<P> Michael Jackson 's Thriller is a 14 - minute horror - themed music video for the song of the same name , released on December 2 , 1983 . Directed by John Landis , who also co-wrote the screenplay with Michael Jackson , the song was released from Jackson 's sixth studio album of the same name . It was MTV 's first world premiere video . In the United Kingdom , the video was aired on Channel 4 late at night . Voted as the most influential pop music video of all time , Thriller proved to have a profound effect on popular culture , and was named `` a watershed moment for the ( music ) industry '' for its unprecedented merging of filmmaking and music . Guinness World Records listed it in 2006 as the `` most successful music video '' , selling over nine million copies . In 2009 , the video was inducted into the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress , the first music video to ever receive this honor , for being `` culturally , historically or aesthetically '' significant . The track was also listed at number one on `` The Top 10 Halloween Songs '' by Billboard . </P>
<P> Michael Jackson 's Thriller is a 14 - minute horror - themed music video for the song of the same name , released on December 2 , 1983 . Directed by John Landis , who also co-wrote the screenplay with Michael Jackson , the song was released from Jackson 's sixth studio album of the same name . It was MTV 's first world premiere video . In the United Kingdom , the video was aired on Channel 4 late at night . Voted as the most influential pop music video of all time , Thriller proved to have a profound effect on popular culture , and was named `` a watershed moment for the ( music ) industry '' for its unprecedented merging of filmmaking and music . Guinness World Records listed it in 2006 as the `` most successful music video '' , selling over nine million copies . In 2009 , the video was inducted into the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress , the first music video to ever receive this honor , for being `` culturally , historically or aesthetically '' significant . The track was also listed at number one on `` The Top 10 Halloween Songs '' by Billboard . </P>
when did michael jackson 's thriller come out
when did michael jackson 's thriller come out
December 2 , 1983
December 2 , 1983