The Weeknd’s new “Out of Time†video, which dropped this Tuesday, starts with a set of plausible scenarios. The Weeknd singing his own song at karaoke? Plausible. The Weeknd dating Squid Game star Jung Ho-yeon? Definitely plausible but far less desirable because then I’d have to battle him for her affections. The duo embarks on a rom-com date night that involves bringing a karaoke machine to a variety of unorthodox places: an elevator, a hotel bar, a lobby where the pair run around and trip over cords. But then the dulcet, ’80s-inspired beats of “Out of Time†warp and slow down, signifying that the video is about to devolve into something much more sinister.
Enter Jim Carrey, starring as the sleep-paralysis demon you see in the corner of your room at night. In an even darker, twistier parody of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Carrey delivers an eerie voice-over that alludes to wiping the Weeknd’s memories. He performs surgery on the singer’s face in a sterile hotel room and puts a mask over him — no, not the green one Carrey wore in The Mask — before subtly name-dropping “103.5 Dawn FM,†the title and concept of the Weeknd’s recent studio album released on January 7. The album is full of spoken-word appearances from Carrey, Quincy Jones, and even Josh Safdie. Carrey’s gonzo approach to radio advertisements will haunt your dreams for days.