Since The Weeknd is performing at the Super Bowl Halftime show, I thought it’d be nice to post a little guide to his discography for anyone interested in looking to do a deep dive into his work. I would’ve posted this the day of the event, but I assume that some people would probably like to go through it over the weekend.
This shares a direct overview of his released material, talking about his career and the background of the music, the videos, the meanings and all. I’ve written this from a pop perspective, keeping in mind that his history might be fairly new for general pop fans.
I also go into the storyline of the red suit character, if your interested in catching up on that narrative before the Halftime show (which will continue the story), I’ve listed the chronological order below followed by an explanation of that narrative.
I wanna be clear that the interpretations/theories are not conclusive. Abel rarely shares the metaphors or meanings behind his music. This is based on widely based on fan discussion/mutual interpretation. Fans can feel free to expand on anything in the comments.
It is important to know about Abel's backstory to get a certain perspective of where he’s coming from, especially when discussing the songs that deal with substance abuse. These recent articles cover his early years really well and share an up-to-date point of view of his success.
Variety 2020 Billboard 2021 - Also a good source for getting to know his team.
So, an essential
TL;DR is this: Abel Tesfaye came from a broken home, he was born to Ethiopian immigrant parents who split up when Tesfaye was less than seven. He then lived with his mother and grandmother, only rarely seeing his father but having a nice impression of him. His drug addiction started as soon as he was a high schooler, he turned to shoplifting to pay for this need of various substances. Soon he dropped out of high school, leaving his home the same weekend, which would later inspire his stage name, The Weeknd. The name is reference/homage to the weekend his life changed.
Quick side note, I didn’t think this post would nearly reach the character limit. So I’ve cut out excess detail and lists of producers (with the exception of After Hours since we’re in that era).
Table of contents - XO.
- House of Balloons.
- Thursday.
- Echoes of Silence.
- Trilogy.
- Kiss Land.
- King of the Fall.
- Beauty Behind The Madness.
- Starboy.
- My Dear Melancholy.
- After Hours.
XO.
XO is the record label that The Weeknd and co. created in order to publish the first mixtape (House of Balloons) and the ones that would follow afterwards. XO has a lot of meanings that have to do with what went into the music and what still goes into it. XO is what the fans call themselves, popularly with the phrase XO Till We OD (shortened to XOTWOD); another way of saying “we’re ride or die for The Weeknd and his team.”
While some argue that it could mean anything since there isn’t clear meaning to it, fans continue to associate the abbreviation with ecstasy (X) and oxycontin (O). That definition stems from XOTWOD, fans assume it’s true because of the team’s history of drug usage. While others take it as it’s classical definition “hugs and kisses” because of the consistent lyrical nature of The Weeknd’s songs.
Overtime the definition of XO is simply known as: the fans, the crew, and the label. The Weeknd is more than just one person, he comes with XO. For the sake of clarity in this writeup, I’m going to refer to his crew as XO and the fans as “the fans.”
XO still serves as a record label, the current roster is The Weeknd, Belly, Nav, and Black Atlass. It remains The Weeknd’s record label and was his first label before becoming a subsidiary of Republic Records.
Throughout his career, The Weeknd has worked with Illangelo, a Canadian producer who’s work the fans adore. Carlo “Illangelo” Montagnese was one of main the producers on The Weeknd’s Trilogy, he’s credited on each track. The fan base claims his work to be some of the most notable artistry in The Weeknd’s discography. Their work together continued with Beauty Behind The Madness, Illangelo worked on seven tracks for that album. He then returned for After Hours working on another seven tracks.
DaHeala, another Canadian producer, is another significant factor in The Weeknd’s music. Jason “DaHeala” Quenneville worked as lead producer on Kiss Land. He returned to work on six tracks for The Weeknd’s Beauty Behind The Madness, including the hit Earned It. DaHeala returned as a writer for six of the songs on Starboy. Then DaHeala worked on nine After Hours tracks, and worked as the only producewriter alongside The Weeknd for bonus tracks Missed You and Final Lullaby.
House of Balloons.
Didn't wanna make this NSFW, so here's the super clean edited cover This is a happy house. We’re happy here. (House of Balloons/Glass Table Girls)
One of the most iconic title tracks of all time. House of Balloons is about a lifestyle of drugs, sex, and partying; all in effort to drown out self-doubt. It comes from a place of wanting to make it big while doing what you can to survive, all while pretending everything’s alright. The mixtape describes various sorts of women, how they’ve had impacted the life of someone who’s already down on his luck.
Fans often refer to House of Balloons as The Weeknd’s best work. The mixtape was the first introduction the world got of XO, and it was one hell of a way to make an impression. It’s personal for the fans and Abel because it’s the only piece of work known to be based on his life. At the end of the day he’s a songwriter, with many of his albums he creates scenarios and world that he likes to explore through the music. But House of Balloons is known to be based entirely on his life. It remains The Weeknd’s most critically acclaimed work.
House of Balloons was crafted through the influences of Hip-Hip/Indie-Rock with the main focus on R&B. Through the genius of Ilangelo, the record was—and is—mesmerizing capturing the essence of a lifestyle that The Weeknd described as “anti-everything.”
House of Balloons assisted The Weeknd in gaining the attention of Republic Records, which would then host The Weeknd’s own label XO. Though hesitant at first, XO decided to partner with Republic after the co-founding brothers Monte and Avery Lipman kept coming back to Toronto solely for The Weeknd.
House of Balloons received three videos, The Knowing, Wicked Games and Twenty Eight. The Knowing was the very first video The Weeknd made, so of course it’d be something other-worldly; it essentially reflects the song itself but in a sci-fi setting. Twenty Eight represents Abel’s life after fame but also his remorse of letting captivating women into his life.
Fun fact— House of Balloons is an actual place in Toronto, it was where him and his crew lived after he dropped out of high school. They’d host parties, call girls, do drugs, and to make it less depressing they’d fill it with balloons.
Thursday.
Valerie on the cover Welcome to the other side. (Life of the Party)
Thursday consists of the same themes as HoB; sex and drugs. But there’s a twist, he’s in a semi-relationship with this girl Valerie. She’s the only one on his mind, even though they meet only one day of the week, any guesses on what day that could be? Through The Weeknd’s phenomenal voice and the insane production, we’re also presented with this story of a toxic relationship where Valerie used to have the upper hand but she no longer does when she falls for The Weeknd.
While Thursday isn’t entirely about the relationship of The Weeknd and Valerie, it consists of reflections to Abel’s life after the release of House of Balloons. The song Rolling Stone notably has a double meaning, in which Abel asks his fans if they’ll stick with him when he gets mainstream appeal and decides to change his sound.
The track Valerie wasn’t on the original release of Thursday, it added when Trilogy was released. Ending the mixtape with Heaven or Las Vegas meant that The Weeknd’s actions with and without Valerie were a result of his fatherless childhood, making him push anyone away. That meaning behind Thursday doesn’t change when Valerie is added to the track list, it just means that both want the toxic relationship back.
The Zone (feat. Drake) was the first feature The Weeknd had on any of his work, the video for it was released in November of 2012. Rolling Stone had also received a video in October of 2012. Both were directed by The Weeknd and reflect the two different aspects of Thursday. The Zone has Valerie living it up in the House of Balloons. And Rolling Stone has The Weeknd doing a photoshoot for Trilogy, reflective of the song itself.
Fun Fact— the female voice heard in Lonely Star is The Weeknd’s, he pitched his voice to make it sound like a woman’s.
Echoes of Silence.
Diana on the cover Laisse tomber les filles. Un jour c'est toi qu'on laissera. [Leave the girls alone. One day it’ll be you they will leave.] (Montreal)
Out of a dark introductory into the early life of The Weeknd, Echoes of Silence is the darkest work of his Trilogy. Let’s be honest the story here isn’t entirely ethical at times but makes for one hell of a mixtape.
Similar to Thursday, Echoes of Silence follows a storyline. After accumulating success, The Weeknd gains the attention of various women. There was this one woman (D.D.) who he liked but she initially rejected him (Montreal). The woman came back to him for his fame status and evidently fell in love with him (Outside), but now that he’s got the upper hand he treats him like a groupie (XO/The Host) and lets... bad things happen to her; she’s gotta pass a test before she can get with him. This test is either drugs or his crew (Initiation). He ultimately tells this woman that he’s not exactly longterm-relationship material, perhaps because her love is temporary (Same Old Song), because he’s Next. With the end of Echoes of Silence (originally ending on the title track) the listener is left to wonder why The Weeknd left her if he’d simply want her to stay.
As a side note— Initiation should not be condoned. It remains true that The Weeknd is a songwriter and the progression of time has changed perspectives. But a song that makes such suggestions as Initiation should not be ethically/morally claimed or celebrated.
The mixtape follows The Weeknd’s lifestyle after he’s gained all this success, he’s still the same person but now he’s gotten everything he wanted. Some tracks such as The Fall continue to emphasize his journey into stardom and his acceptance of fame being temporary. With the added Till Dawn (Here Comes The Sun), The Weeknd acknowledges the changes in his life, realizing that the old lifestyle is no longer there for him or his past lovers.
Echoes of Silence is known as an underrated gem of The Weeknd’s discography, it’s well received by fans and critically acclaimed but often brushed under the rug in discussion of his work. A lot of fans and casual listeners play the mixtapes through Trilogy rather than their respective albums. This often leads to people not playing EoS either at all or only the first few tracks, this is predominantly due to the nature of the compilation being nearly three hours long.
Fun fact— D.D. is a cover of Michael Jackson’s iconic Dirty Diana. Fans have named the woman in Echoes of Silence Diana because of this track. Various theories argue that the mixtape itself is based on the Dirty Diana itself with exaggerations of the truth, or whether or not it’s a story The Weeknd crafted based on the song.
Trilogy.
Rolling Stone video doubled as a shoot You don’t know what’s in store. (High For This.)
Trilogy is a compilation of The Weeknd’s mixtapes, House of Balloons, Thursday, and Echoes of Silence. These three mixtapes were released 3-4 months apart from one another for free digital download in 2011, they gained quite a lot of attention from various industry executives.
