“Looks like my sleep paralysis”: Fans react as Lady Gaga drops music video for ‘The Dead Dance’

Lady Gaga has unleashed her latest visual spectacle, “The Dead Dance,” and it’s anything but quiet. Released on September 3, 2025, the black-and-white video, directed by Tim Burton, drops us straight into a haunting world filled with dolls, decay, and dance. It’s eerie, stylish, and dripping with gothic energy, exactly what we’ve come to expect from Gaga at her most theatrical.

This isn’t just a music video. It’s a full-blown event. Part of the Netflix hit Wednesday Season 2’s second half, “The Dead Dance” ties into Gaga’s on-screen turn as Rosaline Rotwood, a legendary Nevermore teacher whose presence looms as large as the creepy dolls framing her in every shot.

Why Lady Gaga's “The Dead Dance” broke the internet

The buzz kicked off weeks before the drop. In late August, Gaga crashed the Wednesday Graveyard Gala in New York, announcing the song in a coffin-themed reveal and, yes, she did preview a snippet inside an actual coffin. It was viral before people even heard the full track.

Then came the video, filmed on Mexico’s eerie Island of the Dolls, directed by Burton in their first-ever collaboration, melding Lady Gaga’s theatrical pop with Burton’s macabre cinematography. The setting is perfect: porcelain-skinned Gaga surrounded by lifeless baby dolls, shifting from stark monochrome into bursts of color as the dance progresses, creepy yet mesmerizing.

A fan comment summed it up: “Finally, a music video that looks like my sleep paralysis.”

Another chimed in,

"i gagged the entire time only you can make us get excited about music videos again."

Someone else admitted, “I like the music, but the music video looks scary asf.”

And then the more existential critiques:

“I speak for everyone when I say no-one is listening.”

Others felt the vibe was simply too dark:

“Feels a little bit dark.”

It’s a perfect mix of fans thrilled with Lady Gaga’s bold aesthetic, some spooked by the gothic visuals, and a few pulling back to poke fun at how no one’s really paying attention beyond the spectacle. That blend of reactions, all authentic and unfiltered, is what sent discussions racing across social media.

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On Reddit, the conversation got even more layered. One user said the song’s “campy greatness” pays tribute to Lady Gaga’s iconic choreography even if it isn’t her strongest work. Another pointed out it fits the Halloween vibe, even if it may not be playlist-replay material yet.

What makes “The Dead Dance” more than a music video is how immediately it grabbed attention and how easily it sparked conversation. Lady Gaga turned a stunning visual and theatrical collaboration into a cultural moment, catalyzing everything from admiration to skepticism. In doing so, she reminded us why even in 2025 music videos still matter when crafted with flair, fearlessness, and a dash of fright.

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