VIDEO: The Thriller Dance—A Worldwide Obsession

Since the landmark debut of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" video on MTV in 1983, the video's signature zombie dance has been repeated innumerable times, with innumerable variations, across the globe.

Who could forget, for example, when some 1,500 inmates from the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center in the Philippines took a break from their busy schedule of doing time in order to do the "Thriller" dance en masse? (See above.)

But those twinkle-toed jailbirds were far from the only ones to give "Thriller" their own unique spin. Below is a video review of some of the more thrilling interpretations.

Countless wedding receptions have been spiced up with a performance of the "Thriller" dance (a perhaps-odd choice, given the zombie overtones). Here's a particularly amusing example:

Jennifer Garner took a crack at the "Thriller" dance in the 2004 film 13 Going on 30. Watch Mrs. Ben Affleck bust a move below:

In April of this year, some 200-odd students at William & Mary set a world record for the most people doing the "Thriller" dance (apparently, the inmates in the Philippines didn't bother contacting the Guinness people). Check it out, history in the making!

It didn't take Bollywood long to put its own spin on "Thriller," as evidenced by this clip from the 1985 Indian film Donga:

Before they made headlines for other reasons, Chris Brown and Rihanna did it "Thriller"-style at a concert in Perth, Australia. Bone-chilling!

Have your say in the comments section: Have you ever done the "Thriller" dance, and if so under what circumstances?