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Thriller Dance AI: Do the Zombie Dance With a Friend or Your Pet

Arms swung out with a deep lean, head rolls, claw hands and shoulder shrugs: the Thriller zombie dance. Add two photos to dance it as a duo, or one photo of your pet, and get a 15-second clip with the song.

The original Thriller Dance AI reel by @moonwalkcatsOriginal reel
  • 2 photos you add
  • 15 s clip with sound
  • 9:16 for TikTok, Reels, Shorts
  • No watermark

No prompt to write: Add your photos and tap once

Create your own

Ready in a few minutes · 180 credits

The Thriller dance is the zombie routine from Michael Jackson's 1983 "Thriller" video: arms swung out with a deep lean, head rolls, claw hands and shoulder shrugs. It comes back at Halloween. MakeViral puts you and a friend (two photos) or your pet (one photo) into a viral reel of the dance, with the song.

Example

What the Thriller Dance AI video looks like

This is the original reel. Your photos replace its characters, so your video follows the same shots with your faces. No two runs come out the same.

Original reel by @moonwalkcats, 15 s

The original reel by @moonwalkcats: three AI kittens in a red jacket, a skeleton suit and a ghost sheet do the zombie dance on a haunted street lit by jack-o'-lanterns. Pet copies this reel, with your pet as the lead in the red jacket.

Use this reference
Original reel by @totummare, 15 s

The original reel by @totummare: two dancers do the Thriller dance break side by side in a studio, with the arm swings, the claw hands and the hair flip. Human copies this reel with your two photos.

Use this reference
Step by step

How to make the Thriller Dance AI video on MakeViral

Everything runs in the browser. No editing app, no prompt to write, no watermark.

  1. Add the two photos

    Press "Create your own" and add dancer on the left, then dancer on the right. Photo 1 goes on the left of the scene, photo 2 on the right. Take them with the camera or pick them from your library.

  2. Press Generate

    The button shows the price. H3 Max Recast puts your photos into the Thriller dance trend clip and copies it shot by shot for 15 seconds, with the reel's original song. You write no prompt.

  3. Download or share

    The video is ready in a few minutes as a 9:16 MP4. Download it, share it from your phone, or find it later in your Library.

Which photo works best?

Human takes two photos, one person in each: photo 1 dances on the left, photo 2 on the right. Pet takes one photo of your pet.

  • Human: full body or from the knees up, with the face sharp, turned to the camera and in good light. The dancers are small in the wide studio shot, so a clear face matters more than a close-up.
  • Your clothes come from your photo. Wear a red jacket for the classic look, or your Halloween costume.
  • No sunglasses, no hat that hides the face and no beauty filter.
  • Pet: one sharp photo with the whole animal in view, from ears to paws. A cat looks closest to the reel; a dog or another pet takes the same place.
  • Use a photo of yourself, of an adult who agreed, or of your own pet. Never a celebrity or a stranger.

Where did the Thriller Dance AI trend start?

The Thriller dance is the zombie routine from Michael Jackson's music video "Thriller", directed by John Landis and choreographed by Michael Peters. The video premiered on MTV on 2 December 1983, and it is closely tied to Halloween: fans around the world re-create its zombie dance.

The search data shows the same rhythm. US Google searches for "thriller dance" reached 27,100 in October 2025, against 2,400 a month in early 2026. A clip of the dance at the 2025 New York Halloween Parade had 10.1 million TikTok views by October 2026. After the biopic Michael opened on 24 April 2026, searches rose again, to 8,100 in May. On 1 June the LA dancers behind @totummare posted the dance break as a duo; it passed 1 million views.

The AI versions came in summer 2026. CapCut templates called "AI thriller dance" appeared in July, and on 6 August @moonwalkcats posted three AI kittens doing the routine in Halloween costumes (329,800 views). In October, AI pets in the red jacket were back for Halloween. MakeViral copies the duo reel and the kitten reel: your photos replace the dancers, and the song stays.

  1. The "Thriller" music video premieres on MTV, with the zombie dance choreographed by Michael Peters. Wikipedia

  2. US Google searches for "thriller dance" reach 27,100 for the month, more than ten times the 2,400 of February 2026, per Google Ads data we pulled on 12 October 2026.

  3. The biopic Michael opens in cinemas with $97 million in the US on its first weekend; US searches for "thriller dance" rise to 8,100 in May. theGrio

  4. The LA dancers behind @totummare post the Thriller dance break as a duo; it has 1 million views and 39,900 likes by 12 October. TikTok

  5. @moonwalkcats posts three AI kittens dancing the routine in a red jacket, a skeleton suit and a ghost sheet; it has 329,800 views and 21,100 shares by 12 October. TikTok

  6. AI pets in the red jacket return for Halloween: a dachshund by @king_odiee (94,500 views) and a crowd of costumed kittens by @moonwalkcats (69,600 views) by 12 October. TikTok

Copy and paste

The Thriller Dance AI prompts

You do not need these: the one-tap flow runs them for you, together with the trend clip. [Image 1] and [Image 2] are your two photos, and [Video 1] is the trend clip the video copies.