Prior to the release of Trilogy, The Weeknd featured on Drake’s Take Care with Crew Love. The song was Abel’s first exposure to a Rap crowd/Rap fans, more people began listening to his music after the release of Take Care. The Weeknd then featured on Wiz Khalifa’s Remember You, which served as the second single off Wiz Khalifa’s O.N.I.F.C. Following those two releases, The Weeknd released Wicked Games as the first single off Trilogy.
Trilogy was formed after The Weeknd came under Republic Records’ management. The compilation album reached a debut/peak position of 4 on the Billboard 200 while reaching number one on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. It’s a well received album with the highlight said to be House of Balloons, which arguably went on to influence various sorts of R&B music of the 2010s.
Videos for Trilogy Kiss Land.
Iconic I went from starin' at the same four walls for 21 years. To seein' the whole world in just 12 months. (Kiss Land)
Kiss Land is based on The Weeknd’s tour life. Visiting unfamiliar places gave Abel horror movie vibes. A guy who used to own the city (Toronto) he lived in is now a small fish in the ocean of the entire world. The Weeknd’s first studio album was a great introduction into the sound he would soon get well acquainted with.
While continuing the R&B sound with the essence of Dark Wave, the album explores emptiness and regret throughout the lyrics—or what pop fans could categorize as dark pop—. The Japanese aesthetic used for various videos and the single covers/booklet reflects the themes of feeling overwhelmed by such a loud world that there’s no point in being if you don’t belong.
The album explores the real-world and the women in it as well as regrets regarding past actions, namely letting go of women who could’ve been the one in Adaptation. The Weeknd attempts to find that satisfaction in other women and past lovers, but accidentally falls for a sex worker in Belong To The World. With Wanderlust he accepts and expresses that love in the modern world isn’t entirely possible. While continuing to tour the world he enjoys these new experiences with XO (Live For feat. Drake), as well as the new women in his life (Kiss Land). And when he’s back home, he accepts the loss of the relationship he cherished.
Kiss Land debuted and peaked at number two on the Billboard 200. It was fairly acclaimed but gained a massive cult following. There were four videos for made for the album, the title track, Belong To the World, Live For (feat. Drake), and Pretty. Those four songs received interesting visuals that kept up with their respective themes while Belong To the World/Kiss Land got visuals that matched the aesthetic of the album. To this day fans ask Abel for a part two to the horror-movie-inspired album after he said it’s the only album he would have a sequel for.
Videos for Kiss Land Fun Fact— The video for Kiss Land on YouTube is an extremely edited version of the actual video shot for the song. The directors cut further explores the erotic-horror themes if the album.
King of the Fall.
King of the Fall 2020 cover (even though I talk about three other songs here) Driving by the streets we used to walk through like a triumph. (King of the Fall)
These next few song were released between the Kiss Land and Beauty Behind the Madness era. Some fans would classify them as part of the Beauty Behind the Madness era—I’d say the same tbh—but they stand apart on the basis of success and acclaim. It’s a transition between The Weeknd being an underrated R&B musician to being a mainstream artist with massive recognition and appreciation.
The first of these four songs is King of the Fall. A fan favourite and a standout in The Weeknd’s discography. This is one of The Weeknd’s few Rap tracks, it gained a lot of attention within the Rap sphere. It was the way in which XO would announce that they’ve made it, little did they know that this was just the start.
Prior to the release of Beauty Behind the Madness (BBTM), The Weeknd gained mainstream attention. The Weeknd’s exposure to mainstream music was uphill, it wasn’t overnight. The first taste of BBTM came from Often, a song that reflected the themes of sex that Abel was known for. The track was released more than a year before BBTM’s release and had made it onto the trackless unlike King of the Fall. Slowly but surely The Weeknd gained exposure, his main sources of exposure were through a collaboration and a soundtrack.
Most pop fans heard about The Weeknd through his hit collaboration with Ariana Grande, Love Me Harder. The collab was made through Republic when The Weeknd said he wanted more than what he had gotten through Kiss Land. Ariana and Abel had formed a real bond cough The Hills cough, their bond assisted the song in becoming a memorable hit for both artists. Love Me Harder was a top ten hit on the Billboard Hot 100.
Later that year, The Weeknd was featured on the Fifty Shades of Grey soundtrack with Earned It, as well as Where You Belong. Earned It became a massive hit peaking at 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and receiving an Oscar nomination for The Weeknd; a massive milestone for XO. Earned It kept up with Abel’s signature lyrics but the production differed heavily from the sort of R&B he was known for.
Videos from that era Beauty Behind the Madness.
I can hear this image I'm that ***** with the hair singin' 'bout poppin' pills, fuckin' bitches, livin' life so trill. (Tell Your Friends)
Following the success of Love Me Harder and Earned It, the Beauty Behind the Madness era began with The Hills. This was The Weeknd’s first number one on the Billboard Hot 100. Along with the video, The Hills became an addictive classic. The production and lyrics mirror a mature version of the sound that was originally found on Trilogy. It was truly in keeping with The Weeknd’s character, the only difference was his haircut.
Next came Can’t Feel My Face, a Max Martin production that differed greatly from anything The Weeknd put out in the past. In past songs, Abel had expressed his fear of losing his following if he went mainstream simultaneously asking his fans if they’d stay. He repeats that sentiment in the Can’t Feel My Face video. The sound has changed, the lyrics stay the same but now he’s a pop-star. The song became a hit as it reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100. With this massive bop previous fans still stayed, The Weeknd becoming a pop singer didn’t at all alter his image or sound; he mastered it.
In The Night and Acquainted were released as singles on the same day, the were the only singles to come after the release of Beauty Behind The Madness. The former received a music video treatment that followed the theme of the song itself while also starring Abel’s girlfriend at the time, Bella Hadid. Acquainted was robbed of a video even though Abel had shown off the fact that a video was in development; the song kept in the tone of The Weeknd’s work prior to BBTM.
Beauty Behind the Madness captures a Hollywood-based reality that The Weeknd came to understand: the dark aspects of your life will continue to follow you wherever you are. Real Life, Losers (feat. Labrinth), Tell Your Friends, Dark Times (feat. Ed Sheeran), and Prisoner (feat. Lana Del Rey) all capture a nihilistic view of a dream achieved.
Most of the videos of Beauty Behind The Madness have a mysterious white man. He’s featured in The Hills, Can’t Feel My Face, and Tell Your Friends. That man represents the devil. Throughout his journey in those videos, (The Hills) Abel runs into the devil after his car crash, (Can’t Feel My Face) he’s at the club then lights him on fire. The significance behind the fire could be selling his soul to the devil, BBTM is about Hollywood and a popular Hollywood myth is that celebrities sell their souls to the devil in exchange for fame. So in the Can’t Feel My Face video, Abel changes his sound to Pop (from R&B) thus leaving his signature sound in order to become famous, everyone starts enjoying his music once he’s sold his soul.
Then we see The Weeknd burying himself in Tell Your Friends, perhaps leaving the old Abel behind after the deal with the devil. However, instead of thanking the devil, Abel takes his revenge and shoots him. But wait, there’s more! The album trailer for BBTM features the devil burning a billboard with The Weeknd’s face on it, revealing Beauty Behind The Madness. HOWEVER, the final cut for the video features the devil being arrested while The Weeknd watches. This is a more realistic form of karma that the devil gets.
Videos for BBTM Starboy.
Filled with bops If I could, I'd trade it all, trade it for a halo. And she said that she'll pray for me, I said, "It's too late for me.” (Ordinary Life)
After the massive success of Beauty Behind the Madness, there was a lot of hype around what The Weeknd would do next; evidently he decided to explore Pop. The fandom he had gained wasn’t entirely based in the Pop sphere, his fans consisted of general Rap fans, but Starboy attracted the Pop audience.
Initially, most of his older fans couldn’t get behind Starboy, it differed greatly from the previous sound. It was crazy to think that the guy who made Trilogy managed to make such a Pop-centric album. But this was Abel expressing his versatility.
Since this is where most pop fans found out about Abel’s work and became fans I won’t talk too much about the singles, rather more about the album itself. His work with Daft Punk cemented this album in an efficient mix between Pop and R&B, where Beauty Behind the Madness was more R&B with Pop, Starboy was considered Pop with R&B.
Beyond the genres, Starboy explores two evident themes. One being his life with fame and recognition. The next being his love life in Hollywood, this aspect of the album came from his relationship with Bella Hadid which ended after the release of the album.
The cross became the symbol for that era and appeared in the album’s photoshoot as well as the videos. There was never any conclusive word on the use of the cross but there are various theories about it, something to note is that Abel was raised Christian, it could perhaps be a reflection of his past.
The cross he uses to destroy his accolades (Starboy video) is assisting him rather than something that’s holding him back. Abel’s upbringing was rough but now he’s celebrating it rather than feeling bad for himself. The cross continues to come up in the Party Monster video, this time it’s in the party house he’s making his way through. Then it shows up in the video for Reminder, this time in the form of his merch, the people wearing it are perhaps representative of his fans. Then we see it in the False Alarm video, both Abel and the girl are wearing it; the notable thing being that Abel holds his cross up before dying. Then in the brilliant video for Secrets, after giving up on the girl he’s with he leaves the building to find a giant cross. And finally in the I Feel It Coming video, The Weeknd sports a shiny cross necklace, and Daft Punk find it years and years after Abel froze.
The videos tell us that the cross is an evident piece of his story. This could mean that his past will always be with him, no matter what sort of fame he’s experiencing he’ll always be who he once was.
Also, I’m gonna take this moment to once again the genius that is the Secrets (both the song and the video). Yes it’s my favourite song/video off of Starboy but it’s so underrated.
Videos for Starboy, Secrets video bottom right Fun Fact— Most demos of the tracks on Starboy weren’t as pop as they became, they started off R&B but became pop after production.
My Dear Melancholy.
Note the comma They said our love is just a game, I don't care what they say. But I'ma drink the pain away, I'll be back to my old ways. (Privilege)
Oof (but in a good way, this whole thing is a bop). For this one I’m gonna talk extensively about The Weeknd’s relationships, which personally feels really invasive but it’s but it’s essential when talking about these sad boy anthems. Beyond that I’d just like to state that though they are part of the narrative both Bella Hadid and Selena Gomez deserve respect/privacy.
