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Michael Jackson’s Thriller has been added to the National Film Registry in the US.

The 1983 zombie feature is the first music video to enter the Library of Congress archive, which aims to safeguard films of major cultural importance.

Thriller, the groundbreaking film which helped to establish Michael Jackson as a global pop icon and has featured on many retro T-shirts, is among 25 new entrants to the registry.

Librarian of Congress James Billington said that the archive exists to help protect “America’s matchless film heritage and cinematic creativity”.

He added: “By preserving the nation’s films, we safeguard a significant element of our cultural patrimony and history.”

Other new films in the registry include Sidney Lumet’s bank heist thriller Dog Day Afternoon and Once Upon A Time in the West, Sergio Leone’s classic western from 1968.

Thriller was directed by John Landis and features Jackson turning into both a werewolf and a zombie over the course of its 14-minute running time.