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Thriller Dance AI: Turn Into a Zombie Dancer With a Friend or Pet

Head rolls, claw hands, shoulder shrugs and that deep lean with outstretched arms: it's the Thriller zombie dance. Upload two photos for a duo or one pet photo, and you'll get a 15-second video 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 · From 180 credits

The Thriller dance is the iconic zombie choreography from Michael Jackson's 1983 "Thriller" music video: outstretched arms with a dramatic lean, head rolls, claw hands and shoulder shrugs. Every Halloween it makes a comeback. Smew AI transforms you and a friend (two photos) or your pet (one photo) into a viral dance reel, complete with the song.

Also called Michael Jackson Thriller dance · Thriller zombie dance

Example

What your Thriller Dance AI video looks like

Here's the original reel. Your photos take the place of its characters, so you get the same choreography and shots with your own faces. Each run produces unique results.

Original reel by @moonwalkcats, 15 s
The original reel by @moonwalkcats: three AI kittens wearing a red jacket, a skeleton suit and a ghost sheet perform the zombie dance on a spooky street with jack-o'-lanterns. Pet mode recreates this reel, featuring your pet as the main character in the red jacket.
Use this reference
Original reel by @totummare, 15 s
The original reel by @totummare: two performers execute the Thriller dance break in a studio side by side, complete with arm swings, claw hands and the hair flip. Human mode recreates this reel using your two photos.
Use this reference
Step by step

How to create the Thriller Dance AI video on Smew AI

It all happens in your browser. No editing software, no prompt writing, no watermark.

  1. Upload the two photos

    Click "Create your own" and upload the left dancer, then the right dancer. Photo 1 appears on the left side of the frame, photo 2 on the right. Snap them with your camera or choose from your library.

  2. Click Generate

    The button displays the cost. H3 Max Recast places your photos into the Thriller dance trend video and recreates it shot by shot for 15 seconds, including the reel's original song. No prompt needed.

  3. Download or share

    Your video renders in a few minutes as a 9:16 MP4. Download it, share directly from your device, or retrieve it later from your Library.

What kind of photo works best?

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

  • Human: full body or from knees up, with a sharp face, facing the camera in good lighting. Since the dancers appear small in the wide studio frame, a clear face is more important than being close-up.
  • Your outfit comes from your photo. A red jacket gives you the classic appearance, or wear your Halloween costume.
  • Avoid sunglasses, hats that cover the face, and beauty filters.
  • Pet: one sharp photo showing the entire animal, from ears to paws. Cats most closely match the reel; dogs or other pets fill the same role.
  • Upload a photo of yourself, an adult who gave permission, or your own pet. Never use celebrities or strangers.

Where did the Thriller Dance AI trend begin?

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. Smew AI 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, featuring 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 theaters with $97 million during its US opening weekend; US searches for "thriller dance" climb to 8,100 in May. theGrio

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

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

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

Copy and paste

The Thriller Dance AI prompts

You don't need these: the one-tap workflow handles them automatically, along with the trend clip. [Image 1] and [Image 2] are your two photos, and [Video 1] is the trend clip your video recreates.

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

Pet

1 photo: your petSeedance 2.515 s · 720p · 9:16228 credits
Video prompt

Recreate the reference video [Video 1] shot for shot: the same dark wet cobblestone street at night in blue light, the same haunted house with glowing blue lamps behind, the same drifting blue fog and the rows of glowing jack-o'-lanterns, the same grey tabby kitten in a black skeleton costume on the left and the same white kitten in a white ghost costume on the right, the same camera, framing, timing and dance moves. The ONLY change: the orange kitten with the dark eye patches who dances in the middle is now the pet in [Image 1]. The lead dancer = the pet in [Image 1], whole body, in every frame: the same species and breed, head shape, muzzle, eyes, ears, fur colors, fur length and markings as in [Image 1], so its owner instantly recognizes it. It stands upright on its hind legs like a person. Only the head, the face, the ears and the fur change: the lead keeps the costume of the original lead in every frame, the small red leather jacket with black stripes on the sleeves and the shoulders, the red trousers and the small black shoes, so the pet from [Image 1] is dressed in that red jacket and red trousers from the first second to the last. No collar unless [Image 1] shows one, worn under the jacket. Never drift back to the orange kitten of the original video: no orange fur and no dark eye patches unless [Image 1] shows them. If [Image 1] shows a dog or another animal, that animal dances in the same place with the same moves. The dance, matching the reference second by second, all three 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 paws and shrugs facing the camera. Anatomy rules: one head per animal. Two legs on the ground and two front legs each, no extra legs or paws, no human hands. The two kittens beside the lead keep their own look. No text, no letters, no logos, no watermark, no people, no extra animals.