So when it comes to Pop music fans I think it’s safe to say that we all know a lot about this one. My Dear Melancholy (MDM) came after the very public relationship of The Weeknd and Selena Gomez. However it’s not just about Selena, some songs reflect his relationship with Bella Hadid (whom he got back with a month after MDM’s release).
My Dear Melancholy consists with The Weeknd’s exploration/mastery of merging Pop and R&B together. The EP was praised by fans for its lyrics and production, many went on to theorize that it was his most personal project since House of Balloons. The EP was the shortest album to reach number one on the Billboard 200.
My Dear Melancholy and fan conspiracies; name a better duo. The first theory being that the EP is entirely about Selena Gomez which wasn’t too much of a mystery since the lyric “I almost cut a piece of myself for your life” exists. Not only did MDM come after Abel’s relationship with Selena Gomez but also after his relationship with Bella Hadid. As far as fans were aware those two relationships were the most important relationships Abel had ever been in.
In theory, the songs about Bella and Selena can be categorized. Call Out My Name, Try Me, and Privilege are likely about Selena. Wasted Times, and Hurt You are likely about Bella. Leaving I Was Never There to act as an introspective look into The Weeknd’s life, basically making him hop back on his vices for comfort.
Another popular theory was that My Dear Melancholy was the first of another trilogy. This rumour was widely believed due to the comma at the end of the title on the album cover. But the fans soon gained a real reason to believe this theory, since the CEO of XO (the record label), Sal had liked an Instagram post that featured the cover and alleged date. Since Trilogy is a fan favourite this conspiracy spread like wild fire, so much so that fake titles and covers were made. The name of this trilogy would be: (1)My Dear Melancholy, (2)We’re Alone Together, (3)Abel.
Only one song served as a single for the EP. Call Out My Name was released nearly two months prior to the actual release of the album, it debuted/peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100. The mysterious video captures The Weeknd in various atmospheric places that reflect the tone of the EP, a haunting yet unexplained reality that the listener is to reflect on.
From the cover, to the music, to the video, to lyrics, My Dear Melancholy is an introspective reflection of heartbreak.
Call out my name video After Hours.
Talented, Brilliant, Incredible, etc. My darkest hours. (After Hours)
After Hours comes after success but references two lows in The Weeknd’s life. The album welcomes darkness and leads the listener towards a dead-end. The Weeknd’s past two albums (Beauty Behind The Madness and Starboy) ended on hopeful notes, they left the listener with a sense of hope but all hope his lost with After Hours.
Fans compare After Hours to House of Balloons—a rare occurrence considering House of Balloons’ acclaim—arguing that both albums are on the same level. Debate continues on whether or not both albums are on the same caliber. The belief that After Hours stems from reality does a lot to help its side of the argument.
The era began with Mercedes-Benz commercial that featured Blinding Lights, that was our first taste of the everlasting bop. Heartless was premiered on an episode of Memento Mori hours before its release on the 27 of November (2019), Blinding Lights was released two days later. Both videos were as brain melting as promised and the served as the tip of the iceberg.
After Hours was released nine days after COVID-19 was declared a pandemic, there was a massive risk in releasing an album that would not have a lot of promotion after it’s release (other than magazine coverage). There was no telling whether or not people would pay attention to the album during the height of the fear surrounding the pandemic, but it was a massive success. After Hours debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, with singles Heartless and Blinding Lights topping the Billboard Hot 100.
The album is layered with haunting productions that remains predominantly R&B but dives deep into Pop with some of the tracks. Max Martin produced the massive hit Blinding Lights as well as In Your Eyes, Save Your Tears, Hardest to Love, and Scared to Live which samples Elton John’s Your Song. Other notable producers include Metro Boomin who worked on the hit Heartless as well as Escape from LA, Faith, and Until I Bleed Out. With Kevin Parker on the interlude Repeat After Me.
Beyond the production are the narrative driven lyrics. In theory the album references two significant events in Abel’s life, his second breakup with Bella Hadid and his arrest in Las Vegas. The latter was due to his misbehaviour; in January 2015 he punched a cop in Vegas, lmao. Which means that After Hours is a recollection of The Weeknd’s first few years in LA. He merges the concept of his breakup with the idea of being an upcoming star, feeling free in the city of lights all while diving deep into the meaninglessness of those lights.
While After Hours starts with loneliness and a second chance it leads up to Abel returning to his vices of lust. In Alone Again his loneliness caught up to him and he’s asking for a second chance. He acknowledges his mistakes and situation in Too Late/Hardest to Love, in Scared to Live his ex then returns to him for a second time. He remembers his past ways in Snowchild and the way in which it lead to better days, but where do you go after such highs? In Escape From LA he faces the superficial reality of Hollywood, glad that he got that he got back with his ex, while continuing to question if it’s worth it. But he fucks up the second chance when she pulls up to the studio.
Who is she? Much like the other mysteries surrounding The Weeknd’s music, we may never know. Is it all more of The Weeknd’s songwriting ability or is it driven by reality? Fans found a merge between the two to be more accurate, After Hours is about heartbreak and a return to the vices that held The Weeknd back.
Heartless is when The Weeknd is once again back to his ways, he may have been in a serious relationship but after throwing that away he spirals back to the way he once was. It’s sad but it’s one hell of a song. Speaking of brilliant songs, Faith is when Abel admits that he’s back on his vices, he states that he needs his ex back with him till the end; he’s back to self-loathing.
So when he says he’s blinded by the lights, there’s two meanings to it. The Faith outro tells us that he’s in a car with flashing lights, a cop car (as confirmed by Abel) to be exact. Then Blinding Lights tells us that while he’s watching the bright lights of Vegas pass him by he calls out for the girl that he regrets losing. That is the peak of the After Hours narrative. He’s behaving badly over the loss of the girl he loved and is now at the worst position trying to find her and gain her trust for a third time.
Following Blinding Lights is In Your Eyes, this is where The Weeknd vows not to judge her; he can see right through her but will never do anything to make her upset. Does this mean their back together? Not exactly. Save Your Tears details a sort of moving-on that The Weeknd isn’t ready for but tries to help her move on, blind to his own inability to move on. Does it work? Not really. Repeat After Me (Interlude) shows that he’s still trying to convince himself that he’s unfazed by the loss of a meaningful relationship.
Then you hear a true masterpiece. The title track is a spiral into true regret and an apology for his actions, he admits that his ex girlfriend is the only reason he lives. In a dark lonely city she’s the only one keeping him sane. But his pleas fail, Until I Bleed Out is when The Weeknd no longer wants her in his life so much so that he wants to erase his memory of anything related to her. The bonus tracks then echo the final sentiment.
It’s one sad ass album, ain’t it. But here’s where the Red Suit Character comes in.
Shoutout to the makeup department The album isn’t the only narrative to follow with After Hours. The videos for the album follow their own sort of narrative. The story follows an unnamed guy that goes by “red suit character” according to The Weeknd.
There’s a lot of confusion and endless theories surrounding this character’s story, after The Weeknd confirmed that it’s about a decent into Hollywood culture it makes more sense… kind of. I’m gonna discuss the storyline without talking about the movies that have influenced it, this way the focus remains on the character.
The order of these videos is
Heartless /
Blinding Lights /
Blinding Lights (Live on Kimmel)* /
After Hours short film /
In Your Eyes /
Until I Bleed Out /
Snowchild /
Too Late /
Live at AMAs* /
Save Your Tears *Though all live performances could count as part of the narrative, these one relate directly with the videos that follow.
He’s is first seen in Vegas with Metro Boomin (Heartless), intoxicated on various substances. He dives deeper into his high until he licks a frog, after that he faces the true effects of this high. He’s frightened by the result and runs far away from Vegas. (Blinding Lights) He’s then found in LA, where he’s dancing in the street, hypnotized by the singer, beat up by guards, and races past all those bright lights in his Benz. Ultimately realizing the shallowness of the Los Angeles fantasy.
(Blinding Lights Live on Kimmel) We then find him performing Blinding Lights live, while he attempts to find more reason in within the madness city; he couldn’t find it on the streets so he goes to the stage. (After Hours short film) Even then there’s no meaning to anything in the city, he mindlessly wanders into the depth of the subway where he’s dragged by the reality of it all and ends up possessed. (In Your Eyes) After being possessed he chases the woman whose boyfriend he just murdered, she runs into a club falls deeper into the After Hours fantasy, in a successful attempt to defend herself she beheads the red suit character and dances all over LA with his head, iconic behaviour.
(Until I Bleed Out) Then in an ethereal dreamscape, red suit character finds himself in a House of Balloons. He’s trying to escape, but the people there keep pulling him in; he’s getting higher while observing Glass Table Girls. He spirals into the antarctic, the other side of the world. From Heatless to this point in his story, his vices lead him back to the lowest point in Abel’s life. Is it Hell, Heaven or Las Vegas? (Snowchild) He relives his career up until the point where his story began. Considering he’s dead, his life basically flashed before his eyes.
(Too Late) LA girls find the red suit character’s head and live their best life. They wanna have sex with him so they find the best boy parts by calling up a stripper who could be the body. The stitch the head up with the body and do what they want. But now he’s brought back to life. (Live at AMAs) He’s had work done… He went in to get his nose fixed and the doctor said “you sure that’s all you want?” The red suit character’s face is healing while he tries to celebrate his life on top of a bridge.
(Save Your Tears) Surrounded by a masked cult he debut’s his new face. Do they like it? Are they impressed? Not instantly, their masks translate no expression so how’s he to know? Is any of this worth it? Nope red suit character continues to die inside. He finds a maskless girl in the crowd, she’s lively unlike the rest; but even then, nothing on the inside nothing on the outside. He wants death again, somehow a second chance with this city is still pointless. He tries to kill himself via the girl and himself but it’s all a facade; theatrics.
His story continues but that’s all we know so far.
The videos make a lot of film references. This post by explain these references very well, as well as past album references here (part one) and here (part two).
After Hours is inspired by a lot of movies, since Abel is in fact a cinephile. The main movies that inspired the aesthetic and storytelling are believed to be Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998), Casino (1995), Joker (2019), Uncut Gems (2020), and After Hours (1985). The album tells two sad narratives but remains one of The Weeknd’s best works yet. He’s expanded his videography and enhanced the interest of people who casually enjoy his music and of course his fans.
