The album caused controversy because of its violent cover art.[3] The cover was cited in 1978 in a congressional committee on domestic violence.[4] The inside of the album cover, in the fold out, is the same model stabbing a man in the back.[5]
^Suzanne Lacy Leaving Art: Writings on Performance, Politics, and Publics, 2010 p76 "Record Companies Drag Their Feet, record album covers revealed the iconography of violence as entertainment: Thriller, In Cold Blood, Warner Bros. record album cover"
^Emilio Viano Spouse abuse 1978-p514 "Cover for Cold Blood's album “Thriller.” nd. Romance novel parody. Amaulted, robbed, molested, unconscious woman is labeled a "thriller." She has fallen in a seductive position, with her skirt lifted. Her make-up is “a little too dark,” implying ..."
^Research Into Violent Behavior: Overview and Sexual Assaults ... United States. Congress. House. Committee on Science and Technology. Subcommittee on Domestic and International Scientific Planning, Analysis, and Cooperation - 1978 "Yet it's selling an album. This one — there's a whole ... The inside of the album cover, after you buy it, is a woman stabbing a man in the back. Again, it's the same model, ... This one is called "Cold Blood" by Thriller. The woman has obviously ..."