This NYC Halloween Parade zombie dance to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” will get you grooving and put a big smile on your dial!

At the 2024 NYC Village Halloween Parade, Michael Jackson’s 1983 hit “Thriller” provided the soundtrack for a large synchronized routine. At least 100 people dressed as ghouls performed for the packed crowd in New York City, with the group led by a man wearing Jackson’s recognizable red jumpsuit alongside a dancer costumed as a zombie Chun-Li. The display drew on the dance featured in Jackson’s celebrated music video.

The parade participants reconstructed the video’s climactic sequence on a considerably larger scale. The original production used 18 dancers for that scene, while the New York performance brought together no fewer than 100. Their Halloween staging came 41 years after the release of the original clip, demonstrating the continued popularity of its signature group dance.

Footage from the parade appeared on YouTube through the New York City Photos account on November 1, 2024. Over the next six weeks, it received 718,000 views and quickly circulated online. In the comments, Jackson fans praised the enduring relevance of “Thriller,” with one arguing that no other music video could equal its iconic standing more than four decades later.

Another commenter pointed to Jackson’s recurring presence on the Billboard charts during the Halloween season and said his work had continued beyond his death. The parade routine was part of a longer pattern of Jackson’s recordings inspiring organized public dances, including a much larger flash mob staged in Stockholm, Sweden.

Watch the full performance on page two