But the era isn’t over, by the time this is posted his Super Bowl Halftime show is yet to happen. And it’ll continue the red suit character’s story.
Videos for After Hours (so far) Fun Fact—The Heartless video features a reference to Thursday. When he’s trying to run from Vegas, a sign behind him flashes “Heartless / Heaven or Las Vegas.” This could be a reference to Abel running from his past, after all Heartless is about him returning to his vices.
END.
Thank you for reading this, again, I didn’t realize it would end up being this long. But I hope this this served as a nice refresher for any fans who wanted to revisit Abel’s work before the Super Bowl.
And I really hope that anyone interested in getting into his music finds this helpful. Once again, the theories/interpretations mentioned aren’t conclusive, they’re widely based on fan discussion/mutual interpretation.
Due to the character limit I couldn’t add too links to the albums, so here are some artist links.
Apple Music |
Spotify |
YouTube |
The Weeknd’s Shop |
Tidal |
Genius Every Monday from 8:00 p.m. till just after the sun comes up.
Thursday, October 01, 2020
(12:00 AM) (drama) Up The Down Staircase (1967/124 m/Robert Mulligan)
(2:15 AM) (comedy) Our Miss Brooks (1956/85 m/Al Lewis)
(4:00 AM) (drama)The Corn Is Green (1945/114 m/Irving Rapper)
(6:00 AM) (comedy) Girl He Left Behind (1956/103 m/David Butler)
(8:00 AM) (war) Lafayette Escadrille (1958/93 m/William A. Wellman)
(9:45 AM) (comedy) Dondi (1961/100 m/Albert Zugsmith)
(11:30 AM) (epic) The Shoes of the Fisherman (1968/162 m/Michael Anderson)
(2:15 PM) (crime) Ring of Fire (1961/91 m/Andrew L. Stone)
(4:00 PM) (suspense) Twenty Plus Two (1961/103 m/Joseph M. Newman)
(5:45 PM) (horror) Marooned (1969/129 m/John Sturges)
(8:00 PM) (drama) La Strada (1954/108 m/Federico Fellini)
(10:00 PM) (romance) Two for the Road (1967/111 m/Stanley Donen)
Friday, October 02, 2020
(12:00 AM) (romance) Dodsworth (1936/101 m/William Wyler)
(2:00 AM) (documentary) The Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress (1944/40 m/Lt. Col. William Wyler)
(3:00 AM) (drama) Black Girl (1966/60 m/Ousmane Sembene)
(4:15 AM) (drama) The Music Room (1958/99 m/Satyajit Ray)
(6:00 AM) (comedy) Go West (1940/80 m/Edward Buzzell)
(7:45 AM) (comedy) The Big Store (1941/83 m/Charles Riesner)
(9:30 AM) (comedy) Double Dynamite (1951/81 m/Irving Cummings)
(11:00 AM) (comedy) Girl In Every Port (1952/86 m/Chester Erskine)
(12:30 PM) (comedy) A Day at the Races (1937/109 m/Sam Wood)
(2:30 PM) (comedy) At the Circus (1939/87 m/Edward Buzzell)
(4:15 PM) (comedy) A Night at the Opera (1935/91 m/Sam Wood)
(6:00 PM) (epic) The Story of Mankind (1957/100 m/Irwin Allen)
(8:00 PM) (horror) Dracula (1931/74m/Tod Browning)
(9:30 PM) (suspense) Cat People (1942/73 m/Jacques Tourneur)
(11:00 PM) (horror) House on Haunted Hill (1958/75 m/William Castle)
Saturday, October 03, 2020
(12:30 AM) (horror) The Haunting (1963/112 m/Robert Wise)
(3:45 AM) (premiere) Wigstock: The Movie (1995/85 m/Barry Shils)
(5:15 AM) (short) The Relaxed Wife (1957/13 m/?)
(5:15 AM) (short) Time Out for Trouble (1961/19m/David S. Glidden)
(6:00 AM) (comedy) Million Dollar Baby (1941/101 m/Curtis Bernhardt)
(8:00 AM) (premiere) MGM CARTOONS: The Peachy Cobbler (1950/7 m/Fred (Tex) Avery)
(8:08 AM) (short) Phonies Beware! (1956/8 m/Larry O'Reilly)
(8:17 AM) (short) Night Life in Chicago (1948/9 m/?)
(8:27 AM) (premiere) Arctic Fury (1949/61 m/Norman Dawn)
(9:30 AM) (premiere) THE WILD WEST DAYS: Redskins’ Revenge (1937/?/?)
(10:00 AM) (premiere) POPEYE: Baby Wants a Bottleship (1942/7 m/Dave Fleischer)
(10:08 AM) (adventure) Safari Drums (1953/71 m/Ford Beebe)
(11:30 AM) (documentary) Alaska Lifeboat (1956/21 m/Herbert Morgan)
(12:00 PM) (drama) The Prince and the Pauper (1937/118 m/William Keighley)
(2:15 PM) (crime) Key Largo (1948/100 m/John Huston)
(4:15 PM) (drama) The Defiant Ones (1958/96 m/Stanley Kramer)
(6:00 PM) (romance) The Thomas Crown Affair (1968/102 m/Norman Jewison)
(8:00 PM) (epic) Lawrence of Arabia (1962/227 m/David Lean)
Sunday, October 04, 2020
(12:00 AM) (crime) Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950/95 m/Otto Preminger)
(2:00 AM) (western) Across the Wide Missouri (1951/78 m/William Wellman)
(3:30 AM) (musical) On An Island With You (1948/108 m/Richard Thorpe)
(5:30 AM) (short) Inflation (1942/17 m/Cy Endfield)
(6:00 AM) (romance) The Last of Mrs. Cheyney (1937/98 m/Richard Boleslawski)
(7:45 AM) (romance) Humoresque (1946/124 m/Jean Negulesco)
(10:00 AM) (crime) Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950/95 m/Otto Preminger)
(12:00 PM) (comedy) Mr. Belvedere Goes to College (1949/83 m/Elliott Nugent)
(1:30 PM) (comedy) The Women (1939/133 m/George Cukor)
(4:00 PM) (musical) Bye Bye Birdie (1963/112 m/George Sidney)
(6:00 PM) (documentary) The Great Buster: A Celebration (2018/101 m/Peter Bogdanovich)
(8:00 PM) (silent) Sherlock Jr. (1924/46 m/Buster Keaton)
(9:00 PM) (silent) The General (1927/79 m/Buster Keaton)
(10:30 PM) (silent) Steamboat Bill Jr. (1928/71 m/Charles F. Reisner)
Monday, October 05, 2020
(12:00 AM) (silent) Seven Chances (1925/57 m/Buster Keaton)
(2:00 AM) (drama) Viridiana (1961/91 m/Luis Buñuel)
(3:45 AM) (drama) The Exterminating Angel (1962/92 m/Luis Buñuel)
(5:30 AM) (documentary) MGM Parade Show #5 (1955/26 m/?)
(6:00 AM) (musical) Roberta (1935/106 m/William A. Seiter)
(8:00 AM) (musical) Fashions of 1934 (1934/78 m/William Dieterle)
(9:30 AM) (drama) Stolen Holiday (1937/80 m/Michael Curtiz)
(11:00 AM) (comedy) Designing Woman (1957/118 m/Vincente Minnelli)
(1:00 PM) (comedy) Made in Paris (1966/103 m/Boris Sagal)
(2:45 PM) (romance) A Place for Lovers (1969/88 m/Vittorio De Sica)
(4:30 PM) (horror) Blood and Black Lace (1964/88 m/Mario Bava)
(6:00 PM) (suspense) Lured (1947/103 m/Douglas Sirk)
(8:00 PM) (crime) Cash on Demand (1961/80 min/Quentin Lawrence)
(9:30 PM) (romance) The End of the Affair (1955/106 m/Edward Dmytryk)
(11:30 PM) (crime) Time Without Pity (1957/85 m/Joseph Losey)
Tuesday, October 06, 2020
(1:15 AM) (adventure) John Paul Jones (1959/126 m/John Farrow)
(3:30 AM) (drama) Hamlet (1948/154 m/Laurence Olivier)
(6:15 AM) (comedy) A Chump at Oxford (1940/63 m/Alfred Goulding)
(7:30 AM) (drama) Vigil in the Night (1940/102 m/George Stevens)
(9:15 AM) (comedy) The Gay Bride (1934/80 m/Jack Conway)
(10:45 AM) (musical) Swing High, Swing Low (1937/83 m/Mitchell Leisen)
(12:15 PM) (comedy) Love Before Breakfast (1936/70 m/Walter Lang)
(1:30 PM) (comedy) Nothing Sacred (1937/74 m/William A. Wellman)
(3:00 PM) (comedy) Mr. and Mrs. Smith (1941/95 m/Alfred Hitchcock)
(4:45 PM) (comedy) To Be or Not to Be (1942/99 m/Ernst Lubitsch)
(6:30 PM) (documentary) The Golden Age of Comedy (1957/79 m/various)
(9:15 PM) (drama) The Ascent (1977/109 m/Larisa Sheptiko)
Wednesday, October 07, 2020
(12:30 AM) Meek's Cutoff (2010/104 m/Kelly Reichardt)
(2:30 AM) (short) Meshes of the Afternoon (1944/14 m/Maya Deren)
(4:30 AM) (comedy) Daisies (1966/76 m/Vera Chytilová
(6:00 AM) (premiere) Cameraperson (2016/102 m/Kirsten Johnson)
(9:15 AM) (drama) The Journey (1959/126 m/Anatole Litvak)
(11:30 AM) (drama) The Squall (1929/102 mAlexander Korda)
(1:30 PM) (short) Beautiful Budapest (1938/9 m/?)