1974 characters

What's the credit cost?

Each video costs credits, and the create page displays the exact cost on the Generate button before you commit. The one-tap price includes the video, created in a single step from your photos and the trend clip, billed once. Each mode has its own cost: Human 180 credits, Pet 228 credits. Cheaper models exist if you manually run the prompts in AI Video.

Video modelSettingsCredits
Human: H3 Max Recast (this template)15 s, 720p, copies the trend clip, one tap180
Pet: Seedance 2.5 (this template)15 s, 720p, copies the trend clip, one tap228

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

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

Each mode recreates a viral reel of the dance, with your photos replacing its dancers. The choreography, camera work and setting come from the reel. Both videos are single 15-second continuous shots:

BeatHuman (dance studio, 2 photos)Pet (haunted street, 1 photo)
The startYou and your friend stand next to each other in a bright studio with a wooden floor and mirrored wall.Your pet stands upright in the center, wearing a red jacket, flanked by a kitten in a skeleton suit and another under a ghost sheet.
The routineWide arm swings with a dramatic lean, left then right, followed by head rolls, wrist flicks and claw hands.All three sway and shrug, pivot sideways with clawed arms raised, then bend low toward the ground.
The finishA quick dip with a hair flip, ending in a wide, low stance with shoulder shrugs.Rising back up, facing forward with claw hands and shrugs, beneath the jack-o'-lanterns.

Human or Pet? Click "Create your own" and choose one, or click the button beneath its reel on this page.

What quality? Human offers one quality: MiniMax H3 Max Recast places both of you into the reel itself at 768p, since a less expensive model can preserve the reel's original dancers when two people swap simultaneously. Pet also offers one quality: Seedance 2.5 places your pet into the reel itself, wearing the red jacket and red trousers, flanked by the reel's skeleton kitten and ghost kitten, at 720p, vertical, with the reel's song (you can disable it). Processing may take several minutes.

The exact cost appears on the Generate button before you commit. Each run is a fresh take, so outcomes vary.

Who should join you for the Thriller dance?

This trend succeeds because everyone recognizes the moves and nobody anticipates your group executing them. These pairings work well:

  • You and your closest friend. The timeless duo: synchronized, matching each arm swing.
  • You and your significant other. A Halloween post that requires no costume party.
  • A parent and their adult child. Mom or dad performing the zombie lean, with their permission.
  • Your cat or dog. The reel features kittens, so cats resemble it most closely. A serious dog in a red jacket delivers the best comedy.

Smew AI never places a celebrity beside you: your duo partner is a friend, not the singer.

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

Looking for more Halloween content? Check out the AI zombie trend, a romance story with your partner or pet, or dress up your pet with the AI pet Halloween costume.

What sound and hashtags should accompany your post?

Your video includes the audio from the reel it recreates: the music from the Thriller dance break, so it's post-ready. You can disable the song on the result screen and add different audio when posting. The song is owned by its rights holders, and Smew AI grants you no license to it. Music policies vary by platform, so review them before using the video in advertisements or sponsored posts.

Hashtags: #thrillerdance had 4,489 TikTok videos and 230.8 million views on 12 October 2026, while #thriller is significantly larger, though it encompasses thriller movies and books too. Include #halloween in October. Keep the platform's AI disclosure label visible.

What can go wrong, and how do you resolve it?

