The call went out for zombies - and they came. They came on bikes and on foot. From France, Korea and Corvallis. They came sporting wigs and mummy wrap, with black nail polish and lipstick. In Sigma Kappa hoodies and Homecoming 2009 T-shirts.

Some came for the music. Others came for the hip-hop moves. A few came to break a world record. Almost everyone came to pay tribute to the late Michael Jackson.

Unofficially, 638 dancers gathered at Reser Stadium at 6 p.m. Friday to recreate the iconic "Thriller" dance by Jackson, breaking the college record of 242 dancers held by William and Mary College in Virginia.

Carl Thomas came as the King of Pop. With his red Goodwill jacket, $10 Kmart jeans he'd dyed and a sequined glove his students had given him, Thomas paid tribute to the man whose music underscored his life.

"I'm a child of the '80s," said Thomas, an associate director of admissions at Oregon State University. "I've been trying to do Michael Jackson moves since I was 12 or 14."

Thomas had the moves down cold, but many people were trying the dance for the first time.

Brianne Kiso, a hip-hop instructor and a senior in sociology, helped organize the event, which was sponsored by the OSU Student Alumni Association. Dressed as a zombie with teased hair, torn clothes, fake bruises and blood, she led a 45-minute rehearsal, breaking the dance into sections and teaching it step-by-step.

"Claw! Claw!" she shouted, as she scratched the air in an exaggerated move from the video. The crowd caught on quickly, although laughter often punctuated the pauses in the music. In the back of the crowd, a group of exchange students from France laughed as they stumbled through the steps.

"C'est enorme," said Nadia Payet, a doctoral student in computer science from Reunion. "It's very much fun, and we love Michael Jackson. And for Halloween, it's perfect."

"Everyone loves zombies," Michelle Jordan said. "Everyone loves to get dressed up."

Jordan, a graduate student in mircrobiology, came with two other zombies, friends who work in the lab with her.

"Yes, oh my gosh, guys," Kiso shouted. "Group four killed it."

After a couple more practice runs, Kiso directed the crowd toward the field.

Two students with clickers took a hand count as the dancers passed through the gates. The zombies huddled like OSU football players, waiting to take the field.

Susan Downer, 64, was at the front of the crowd.

"I only came 15 minutes ago. I almost didn't get out of the car when I saw it was all college kids. I love Michael Jackson," she said. "I love to dance."

It would be her first time to perform the dance.

"I learned it last night," said Clint Khamsouk, a junior in apparel design.

Khamsouk came to pay tribute to Jackson.

"He's such an innovator. So creative," he said. "I wanted to give him a big performance. He's a big influence for us."

"Come on Thriller dancers," OSU Marching band director Brad Townsend called over the loudspeaker.

"Come on, dancers! The trombones are lonely."

The dancers filed onto the field and filled in the spaces between the lines of band members, 26 rows, a couple dozen deep.

On the first practice, the band members and the dancers were out of sync; they'd practiced different versions of the routine.

Townsend climbed the stadium steps for a better perspective.

"Band, follow along with them. Shoulders. Hands. Swimming. Monster. Raaah. Work that hair, trombones."

Time for the finale.

"Zombie poses," Townsend called.

With video cameras filming and flashes popping, a scattering of spectators cheered as the band and dancers performed. Not flawlessly, but enthusiastically.

When the music stopped, cheers erupted. Dancers and band members exchanged high-fives.

For Brittany Grymes, a freshman in pre-med, it was a dream come true.

"It was awesome," she said, her face flush and her zombie make-up running.

"Michael Jackson is ... was ... my dance idol. It was my life goal to learn the 'Thriller' dance."