(1:45 PM) (short) Rural Hungary (1939/9 m/James A. FitzPatrick)
(2:00 PM) (drama) Fight For Your Lady (1938/66 m/Ben Stoloff)
(3:15 PM) (drama) Storm at Daybreak (1933/79 m/Richard Boleslavsky)
(4:45 PM) (romance) The Shop Around the Corner (1940/99 m/Ernst Lubitsch)
(6:30 PM) (musical) One Heavenly Night (1930/80 m/Geo. Fitzmaurice)
(8:00 PM) (comedy) No Time For Sergeants (1958/119 m/Mervyn LeRoy)
(10:15 PM) (drama) A Face in the Crowd (1957/126 m/Elia Kazan)
Thursday, October 08, 2020
(12:30 AM) (western) Hearts of the West (1975/102 m/Howard Zieff)
(2:30 AM) (comedy) Onionhead (1958/110 m/Norman Taurog)
(4:30 AM) (comedy) Thunder Afloat (1939/95 m/George B. Seitz)
(6:15 AM) (crime) The Public Enemy (1931/84 m/William A. Wellman)
(8:15 AM) (romance) Red-Headed Woman (1932/79 m/Jack Conway)
(9:45 AM) (comedy) Dinner at Eight (1933/111 m/George Cukor)
(11:45 AM) (comedy) Saratoga (1937/92 m/Jack Conway)
(1:30 PM) (romance) Hold Your Man (1933/87 m/Sam Wood)
(3:15 PM) (romance) Red Dust (1932/83 m/Victor Fleming)
(4:45 PM) (comedy) Personal Property (1937/84 m/W. S. Van Dyke II)
(6:15 PM) (comedy) Bombshell (1933/96 m/Victor Fleming)
(8:00 PM) (comedy) The Front Page (1931/101 m/Lewis Milestone)
(10:00 PM) (suspense) Detour (1945/68 m/Edgar G. Ulmer)
(11:30 PM) (drama) The Man with the Golden Arm (1956/119m/Otto Preminger)
Friday, October 09, 2020
(1:45 AM) (romance) Love Affair (1939/88 m/Leo McCarey)
(3:30 AM) (crime) A Brighter Summer Day (1991/237 m/Edward Yang)
(7:00 AM) (short) Alice in Movieland (1940/22 m/Jean Negulesco)
(7:45 AM) (drama) Nora Prentiss (1947/111 m/Vincent Sherman)
(9:45 AM) (crime) Born to Kill (1947/92 m/Robert Wise)
(11:30 AM) (drama) Dark Passage (1947/106 m/Delmer Daves)
(1:30 PM) (suspense) Out of the Past (1947/97 m/Jacques Tourneur)
(3:15 PM) (crime) Race Street (1948/79 m/Edwin L. Marin)
(4:45 PM) (suspense) Impact (1949/111 m/Arthur Lubin)
(6:45 PM) (suspense) The Woman On Pier 13 (1950/73 m/Robert Stevenson)
(8:00 PM) (horror) The Ghoul (1933/81 m/T. Hayes Hunter)
(9:30 PM) (horror) The Black Sleep (1956/82 m/Reginald LeBorg)
(11:00 PM) (horror) Mark of the Vampire (1935/60 m/Tod Browning)
Saturday, October 10, 2020
(12:15 AM) (horror) Night of the Living Dead (1968/96 m/George A. Romero)
(2:00 AM) (adventure) White Lightning (1973/101 m/Joseph Sargent)
(3:45 AM) (drama) Gator (1976/116 m/Burt Reynolds)
(5:45 AM) (short) The Corvair in Action! (1960/6 m/?)
(6:00 AM) (musical) The Opposite Sex (1956/116 m/David Miller)
(8:00 AM) (premiere) MGM Cartoons: Red Hot Riding Hood (1943/7 m/Fred (Tex) Avery)
(8:09 AM) (short) Fortune Seekers (1956/8 m/Larry O'Reilly)
(8:18 AM) (documentary) Historic Maryland (1941/8 m/?)
(8:27 AM) (drama) Men of the North (1930/61 m/Hal Roach)
(9:30 AM) (premiere) THE WILD WEST DAYS: Brink of Doom (1937/?/?)
(10:00 AM) (premiere) POPEYE: Alona the Sarong Seas (1942/7 m/Dave Fleischer)
(10:08 AM) (premiere) The Golden Idol (1954/71 m/Ford Beebe)
(11:30 AM) (comedy) King Of The Islands (1935/17 m/Ralph Staub) .
(12:00 PM) (adventure) Tarzan The Ape Man (1932/100 m/W. S. Van Dyke II)
(2:00 PM) (musical) Lili (1953/81 m/Charles Walters)
(3:30 PM) (comedy) Casino Royale (1967/131 m/John Huston, et. al.)
(6:00 PM) (musical) Top Hat (1935/100 m/Mark Sandrich)
(8:00 PM) (adventure) Gunga Din (1939/117 m/George Stevens)
(10:15 PM) (adventure) The Three Musketeers (1948/126 m/George Sidney)
Sunday, October 11, 2020
(12:30 AM) (crime) The Racket (1951/89 m/John Cromwell)
(2:30 AM) (comedy) Bananas (1971/82 m/Woody Allen)
(4:00 AM) (comedy) Hannah and Her Sisters (1986/107 m/Woody Allen)
(6:00 AM) (comedy) A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935/143 m/Max Reinhardt)
(8:30 AM) (drama) Journey For Margaret (1942/81 m/Major W. S. Van Dyke II)
(10:00 AM) (crime) The Racket (1951/89 m/John Cromwell)
(12:00 PM) (drama) Sounder (1972/105 m/Martin Ritt)
(2:00 PM) (drama) The Secret Garden (1949/92 m/Fred M. Wilcox)
(3:45 PM) (drama) The Catered Affair (1956/94 m/Richard Brooks)
(5:30 PM) (musical) Flower Drum Song (1961/131 m/Henry Koster)
(8:00 PM) (comedy) The Front Page (1974/105 m/Billy Wilder)
(10:00 PM) (comedy) The Fortune Cookie (1966/126 m/Billy Wilder)
Monday, October 12, 2020
(12:15 AM) (comedy) Sidewalk Stories (1989/99 m/Charles Lane)
(2:15 AM) (comedy) The Firemen's Ball (1967/73 m/Milos Forman)
(3:45 AM) (premiere) All My Good Countrymen (1968/126 m/Vojtěch Jasný)
(6:00 AM) (horror) The Reptile (1966/90 m/John Gilling)
(7:45 AM) (horror) The Killer Shrews (1959/68 m/Ray Kellogg)
(9:00 AM) (horror) King Kong (1933/104 m/Merian C. Cooper)
(11:00 AM) (horror) The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms (1953/80 m/Eugene Lourié)
(12:30 PM) (horror) Gojira (1954/96 m/Ishiro Honda)
(2:00 PM) (horror) Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954/79 m/Jack Arnold)
(3:30 PM) (horror) Creature from the Haunted Sea (1961/59 m/Roger Corman)
(4:45 PM) (horror) The Green Slime (1969/90 m/Kinji Fukasaku)
(6:30 PM) (horror) Night of the Lepus (1972/88 m/William F. Claxton)
(8:00 PM) (adventure) Sword of Sherwood Forest (1960/80 m/Terence Fisher)
(11:00 PM) (horror) Daleks - Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. (1966/81 m/Gordon Flemyng)
Tuesday, October 13, 2020
(12:30 AM) (adventure) She (1965/106 m/Robert Day)
(2:30 AM) (crime) Violent Playground (1958/106 m/Basil Dearden)
(4:30 AM) (premiere) In Saigon: Some May Live (1967/89 m/Vernon Sewell)
(6:00 AM) (drama) Devotion (1931/81 m/Robert Milton)
(7:30 AM) (comedy) The Runaway Bus (1954/74 m/Val Guest)
(9:00 AM) (crime) The Solitaire Man (1933/67 m/Jack Conway)
(10:30 AM) (suspense) Blind Adventure (1933/63 m/Ernest B. Schoedsack)
(11:45 AM) (musical) Double Trouble (1967/92 m/Norman Taurog)
(1:30 PM) (romance) A Warm December (1972/101 m/Sidney Poitier)
(3:30 PM) (drama) The V.I.P.S (1963/119 m/Anthony Asquith)
(5:45 PM) (comedy) The Prince and the Showgirl (1957/117 m/Laurence Olivier)
Wednesday, October 14, 2020
(2:00 AM) (documentary) The House Is Black (1963/22 m/?)
(2:30 AM) (romance) First Love (1977/91 m/Joan Darling)
(4:15 AM) (drama) The Night Porter (1974/118 m/Liliana Cavani)
(6:30 AM) (drama) Le Bonheur (1965/80 m/Agnes Varda)
(10:15 AM) (silent) The Unholy Three (1925/86 m/Tod Browning)
(12:00 PM) (silent) The Unknown (1927/49 m/Tod Browning)
(1:00 PM) (silent) The Blackbird (1926/86 m/Tod Browning)
(2:30 PM) (horror) The Thirteenth Chair (1929/73 m/Tod Browning)
(4:00 PM) (horror) Freaks (1932/62 m/Tod Browning)
(5:15 PM) (horror) Mark of the Vampire (1935/60 m/Tod Browning)
(6:30 PM) (horror) The Devil-Doll (1936/78 m/Tod Browning)
(8:00 PM) (drama) Abe Lincoln in Illinois (1940/110 m/John Cromwell)
(10:00 PM) (drama) Sunrise at Campobello (1960/144 m/Vincent J. Donehue)
Thursday, October 15, 2020
(12:45 AM) (drama) Wilson (1944/154 m/Henry King)
(3:30 AM) (war) PT 109 (1963/140 m/Leslie H. Martinson) .