Human

2 photos: dancer on the left + dancer on the rightH3 Max Recast15 s · 720p · 9:16180 credits
Video prompt

Image 1 replaces the dancer on the left with long dark hair in the black crop top and the wide black trousers, in every shot. Image 2 replaces the dancer on the right with long brown hair in the loose white sweatshirt with the big number, the black shorts and the white socks, in every shot. Each one has their own face, hair, skin tone, body and clothes from their own image, with no number on the clothes, no black crop top and no black shorts unless their image shows them. Both keep the serious, focused faces of the dancers in the video and never smile at the camera. The two small figures in the mirror behind them are their reflections: the same two people from image 1 and image 2. Keep the dance studio, the wooden floor, the mirror wall, the ballet barre, the ceiling fan, the daylight, the dance moves, the motion and the camera exactly as in the video.

864 characters
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Pet

1 photo: your petSeedance 2.0 Mini15 s · 720p · 9:1648 credits
Video prompt

[Video 1] is a motion guide only. Copy its camera moves, timing and dance moves, the dark wet cobblestone street at night in blue light, the haunted house with glowing blue lamps behind, the drifting blue fog and the rows of glowing jack-o'-lanterns. Do NOT copy the orange kitten in the middle of [Video 1]: not its orange fur, dark eye patches, face or ears. Replace it completely. The lead dancer in the middle, in a small red leather jacket with black stripes, red trousers and black shoes, is the pet in [Image 1], standing upright on its hind legs like a person the whole time. Keep the face, fur colors, markings, ears and body from [Image 1] in every shot, with no orange fur and no dark eye patches unless [Image 1] shows them. If [Image 1] shows a dog or another animal, that animal takes the same place and does the same moves. The two kittens beside it stay as in [Video 1]: a grey tabby kitten in a black skeleton costume on the left and a white kitten in a white ghost costume on the right. All three dance in sync on the beat: shoulder shrugs and sways with the arms out, a turn to the side with the front paws raised like claws, a deep bow down to the ground and back up, then claw hands and shrugs facing the camera. Lifelike fur and cinematic night light, like a cute Halloween music video. One continuous shot. No text, no letters, no logos, no watermark, no people, no extra animals.

1403 characters
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How many credits does it cost?

You pay per video in credits, and the create page shows the exact price on the Generate button before you spend anything. The one-tap price covers the video, made in one step from your photos and the trend clip, charged once. One video is 180 credits, so the smallest one-time pack that covers it is $39.99 for 450 credits, with no subscription. The cheaper models are there if you run the prompts by hand in AI Video.

Video modelSettingsCredits
H3 Max Recast (this template)15 s, 720p, copies the trend clip, one tap180

One-time packs and plans are on the pricing page. A failed video gives its credits back.

What happens in the Thriller dance video, beat by beat?

Each version copies a viral reel of the dance, and your photos take the place of its dancers. The moves, the camera and the scene come from the reel. Both clips are one continuous shot of 15 seconds:

BeatHuman (dance studio, 2 photos)Pet (haunted street, 1 photo)
The startYou and your friend stand side by side in a bright dance studio with a wooden floor and a mirror wall.Your pet stands upright in the middle, in a red jacket, between a kitten in a skeleton suit and a kitten under a ghost sheet.
The routineArms swung out wide with a deep lean, left and right, then head rolls, wrist flicks and claw hands.All three sway and shrug, turn to the side with the claw arms up, then bow down to the ground.
The finishA quick bend with a hair flip, then a low, wide stance with shoulder shrugs.Back up, facing the camera, with claw hands and shrugs, under the jack-o'-lanterns.

Human or Pet? Press "Create your own" and pick one, or press the button under its reel on this page.

Which quality? Human has one quality: MiniMax H3 Max Recast puts the two of you into the reel itself, at 768p, because a cheaper model can keep the reel's own dancers when two people swap at once. Pet has two:

Standard (default)Best
How it worksSeedance 2.0 Mini makes a new clip that follows the reel's moves, camera and timing.MiniMax H3 Max Recast puts your pet into the reel itself: the same shots, the same street, the same camera.
FrameVertical 9:16, 720pVertical, 768p
The two other kittensNew kittens in the same costumesThe kittens of the reel
SoundThe reel's song, put on after the run; you can turn it offThe same

The exact price shows on the Generate button before you spend anything. Every run is a new take, so results differ.

Who should you do the Thriller dance with?

The trend works because everyone knows the moves and nobody expects your crew to pull them off. These casts fit:

  • You and your best friend. The classic duo: you two in sync, arm swing for arm swing.
  • You and your partner. A Halloween post that needs no costume party.
  • A parent and an adult child. Mom or dad doing the zombie lean, with their OK.
  • Your cat or dog. The reel stars kittens, so a cat looks closest to it. A serious dog in a red jacket is the funniest.

