Filmmaker Eddie Alcazar On Creating The Weeknd’s Surreal ‘Red Terror’—”An Experience That Pushes Boundaries”

EXCLUSIVE: The Weeknd is depicted as a curious toddler by filmmaker Eddie Alcazar (Divinity, The Vandal) in the new stop-motion short film Red Terroran accompaniment to the song of the same name off his latest album release Hurry Up Tomorrow. The video can be viewed above.

Alcazar created the nightmarish fantasy film concept following a conversation with the multi-Grammy Award-winning singer and actor who requested that “a boy in a haunted forest” be the story’s focal point. From idea to concept to final product took Alcazar about three to four months to complete.

“The creative freedom and time I had working with Abel allowed us to dive deep into raw themes and bold techniques. By blending live action, stop motion, and VFX, we’ve crafted something truly unique—an experience that pushes boundaries while staying rooted in raw emotion,” Alcazar told Deadline on Saturday following the project’s drop.

Alcazar is best known for his stop-motion creations, including his most recent feature Divinity (2023), a cosmic horror executive produced by his mentor, Steven Soderbergh, starring Stephen Dorff, Scott Bakula, Moises Arias, Jason Genao, Karrueche Tran and Bella Thorne. Additionally, he collaborated with Darren Aronofsky on the short film The Vandalstarring Bill Duke, which premiered at Cannes in 2021.

His work on The Vandal caught the attention of The Weeknd, born Abel Makkonen Tesfaye, leading to their two collaborations on Hurry Up Tomorrow.

In addition to Red TerrorAlcazar directed The Weeknd’s recent “Open Hearts” performance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! which aired just as his album dropped. The performance serves as a prequel to “Red Terror,” ending with The Weeknd following a toddler version of himself out into the forest.

“Abel’s music and work ethic are incredibly inspiring, and we were determined to create visuals that matched the richness and quality of his sound. Our ongoing conversations over the past few months kept unlocking new layers of detail, allowing us to expand and deepen the world we were building,” Alcazar shared.

He continued, “Stop motion is an intricate, painstaking craft—often considered a lost art—with animators averaging just five seconds of footage per day. Every frame demands meticulous attention, from the tiniest set adjustments to the subtlest character movements. I’m truly grateful that Abel trusted this process, embracing the slow, deliberate pace required to bring such handcrafted artistry to life on such a grand scale.”

Catch the Jimmy Kimmel Live! performance below.