(6:00 AM) (comedy) Three Men on a Horse (1936/86 m/Mervyn LeRoy)
(7:30 AM) (crime) Unholy Partners (1941/94 m/Mervyn LeRoy)
(9:15 AM) (musical) Sweet Adeline (1935/88 m/Mervyn Le Roy)
(11:00 AM) (comedy) Happiness Ahead (1934/86 m/Mervyn Le Roy)
(12:30 PM) (drama) Big City Blues (1932/63 m/Mervyn LeRoy)
(1:45 PM) (suspense) The Bad Seed (1956/129 m/Mervyn LeRoy)
(4:00 PM) (drama) They Won't Forget (1937/95 m/Mervyn LeRoy)
(5:45 PM) (romance) Random Harvest (1942/126 m/Mervyn LeRoy)
(8:00 PM) (war) Tunes of Glory (1960/107 m/Ronald Neame)
(10:00 PM) (war) The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943/164 m/Michael Powell)
Friday, October 16, 2020
(1:00 AM) (war) The Seventh Cross (1944/112 m/Fred Zinnemann)
(3:00 AM) (drama) The Diary of Anne Frank (1959/180 m/George Stevens)
(6:15 AM) (documentary) Trances (1981/89 m/Ahmed El Maanouni)
(8:00 AM) (comedy) Little Shop of Horrors (1960/72 m/Roger Corman)
(9:15 AM) (horror) Village of the Damned (1960/77 m/Wolf Rilla)
(10:45 AM) (horror) The Brain That Wouldn't Die (1962/82 m/Joseph Green)
(12:15 PM) (horror) Carnival of Souls (1962/78 m/Herk Harvey)
(1:45 PM) (horror) Dementia 13 (1963/75 m/Francis Ford Coppola)
(3:15 PM) (horror) The Raven (1963/86 m/Roger Corman)
(4:45 PM) (horror) Spider Baby (1964/84 m/Jack Hill)
(6:15 PM) (horror) The Nanny (1965/93 m/Seth Holt)
(8:00 PM) (horror) Dead of Night (1945/103 m/Alberto Cavalcanti, Basil Dearden, Robert Hamer, Charles Crichton)
(10:00 PM) (horror) Twice-Told Tales (1963/120 m/Sidney Salkow)
Saturday, October 17, 2020
(12:15 AM) (horror) Black Sabbath (1963/96 m/Mario Bava)
(2:00 AM) (premiere) Enter the Ninja (1981/99 m/Menahem Golan)
(3:45 AM) (premiere) Revenge of the Ninja (1983/?/Sam Firstenberg)
(5:30 AM) (short) Shake Hands With Danger (1970/23 m/?)
(6:00 AM) (war) The Password Is Courage (1962/115 m/Andrew L. Stone)
(8:00 AM) MGM CARTOONS: Sheep Wrecked (1958/6 m/Michael Lah)
(8:08 AM) (documentary) Cave Explorers (1957/8 m/Heinz Scheiderbauer)
(8:17 AM) (short) The Capital City Washington, D.C. (1940/9 m/?)
(8:27 AM) (drama) She Loved A Fireman (1937/58 m/John Farrow)
(9:30 AM) (premiere) The WILD WEST DAYS: Indians Are Coming (1937/?/?)
(10:00 AM) (premiere) POPEYE: A Hull of a Mess (1942/6 m/Dave Fleischer)
(10:08 AM) (adventure) Lord of the Jungle (1955/69 m/Ford Beebe)
(11:30 AM) (short) Kissing Time (1933/22 m/Roy Mack)
(12:00 PM) (western) Angel And The Badman (1947/100 m/James Edward Grant)
(1:45 PM) (adventure) Captain Horatio Hornblower (1951/117 m/Raoul Walsh)
(4:00 PM) (comedy) Support Your Local Sheriff! (1969/93 m/Burt Kennedy)
(5:45 PM) (horror) Rollerball (1975/125 m/Norman Jewison)
(8:00 PM) (musical) Singin' in the Rain (1952/103 m/Gene Kelly)
(10:00 PM) (musical) Summer Stock (1950/109 m/Charles Walters)
Sunday, October 18, 2020
(12:00 AM) (crime) Destination Murder (1950/73 m/Edward L. Cahn)
(1:45 AM) (comedy) The Fearless Vampire Killers or Pardon Me, But Your Teeth Are in My Neck (1966/107 m/Roman Polanski)
(3:45 AM) (horror) House of Dark Shadows (1970/97 m/Dan Curtis)
(5:30 AM) (short) Return to Glennascaul (1953/24 m/Hilton Edwards)
(6:00 AM) (drama) The Life of Emile Zola (1937/116 m/William Dieterle)
(8:15 AM) (comedy) His Girl Friday (1940/92 m/Howard Hawks)
(10:00 AM) (crime) Destination Murder (1950/73 m/Edward L. Cahn)
(11:45 AM) (epic) The Good Earth (1937/138 m/Sidney Franklin)
(2:15 PM) (drama) Written on the Wind (1957/99 m/Douglas Sirk)
(4:00 PM) (romance) Dear Heart (1964/114 m/Delbert Mann)
(6:00 PM) (comedy) Peggy Sue Got Married (1986/105 m/Francis Ford Coppola)
(10:00 PM) (comedy) Losing Ground (1982/86 m/Kathleen Collins)
Monday, October 19, 2020
(12:00 AM) (silent) Exit Smiling (1926/77 m/Sam Taylor)
(2:00 AM) (premiere) I Am Waiting (1957/91 m/Koreyoshi Kurahara)
(3:45 AM) (premiere) A Colt Is My Passport (1967/84 m/Takashi Nomura) .
(5:30 AM) (documentary) MGM Parade Show #5 (1955/26 m/?)
(6:00 AM) (comedy) I Married a Witch (1942/77 m/René Clair)
(7:30 AM) (comedy) Mr. and Mrs. Smith (1941/95 m/Alfred Hitchcock)
(9:15 AM) (crime) Touch of Evil (1958/111 m/Orson Welles)
(11:30 AM) (adventure) Mogambo (1953/116 m/John Ford)
(1:45 PM) (suspense) North by Northwest (1959/136 m/Alfred Hitchcock)
(4:15 PM) (drama) In A Lonely Place (1950/93 m/Nicholas Ray)
(6:00 PM) (war) Any Number Can Play (1949/103 m/Mervyn LeRoy)
(8:00 PM) (suspense) The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959/87 m/Terence Fisher)
(9:30 PM) (horror) Horror of Dracula (1958/81 m/Terence Fisher)
(11:15 PM) (horror) The Mummy (1959/88 m/Terence Fisher)
(1:00 AM) (horror) The Curse of Frankenstein (1957/83 min/Terence Fisher)
(2:45 AM) (horror) Frankenstein Created Woman (1967/92 min/Terence Fisher)
(4:30 AM) (horror) Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed! (1970/101 m/Terence Fisher)
Tuesday, October 20, 2020
(6:15 AM) (comedy) Front Page Woman (1935/82 m/Michael Curtiz)
(7:45 AM) (romance) Wife Vs. Secretary (1936/88 m/Clarence Brown)
(9:30 AM) (suspense) Mr. And Mrs. North (1941/67 m/Robert B. Sinclair)
(10:45 AM) (comedy) Theodora Goes Wild (1936/94 m/Richard Boleslawski)
(12:30 PM) (comedy) Breakfast for Two (1937/68 m/Alfred Santell)
(1:45 PM) (comedy) Four's A Crowd (1938/92 m/Michael Curtiz)
(3:30 PM) (comedy) It's A Wonderful World (1939/86 m/W. S. Van Dyke II)
(5:00 PM) (comedy) Fools For Scandal (1938/80 m/Mervyn Le Roy)
(6:30 PM) (romance) Love on the Run (1936/80 m/W. S. Van Dyke)
(8:00 PM) (premiere) Women Make Film: A New Road Movie Through Cinema #8 (2018/?/Mark Cousins)
(9:15 PM) TBA
(10:45 PM) (documentary)) Women Make Film: A New Road Movie Through Cinema #8 (2018/?/Mark Cousins)
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Wednesday, October 21, 2020
(2:00 AM) (premiere) The Third Miracle (1999/119 m/Agnieszka Holland)
(7:45 AM) (short) The Birth, the Life and the Death of Christ (1906/34 m/Alice Guy-Blache)
(8:30 AM) (documentary) Araya (1959/83 m/Margot Benacerraf)
(10:00 AM) (drama) Children of a Lesser God (1986/119 m/Randa Haines)
(12:15 PM) (drama) Young Dr. Kildare (1938/82 m/Harold S. Bucquet)
(1:45 PM) (drama) Calling Dr. Kildare (1939/86 m/Harold S. Bucquet)
(3:30 PM) (drama) The Secret of Dr. Kildare (1939/84 m/Harold S. Bucquet)
(5:00 PM) (drama) Dr. Kildare Goes Home (1940/79 m/Harold S. Bucquet)
(6:30 PM) (drama) Dr. Kildare's Crisis (1940/75 m/Harold S. Bucquet)
(8:00 PM) (comedy) Hard To Handle (1933/78 m/Mervyn LeRoy)
(9:30 PM) (crime) The Beast Of The City (1932/86 m/Charles Brabin)
(11:15 PM) (drama) One Way Passage (1942/67 m/Tay Garnett)
Thursday, October 22, 2020
(12:45 AM) (crime) They Live By Night (1948/95 m/Nicholas Ray)
(2:30 AM) (adventure) The Prisoner of Zenda (1952/100 m/Richard Thorpe)
(4:15 AM) (adventure) Green Fire (1955/100 m/Andrew Marton)
(6:00 AM) (adventure) Three Faces East (1930/71 m/Roy Del Ruth)
(7:30 AM) (drama) Born to Love (1932/81 m/Paul L. Stein)
(9:00 AM) (drama) The Common Law (1932/74 m/Paul L. Stein)
(10:30 AM) (drama) Rockabye (1932/68 m/George Cukor)
(11:45 AM) (drama) Bed of Roses (1933/ 67 /Gregory LaCava)
(1:00 PM) (drama) Our Betters (1933/83 m/George Cukor)
(2:30 PM) (comedy) Topper (1937/97 m/Norman Z. McLeod)
(4:15 PM) (comedy) Topper Takes a Trip (1939/80 m/Norman Z. McLeod)
(5:45 PM) (comedy) Merrily We Live (1938/95 m/Norman Z. McLeod)
(7:30 PM) (documentary) MGM Parade Show #5 (1955/26 m/?)
