Abstract: This month’s MJ Studies Today continues the Halloween theme from last month. Columnist Kerry Hennigan considers the impact of the annual #ThrillerChallenge organised by Michael Jackson fans to redress what they consider a major deficiency in Billboard’s top singles chart: to get the “Thriller” single to number one across multiple formats and charts.
Column by Kerry Hennigan, editor of the free monthly newsletter A Candle for Michael, administrator of the fan group “Michael Jackson’s Short Film Ghosts” on Facebook, and an MJ blogger on WordPress. Kerry holds Certificates in the Archaeology of the Ancient World and the Archaeology of Ancient Britain from Cambridge University’s Institute of Continuing Education and is passionate about Viking longships and global maritime routes from the Bronze Age to the Early Medieval Period.
REFERENCE AS:
Hennigan, Kerry. “MJ Studies Today CXIX: The Thriller Challenge : how Michael Jackson fans collaborate to keep the iconic track charting at Halloween.” (14-11-2025). The Journal of Michael Jackson Academic Studies Vol 12, No. 2 (2025). https://michaeljacksonstudies.org/mj-studies-today-cxix/
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The Thriller Challenge : how Michael Jackson fans collaborate to keep the iconic track charting at Halloween.
By Kerry Hennigan
Photo montage © Kerry Hennigan
When Billboard magazine recently published its list of top Halloween songs of all time and ranked Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” at #22, “all hell broke loose” on various social media platforms. It was considered an outrage, particularly by Jackson’s fans, that the most iconic Halloween-themed song in recording history was ranked so lowly on a list for which they believed it was the penultimate achiever. As the article’s author, Joe Lynch, notes, “Frightening as it may be to fans of the King of Pop, Michael Jackson’s iconic ‘Thriller’ isn’t in the top 20 of this list of 25 songs (it peaked at No. 4 in 1984 and spent 22 weeks on the chart), though it’s inarguably a perennial staple – one as essential to the season as those holding Frankenstein’s Monster together.”[1]
As Lynch’s article explains, the rankings were based on very specific criteria that ranked the songs according to the highest position the song (as a single release) had reached on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. “Songs are ranked based on an inverse point system,” he writes, “with weeks at No. 1 earning the greatest value and weeks at lower spots earning the least.” While it is true that “Thriller” only reached #4 on that specific chart, it is important to recall the context of the single’s release. By then, the Thriller album had already sold millions of copies. In her book, Michael Jackson FAQ, Kit O’Toole explains, “In 1983, everyone owned a copy of the LP, from rock fans to soul aficionados. No other work held such mass appeal, and it has yet to be equalled.” The album was released in 1982, O’Toole’s book was published in 2015, and now, in 2025 – ten years later – her final assessment of it holds true.[2]
In the early to mid-1980s, music lovers purchased vinyl albums and singles by going to a physical store and turning over hard earned cash or scrupulously saved pocket money. There was not the same degree of conspicuous consumption that exists in much of modern society today (though, needless to say, not all of it). Now, as part of the annual #ThrillerChallenge, held over two days this year (31 Oct – 1 Nov), Michael Jackson fans deliberately purchase physical or digital copies of the song in various formats and across multiple platforms, to redress the matter of its not having made #1 on Billboard’s singles chart back in 1984. It is a further testament to the popularity of not just the song, but of Michael himself, for whom the fans will, figurately speaking, move heaven and earth, which at this time of year, literally translates to elevating “Thriller’s” status on every chart applicable.
In the end, the proof of “Thriller’s” success as the most iconic Halloween themed song is in the statistics: the countless times it is played on radio, in clubs, pubs and parties around the world at this time of year. “Thriller” and its famous short film with its signature choreography (by Michael Peters), have become indispensable to any “celebration” of Halloween.[3] A perusal of post-October 31 social media posts and news feeds reveals “Thriller” dancers in zombie costumes in action around the world, some of them taking part in the annual “Thrill the World” synchronised international dance event.[4]
Casting a broad net over popular online streaming platforms reveals results that reflect the power of co-ordinated activities like the #ThrillerChallenge, particularly in Jackson’s (and Billboard’s) American homeland. The results this year show “Thriller” at number one on US iTunes, US Apple Music and US YouTube. On US Spotify it reached #3 and was the Top Halloween Anthem on that platform.[4] Not bad for an artist who has been deceased for 16 years and a track that was first released 43 years ago.
Given the failure of Billboard’s criteria to allow Jackson’s song to top its best Halloween songs of all time, and the predictable backlash from outraged readers, it’s not surprising the magazine offered fans an alternative opportunity – by offering an online poll. Even less surprising is the fact that “Thriller” not only topped that poll, but it also scored over 90% of the votes.[5]
Then, in the period following Halloween, during which the first “teaser trailer” for the Michael Jackson biopic film, Michael, was released, “Thriller” re-entered the top ten songs in Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. As noted by Variety magazine, “The posthumous milestone cements Jackson’s musical legacy: the 1982 classic amassed 14 million streams and a radio airplay audience of 9.3 million, according to Luminate.” This achievement made Jackson the first artist ever to score top 10 hits in six different decades: the 1970s, ’80s, ’90s, 2000s, 2010s and now the 2020s.[6]
Michael Jackson’s artistic achievements are the envy of those looking after other high profile legacy artists, a fact borne out again on this year’s Forbes magazine list of the highest earning deceased celebrities on which, at the top, there is Michael Jackson, “then an enormous canyon, then everybody else.”[7]
Kerry Hennigan
14 November 2025
Sources:
[1] Lynch, Joe. “The 25 Biggest Halloween Songs of All Time on the Hot 100.” Billboard. Online publication date: 20 Oct 2025. https://www.billboard.com/lists/biggest-halloween-songs-spooky-music-hits/
[2] O’Toole, Kit. Michael Jackson FAQ. Backbeat Books, 2015, p 233.
[3] Vogel, Joe. Essay. “Thriller” – Michael Jackson (1982). Added to the National Registry: 2007. Library of Congress. https://www.loc.gov/static/programs/national-recording-preservation-board/documents/Thriller–FINAL.pdf
[4] Thrill the World website https://thrilltheworld.com/
[5] Dailey, Hannah. “From ‘Thriller’ to ‘Monster Mash,’ which iconic hit Halloween song is your favourite? Vote!” 30 Oct 2025. https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/best-halloween-songs-poll-favorite-song-1236101683/
[6] Garcia, Thania. “Michael Jackson Becomes First Artist With Top 10 Hits in Six Decades as ‘Thriller’ Re-Enters Hot 100.” Variety/Yahoo!Life. 11 November 2005 https://au.lifestyle.yahoo.com/michael-jackson-becomes-first-artist-212956053.html
[7] Craig, Matt. “The Highest-Paid Dead Celebrities of 2025.” Forbes. 31 Oct 2025. https://www.forbes.com/sites/mattcraig/2025/10/31/the-highest-paid-dead-celebrities-of-2025/
Illustration: “dance, sing, scream…” compiled by Kerry Hennigan using PhotoScape X Pro software. No infringement of original photographic copyright is intended in this not for profit, educational exercise.