MakeViral never puts a celebrity next to you: your duo partner is a friend, not the singer.

Caption ideas: "Halloween rehearsal, day 1", "Me and my bestie at 3 a.m.", "My cat learned Thriller before me", "Zombie mode: on". Or write your own.

Want more Halloween? Try the AI zombie trend, a love story with your partner or pet, or dress your pet up with the AI pet Halloween costume.

Which sound and hashtags should you post it with?

Your clip comes with the sound of the reel it copies: the music of the Thriller dance break, so it is ready to post. You can turn the song off on the result screen and add a sound when you post instead. The song belongs to its owners, and MakeViral gives you no rights to it. Music rules differ from platform to platform, so check them before you use the clip in an ad or a paid post.

Hashtags: #thrillerdance had 4,489 TikTok videos and 230.8 million views on 12 October 2026, and #thriller is far bigger, though it also covers thriller films and books. Add #halloween in October. Keep the platform's AI label on.

What goes wrong, and how do you fix it?

ProblemFix
One face looks less like its photo (Human)The dancers are small in the wide shot. Use sharp, front-facing photos in good light, then run it again.
The two of you swap placesPhoto 1 always dances on the left, photo 2 on the right. Swap the photos and run it again.
The dancers in the mirror look like other people (Human)The studio has a mirror wall with small reflections. The prompt asks for your own reflections; if they look wrong, run it again.
An "88" sweatshirt or a black crop top shows up (Human)The dancers in the reel wear them. The prompt asks for your own clothes. Run it again.
Your pet comes out orange or with dark eye patches (Pet, Standard)The lead kitten in the reel has both. Use a photo where the fur is clear, run it again, or pick Best.
A hand or a paw blurs in the bow or a fast arm swingThis is common in fast moves. A second run comes out different.
The video model refuses a photoSome photos get refused. The credits come back; try another photo.
FAQ

Thriller Dance AI trend questions

What is the Thriller dance?
It is the zombie dance from Michael Jackson's "Thriller" music video, which premiered on MTV on 2 December 1983. The famous part is the dance break: arms swung out with a deep lean, head rolls, claw hands, shoulder shrugs and a zombie walk. People re-create it at Halloween, and in 2026 AI versions with friends and pets spread on TikTok.
Who choreographed the Thriller dance?
Michael Peters choreographed the zombie dance, working with Michael Jackson. Peters had also choreographed the "Beat It" video. John Landis directed the "Thriller" video.
How do I make the Thriller dance AI video?
Press "Create your own", pick Human or Pet, and add your photos: two photos (one person each) for Human, one photo of your pet for Pet. Press Generate; the button shows the price first. You get a 15-second vertical clip with the song. You write no prompt, and the video waits in your Library when it is ready.
Can I dance the Thriller dance next to Michael Jackson with AI?
Not on MakeViral. We do not put a real celebrity into your video, and you should not upload a celebrity's photo: a fake video of a real person can break platform rules and that person's rights. Do it as a duo with a friend instead: the Human version puts the two of you side by side.
Can my cat or dog do the Thriller dance?
Yes. Pick Pet. It copies the AI kitten reel by @moonwalkcats: your pet stands upright in a red jacket in the middle of a haunted street and leads the zombie dance, with a skeleton kitten and a ghost kitten beside it. A cat looks closest to the reel; a dog or another pet takes the same place.
Do I need to know the Thriller dance moves?
No. The moves come from the reel, so the people or the pet in your photos do the whole routine. You only add the photos.
Can I do the Thriller dance alone with one photo?
The Human version needs two photos, because the reel has two dancers. Add a photo of a friend, your partner or a parent who agreed. With one photo, use the Pet version for your pet.
Which song is on the video?
Your clip carries the sound of the reel it copies, the music of the Thriller dance break. You can turn it off on the result screen and add your own sound when you post. The song belongs to its owners, and MakeViral gives you no rights to it.
Will Michael Jackson be in my video?
No. Both versions copy reels made by TikTok creators, and your photos replace their dancers. Michael Jackson does not appear in your video, and he and his estate have nothing to do with MakeViral. His name appears on this page only to name the dance and its history.
What is the difference between Standard and Best?
Only the Pet version has both. Standard is the default and costs less: Seedance 2.0 Mini makes a new vertical 720p clip that follows the reel's moves and timing, and your pet can look less like its photo. Best costs more: MiniMax H3 Max Recast puts your pet into the reel itself at 768p, with the reel's own shots and camera. The Human version always uses MiniMax H3 Max Recast.
How long is the video and what format is it?
Both versions make a 15-second vertical MP4 with the song. Human is 768p. Pet is 720p on Standard and 768p on Best.
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