(8:00 PM) (crime) The Killers (1964/93 m/Donald Siegel)
(9:45 PM) (drama) The Breaking Point (1950/97 m/Michael Curtiz)
(11:30 PM) (horror) The Mystery Of The Wax Museum (1933/77 m/Michael Curtiz)
Friday, October 23, 2020
(1:00 AM) (horror) Night of the Living Dead (1968/96 m/George A. Romero)
(3:00 AM) (premiere) A River Called Titas (1973/158 m/Ritwik Ghatak)
(6:00 AM) (drama) Inside Straight (1951/87 m/Gerald Mayer)
(7:30 AM) (crime) Absolute Quiet (1936/70 m/George B. Seitz)
(8:45 AM) (drama) Chain Lightning (1950/95 m/Stuart Heisler)
(10:30 AM) (adventure) Tycoon (1947/129 m/Richard Wallace)
(12:45 PM) (drama) No Marriage Ties (1933/72 m/J. Walter Ruben)
(2:00 PM) (drama) Death of a Scoundrel (1956/120 m/Charles Martin)
(4:15 PM) (crime) Assignment To Kill (1968/99 m/Sheldon Reynolds)
(6:00 PM) (suspense) The Drowning Pool (1975/108 m/Stuart Rosenberg)
(8:00 PM) (horror) Pit and the Pendulum (1961/80 m/Roger Corman)
(9:45 PM) (horror) Spirits of the Dead (1968/121 m/Federico Fellini, Louis Malle, Roger Vadim)
Saturday, October 24, 2020
(12:00 AM) (horror) Murders In The Rue Morgue (1971/98 m/Gordon Hessler)
(2:00 AM) (premiere) Ninja III: The Domination (1984/95 m/Sam Firstenberg)
(3:45 AM) (drama) Heavenly Bodies (1985/89 m/Lawrence Dane)
(5:30 AM) (short) Keep Off The Grass (1969/21 m/?)
(6:00 AM) (comedy) Please Don't Eat the Daisies (1960/111 m/Charles Walters)
(8:00 AM) (premiere) MGM CARTOONS: One Cab's Family (1938/8 m/Fred (Tex) Avery)
(8:09 AM) (documentary) Black Cats and Broomsticks (1955/8 m/Larry O'Reilly)
(8:18 AM) (short) Wandering Here and There (1944/9 m/James A. FitzPatrick)
(8:28 AM) (romance) King Of The Lumberjacks (1940/59 m/William Clemens)
(9:30 AM) (premiere) THE WILD WEST DAYS: Leap For Life (1937/?/?)
(10:00 AM) (premiere) POPEYE: Cartoons Ain’t Human (1943/7 m/Dave Fleischer)
(10:09 AM) (adventure) Tarzan And The Amazons (1945/76 m/Kurt Neumann)
(11:30 AM) (short) The Flame Song (1934/22 m/Joseph Henabery)
(12:00 PM) (suspense) Harper (1966/121 m/Jack Smight)
(2:15 PM) (horror) Brainstorm (1983/106 m/Douglas Trumbull)
(4:15 PM) (war) Men Of The Fighting Lady (1954/80 m/Andrew Marton)
(5:45 PM) (drama) Citizen Kane (1941/119 m/Orson Welles)
(8:00 PM) (drama) Ace in the Hole (1951/111m/Billy Wilder)
(10:15 PM) (premiere) Flesh and Fury (1952/83 m/Joseph Pevney)
Sunday, October 25, 2020
(12:00 AM) (adventure) Macao (1952/81 m/Josef von Sternberg)
(1:45 AM) (horror) The Werewolf (1956/80 m/Fred F. Sears)
(3:15 AM) (premiere) The Howling (1981/91 m/Joe Dante)
(5:00 AM) (horror) The Mummy (1932/73 m/Karl Freund)
(6:15 AM) (suspense) Murder on the Blackboard (1934/72 m/George Archainbaud)
(7:30 AM) (romance) All This, and Heaven Too (1940/143 m/Anatole Litvak)
(10:00 AM) (adventure) Macao (1952/81 m/Josef von Sternberg)
(12:00 PM) (romance) The White Cliffs Of Dover (1944/126 m/Clarence Brown)
(2:15 PM) (epic) Around the World in 80 Days (1956/182 m/Michael Anderson)
(5:30 PM) (horror) What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962/134 m/Robert Aldrich)
(8:00 PM) (western) 3:10 to Yuma (1957/92 m/Delmer Daves)
(10:00 PM) (western) Gunman's Walk (1958/95 m/Phil Karlson)
Monday, October 26, 2020
(12:00 AM) (silent) Haxan: Witchcraft Through the Ages (1922/107 m/Benjamin Christensen)
(2:00 AM) (suspense) Diabolique (1955/117 m/Henri-Georges Clouzot)
(4:15 AM) (horror) Eyes Without a Face (1959/90 m/Georges Franju)
(6:00 AM) (suspense) The Beast with Five Fingers (1946/88 m/Robert Florey)
(7:45 AM) (adventure) Mara Maru (1952/98 m/Gordon Douglas)
(9:30 AM) (drama) They Won't Believe Me (1947/80 m/Irving Pichel)
(11:15 AM) (suspense) Where Danger Lives (1950/80 m/John Farrow)
(1:00 PM) (suspense) Fingers at the Window (1942/81 m/Charles Lederer)
(2:30 PM) (suspense) Footsteps in the Dark (1941/96 m/Lloyd Bacon)
(4:15 PM) (suspense) Kill or Cure (1962/88 m/George Pollock)
(6:00 PM) (comedy) The Gazebo (1960/102m/George Marshall)
(8:00 PM) (horror) Nothing But the Night (1972/91 m/Peter Sasdy)
(9:45 PM) (horror) Madhouse (1974/91 m/James Clark)
(11:30 PM) (horror) From Beyond the Grave (1973/98 m/Kevin Connor)
Tuesday, October 27, 2020
(1:30 AM) (horror) Scream and Scream Again (1970/95 m/Gordon Hessler)
(3:15 AM) (premiere) The Satanic Rites of Dracula (1973/88 m/Alan Gibson)
(4:45 AM) (horror) Dracula A.D. 1972 (1972/96 m/Alan Gibson)
(6:30 AM) (western) Somewhere In Sonora (1933/58 m/Mack V. Wright)
(7:45 AM) (western) Along the Rio Grande (1941/64 m/Edward Killy)
(9:00 AM) (western) Valley of the Sun (1942/78 m/George Marshall)
(10:30 AM) (western) Sagebrush Trail (1933/53 m/Armand Schaefer)
(11:30 AM) (western) Devil's Canyon (1953/92 m/Alfred Werker)
(1:15 PM) (western) The Hired Gun (1957/64 m/Ray Nazarro)
(2:30 PM) (premiere) Black Patch (1957/82 m/Allen H. Miner)
(4:00 PM) (western) Virginia City (1940/121 m/Michael Curtiz)
(6:15 PM) (western) Escape From Fort Bravo (1953/98 m/John Sturges)
Wednesday, October 28, 2020
(12:15 AM) (comedy) Girlfriends (1978/88 m/Claudia Weill)
(2:00 AM) (drama) The Connection (1962/103 m/Shirley Clarke)
(4:00 AM) (comedy) Lost In Yonkers (1993/114 m/Martha Coolidge)
(10:00 AM) (drama) Winter Meeting (1948/104 m/Bretaigne Windust)
(12:00 PM) (romance) I Know Where I'm Going (1945/92 m/Michael Powell)
(1:45 PM) (romance) The Enchanted Cottage (1945/92 m/John Cromwell)
(3:30 PM) (romance) Random Harvest (1942/126 m/Mervyn LeRoy)
(6:00 PM) (romance) Desire Me (1947/91 m/George Cukor)
(8:00 PM) (drama) The Best Man (1964/102 m/Franklin J. Schaffner)
(10:00 PM) (drama) State of the Union (1948/123 m/Frank Capra)
Thursday, October 29, 2020
(12:15 AM) (comedy) The Great McGinty (1940/82 m/Preston Sturges)
(2:00 AM) (drama) The Candidate (1972/110 m/Michael Ritchie)
(4:00 AM) (drama) All the King's Men (1949/110 m/Robert Rossen)
(6:00 AM) (western) Haunted Gold (1932/58 m/Mack V. Wright)
(7:00 AM) (horror) The Devil-Doll (1936/78 m/Tod Browning)
(8:30 AM) (suspense) Before Dawn (1933/61 m/Irving Pichel)
(9:45 AM) (comedy) Man Alive (1946/70 m/Ray Enright)
(11:00 AM) (horror) Tormented (1960/75 m/Bert I. Gordon)
(12:30 PM) (adventure) Angel on My Shoulder (1946/101 m/Archie Mayo)
(2:15 PM) (horror) Night Of Dark Shadows (1971/94 m/Dan Curtis)
(4:00 PM) (horror) Indestructible Man (1956/71 m/Jack Pollexfen)
(5:15 PM) (horror) From Hell It Came (1957/71 m/Johnny Greenwald)
(6:30 PM) (horror) Death Curse of Tartu (1966/88 m/William Grefé)
(8:00 PM) (western) Winchester '73 (1950/92 m/Anthony Mann)
(10:00 PM) (western) She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949/104 m/John Ford)
Friday, October 30, 2020
(12:00 AM) (documentary) Primary (1960/53 m/Robert Drew)
(1:15 AM) (documentary) Crisis (1963/53 m/Robert Drew)
(2:15 AM) (premiere) Dos Monjes (1934//Juan Bustillo Oro)
(4:00 AM) (drama) Of Mice and Men (1939/107m/Lewis Milestone)
(6:00 AM) (documentary) MGM Parade Show #5 (1955/26 m/?)
(6:30 AM) (horror) Doctor X (1932/76 m/Michael Curtiz)
(8:00 AM) (horror) The Mask Of Fu Manchu (1932/68 m/Charles Brabin)
(9:30 AM) (horror) The Most Dangerous Game (1932/63 m/Ernest B. Schoedsack)
(10:45 AM) (horror) Island of Lost Souls (1932/70 m/Erle C. Kenton)
(12:00 PM) (horror) White Zombie (1932/67 m/Victor Halperin)
(1:30 PM) (horror) The Vampire Bat (1933/63 m/Frank Strayer)
(2:45 PM) (horror) The Mystery Of The Wax Museum (1933/77 m/Michael Curtiz)
(4:15 PM) (horror) Mad Love (1935/68 m/Karl Freund)
(5:30 PM) (horror) The Walking Dead (1936/65 m/Michael Curtiz)
(6:45 PM) (horror) The Return of Doctor X (1939/62 m/Vincent Sherman)
(8:00 PM) (horror) Burn, Witch, Burn! (1962/89 m/Sidney Hayers)
(9:45 PM) (horror) The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake (1959/70 m/Edward L. Cahn)
(11:00 PM) (horror) The Devil's Bride (1968/96 m/Terence Fisher)
Saturday, October 31, 2020
(12:45 AM) (horror) The Conqueror Worm (1968/87 m/Michael Reeves)
(5:15 AM) (short) The Distant Drummer: Flowers of Darkness (1972/22 m/William Templeton)
(5:15 AM) (short) Movie Trailer (1950/16 m/?)
