The influence of horror films has always played a crucial core to the figure known as The Weeknd. Since House of Balloons, callous references to the Nightmare on Elm Street were used to colour nightmarish stories of sex, drugs, and hedonism throughout his music, which has also lent itself in his videos. And by no coincidence either according to New York Times' Popcast who when talking about Abel's origins stated that "he and [Lamar Taylor, co-creator of XO's creative team] would make DIY "druggie horror films." The Weeknd himself has spoke on the influence of landmark horror and sci-fi auteurs such as John Carpenter, David Cronenberg, and Ridley Scott on his work and those influences in tandem with more obscure films, shots have worked their way in everything from "Starboy" to "The Zone."
The result being short-form cinematic pieces that allow Weeknd to explore a variety of different moods and concepts. Most noticeably, a visual obsession with the graphic depiction of self-destruction through burial, car accidents, suicide, asphyxiation amongst a backdrop of macabre and nightmarish scenarios. But to quote him once again: "I usually don't like to 'spoon feed' my audience because I grew up idolizing story tellers who tell stories using symbolism, so it was in my nature to do the same" and in the spirit of the Halloween season we picked the videos that fit best visually and thematically under the umbrella of horror and examined the possible influences and symbolism throughout.
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Wicked Games
The Zone
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Twenty Eight
Cant Feel My Face
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