ProblemFix
One face resembles its photo less (Human)The dancers appear small in the wide frame. Upload sharp, forward-facing photos with good lighting, then try again.
You two switch positionsPhoto 1 always dances left, photo 2 always dances right. Switch the photos and try again.
The mirror reflections show different people (Human)The studio features a mirrored wall with small reflections. The prompt requests your own reflections; if incorrect, try again.
An "88" sweatshirt or black crop top appears (Human)The reel's dancers wear these items. The prompt requests your own clothing. Try again.
Your pet appears orange or with dark eye patches (Pet)The lead kitten in the reel has these features. Upload a photo with clear fur coloring, then try again.
A hand or paw blurs during the bow or quick arm swingThis commonly occurs in rapid movements. A second attempt produces different results.
The video model rejects a photoCertain photos get rejected. Your credits are refunded; upload a different photo.
FAQ

Thriller Dance AI trend questions

What is the Thriller dance?
It is the zombie choreography from Michael Jackson's "Thriller" music video, which MTV premiered on 2 December 1983. The iconic section is the dance break: arms thrown out with a deep lean, head rolls, claw hands, shoulder shrugs and a zombie walk. At Halloween, people recreate it, and in 2026 AI versions featuring friends and pets went viral on TikTok.
Who choreographed the Thriller dance?
Michael Peters choreographed the zombie dance, collaborating with Michael Jackson. Peters had previously choreographed the "Beat It" video. John Landis directed the "Thriller" video.
How do I create the Thriller dance AI video?
Click "Create your own", select Human or Pet, and upload your photos: two photos (one person per photo) for Human, one pet photo for Pet. Click Generate; the button displays the cost upfront. You'll receive a 15-second vertical video with the song. No prompt writing required, and the video saves to your Library when complete.
Can I perform the Thriller dance alongside Michael Jackson using AI?
Not on Smew AI. We don't insert real celebrities into your videos, and you shouldn't upload celebrity photos: fake videos of real people can violate platform policies and personal rights. Instead, create a duo with a friend: the Human mode places both of you side by side.
Can my cat or dog perform the Thriller dance?
Yes. Choose Pet. It recreates the AI kitten reel by @moonwalkcats: your pet stands upright wearing a red jacket in the center of a spooky street and leads the zombie dance, accompanied by a skeleton kitten and a ghost kitten. Cats match the reel most closely; dogs or other pets occupy the same position.
Do I need to know the Thriller dance moves?
No. The choreography comes from the reel, so the people or pet in your photos execute the complete routine. You just upload the photos.
Can I perform the Thriller dance solo with one photo?
The Human mode requires two photos, since the reel features two dancers. Upload a photo of a friend, your partner or a parent who gave consent. With one photo, choose the Pet mode for your pet.
What song plays in the video?
Your video includes the audio from the reel it recreates, the music from the Thriller dance break. You can disable it on the result screen and add different audio when posting. The song is owned by its rights holders, and Smew AI grants you no license to it.
Will Michael Jackson appear in my video?
No. Both modes recreate reels created by TikTok users, and your photos replace their dancers. Michael Jackson doesn't appear in your video, and neither he nor his estate are affiliated with Smew AI. His name is mentioned on this page solely to identify the dance and its background.
Which AI models create the videos?
Each mode offers one quality level. Human uses MiniMax H3 Max Recast, which places both of you into the reel itself at 768p. Pet uses Seedance 2.5, which places your pet into the reel itself at 720p, wearing the red jacket between the two kittens; processing may take several minutes.
How long is the video and what's the format?
Both modes produce a 15-second vertical MP4 with the song. Human renders at 768p and Pet at 720p.
Is there a Thriller dance tutorial, and what are the Thriller dance steps?
The primary steps include claw hands, head rolls, a dramatic lean and shoulder shrugs, and a tutorial helps you master the complete Thriller dance routine through small, manageable sections. Here you don't need a tutorial: upload your photos and the AI performs the steps.
Where can I watch the original Thriller dance scene?
In Michael Jackson's 1983 "Thriller" music video, where MJ leads the zombies through the dance. People circulate the scene as video clips and as a GIF; your output here is an MP4 video.
What is the Thriller dance pose, and is it a Halloween dance?
The iconic Thriller dance pose features claw hands with a dramatic lean. And yes, it's a Halloween dance: every October, fans recreate it with friends dressed as zombies.
Is there a Thriller dance challenge on TikTok?
Yes, it resurfaces each fall as a TikTok challenge and meme. Most participants recreate only the dance break from the choreography, not the entire routine.
Is the Thriller dance AI trend identical to the Michael Jackson AI dance?
It's the same choreography, but this page creates it from your photos: Michael Jackson himself doesn't appear.
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Create your own Thriller Dance AI video

Upload two photos and tap once. No prompt writing. 180 credits.

No watermark. A failed video gives its credits back. Secure checkout by Stripe.