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) film with a budget much larger than previous music videos. Jackson's record company refused to finance it, believing "Thriller" had peaked, so a making-of documentary, "Making Michael Jackson's Thriller," was produced to receive financing from television networks. "Michael Jackson's Thriller" was launched to great anticipation and played regularly on MTV. It doubled sales of "Thriller", helping it become history's bestselling album, and sold over a million copies on VHS, becoming the bestselling videotape at the time. It is credited for transforming music videos into a serious art form, breaking down racial barriers in popular entertainment, and popularizing the making-of documentary