michael Jackson's Thriller" video sealed MTV's position as a major cultural force, helped dissemble racial barriers for black artists, revolutionised music video production, popularised the making-of documentaries, and drove rentals and sales of VHS tapes. Music video director Brian Grant credited "Thriller" as the turning point when music videos became a "proper industry". Vinny Marino of "ABC News" commented that the video being selected as the "Greatest Video of All Time" was a "no-brainer", saying that