(6:00 AM) (horror) Freaks (1932/62 m/Tod Browning)
(7:15 AM) (horror) Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1932/96 m/Rouben Mamoulian)
(9:00 AM) (horror) House of Wax (1953/88 m/Andre deToth)
(10:45 AM) (horror) Children of the Damned (1964/90 m/Anton M. Leader)
(12:30 PM) (suspense) The Bad Seed (1956/129 m/Mervyn LeRoy)
(2:45 PM) (drama) The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945/110 m/Albert Lewin)
(4:45 PM) (horror) The Wolf Man (1941/70 m/George Waggner)
(6:00 PM) (horror) The Haunting (1963/112 m/Robert Wise)
(8:00 PM) (comedy) Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964/95 m/Stanley Kubrick) .
(10:00 PM) (horror) Them! (1954/92 m/Gordon Douglas)
(12:00 AM) (horror) The Seventh Victim (1943/71 m/Mark Robson)
(1:30 AM) (horror) I Walked With A Zombie (1943/69 m/Jacques Tourneur)
(3:00 AM) (horror) The Body Snatcher (1945/78 m/Robert Wise)
(4:30 AM) (suspense) The Leopard Man (1943/66 m/Jacques Tourneur)
submitted by Out of all the video games that got movies....sonic took The longest to make, that's right paramount pictures sonic film and Sony's sonic film isn't the first time Sega tried to bring the blue blue to the big screen, in fact plans for the sonic movie began when the super Mario bros movie was being maid...also sonic has The most cancelled video game films out of all the video game movies, so everyone set back grab some chili dogs a drink and onion rings as I explained The History of the cancelled sonic films...trust me this is gonna be a long one....a very very long one
Sega and Mgm’s Sonic the Hedgehog: Wonders of the World: METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER In the early 90s, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer got the rights to do a Sonic the Hedgehog film, because SEGA wanted something to advertise the new Sega Saturn they were releasing, the company wanting the movie to come out in either late 1994 or early 1995.
Josh, a 12-year old son of a divorced couple, is presenting his incomplete school paper about a historic event he was tasked to write about. The unamused teacher warns Josh to finish his paper by tomorrow or face being referred to by his parents. After school, Josh goes home to an apartment owned by his father, Hal, an unemployed computer scientist who is doing research for his grand invention, a supercomputer called the XRI (eXtremely Radical Intelligence) that possesses artificial intelligence with the ability to project virtual reality. After dinner, Hal leaves to gather research on a piece of hardware, leaving Josh with the XRI. A curious Josh encounters the XRI and, after being unable to get it to help finish his school work, hooks up his Sega Saturn to play Sonic X-treme.[1]
At that moment, Sonic, the game's main character, discovers he has a will of his own and stops responding to Josh's controls. Josh manages to hack into the computer to bring Sonic out of the video game, becoming a 3D character capable of interacting with reality. Josh and Sonic form a bond with each other, but Sonic's departure from Sonic X-treme causes him to lose his power as time goes on and he ends up causing trouble throughout the real world, destroying Josh's apartment and causing car wrecks throughout the city. Meanwhile, Dr. Eggman (identified in the treatment through his real name, Dr. Robotnik) and his minions inadvertently escape the game and look to take over the real world, and Sonic is unable to stop him due to his draining powers.[1]
When Hal comes home to see his apartment in ruins, Josh's mother, Lisa, also stops by and the two start to argue. Josh attempts to explain what happened but neither believe him, with both blaming him for the mess. Josh is then taken out of Hal's custody to Lisa's home, where Sonic tracks him down. After leaving the house without Lisa noticing, Josh and Sonic devise a plot to find out about and stop Eggman's scheme by searching for Chaos Emeralds, which are scattered across the real world encased in ordinary rocks. After finding a Chaos Emerald, Sonic uses its power to temporarily regain his strength, and Sonic gives Josh a taste of the power of the emerald to help finish his school work, though Sonic warns Josh not to further exploit the emerald's power until he can master it. At the same time, Dr. Eggman sets up a shell corporation called Shady Corporation and uses it to purchase the abandoned Ramshackle Amusement Park, renaming it Botnikland Amusement Park. He recruits a group of school bullies and roboticizes them into Bullibots. Eggman orders the bots to look around the park and find the remaining Chaos Emeralds.[1]
Eggman then runs into Hal, who reluctantly accepts Eggman's offer to be the park's main research and development designer. Using Hal's XRI technology, Eggman develops a virtual reality ride to draw kids to the newly revived theme park. The park opens to huge crowds, with kids all across town attending opening day. However, when Josh and Sonic manage to inspect the ride, they discover Eggman is using the ride to turn the kids into his Badniks, calling them Kinder-Bots and forcing them to look around the park to find the Chaos Emeralds. After further inspection, the duo discover that Eggman, using the Chaos Emeralds, will program the XRI to turn the world's natural landmarks, such as Mount Everest and the Amazon rainforest, into digital replicas so that he can make virtual reality experiences and profit off of people wanting to see them, so that they wouldn't have to visit the landmarks themselves. The BulliBots catch the duo and a chase ensues, ending with a weak Sonic being captured and Josh barely escaping.[1]
After the chase, the Kinder-Bots return home, being unconditionally obedient to their parents. Josh hatches a plan to return everything back to normal and return Dr. Eggman back into the game world. The climax has Josh rescue Sonic and the duo battle Dr. Eggman before Josh activates the XRI and causes himself, Sonic, Dr. Eggman and the Badniks to enter Sonic X-treme. Another battle ensues, with a newly rejuvenated Sonic eventually defeating Dr. Eggman with Josh's help. With Eggman's plans foiled, he vows to return and escapes. Sonic decides to stay in his world knowing that it needs him to stop Eggman's schemes, and bids Josh farewell before the latter returns home and reunites with Hal and Lisa. The film ends with Josh promising Hal to remove the XRI, until he sees Sonic's eye wink at him at the screen and starts playing Sonic X-treme again.
Early stages Sega first came up with the idea of a feature-length Sonic the Hedgehog film during production of the cartoon in 1993. Newly-appointed consumer products director Michealene Risley, who was instrumental in green-lighting the series, was assigned to negotiate with several Hollywood producers to find support for the project. “I was basically driving the Sonic movie," Risley recalled to Kotaku in 2018. "I don’t know who came up with the idea – whether it was Tom [Kalinske, Sega of America CEO] or Shinobu [Toyoda, Sega executive vice-president and COO] or me, or we talked about it as a group – but having come from the movie world, I was always pushing those things."[1] Tom Kalinske, however, was hesitant on the idea of a movie, recalling how 1987's Masters of the Universe damaged the namesake toy-line and how the critical and commercial failures of Super Mario Bros. and Street Fighter stained the reputation of their namesake video game franchises. Kalinske noted to Kotaku that "There is really is that fear that a bad movie could potentially hurt your brand. The Sonic brand was strong enough to probably withstand it, but there is that fear."[1] Despite Kalinske's concerns, Sega was highly enthusiastic about the project, according to Risley. "It all depends on the timing of the movie, the look of the movie, whether you go live action or animation. [The film failing] was never an issue for us."[1] After about a year of negotiations, Sega struck a development deal in August 1994 with MGM and Trilogy Entertainment Group, led by producer Pen Densham, with Densham serving as executive producer of the planned movie.[1]
After securing the deal, Sega and MGM tapped Richard Jefferies to help come up with a screenplay for the film. Jefferies had previously written the cult classic The Vagrant for MGM in 1992, and had worked with Risley during her time at Marvel Comics to help write a proposed film adaptation of the Silver Surfer character. According to Jefferies, Sega wanted the ill-fated Sonic X-treme game, which was in development for the then-unreleased Sega Saturn, to tie-in with the movie, adding that Sega was "trying to co-ordinate the two and make the two compatible."[1] Sonic would have also been portrayed through heavy use of computer-generated imagery.[1] Jefferies' treatment contains a number of references to the franchise's games, with a notable example being Josh's school assignment. In it, he writes about a World War II test pilot named Sonic, who was killed in a freak accident when he tried to break the sound barrier.[1] This is a reference to the technical files of the first game that provided Sonic the Hedgehog's original backstory.
Jefferies' treatment was submitted to MGM in May 1995.[1] According to Jeffries, the draft received a positive reception among Sega and MGM executives, but Shinobu Toyoda sent a letter to Kalinske suggesting that Doctor Eggman be removed from the script, favoring a "strong/mean villain" to give the series a fresh idea.[1]
Cancellation Before the project could be green-lit, MGM suddenly backed out of the development deal, and after an attempt to revive the film at DreamWorks went nowhere, the film was scrapped.[1] It is unclear why MGM chose to drop the film from their slate, though Pen Densham claimed the deal broke down due to creative differences between Sega and Trilogy, causing the latter to pull out and leave MGM with the bill.[1] Jeffries, however, blamed "Hollywood politics" for the film's demise, believing that the studios each wanted a higher share of the film's profits.[1] He also suggested that the character had trouble adapting to the decline of the 16-bit console market. "The focus groups weren’t responding to the evolution of the character," Jeffries remarked, "and the heyday of the character was behind them. Maybe they were hoping a movie could help reinvigorate that. But maybe it was a response to where Sonic was headed, and maybe MGM came to that conclusion themselves. I don’t know."[1] Jeffries speculated that the film's budget would've reached around $150 million, making it MGM's most expensive film to date, and suggested that the financial concerns were another reason for MGM abandoning the film.[1]
MGM’s early ideas weren’t that bad, they were imagining a Who Framed Roger Rabbit type movie. Mixing live-action with animation..the studio executives weren’t that excited and shot down the idea, thinking it was too expensive.
They instead chose an incredibly bizarre script for the movie written by Richard Jeffries.
The script featured a 16-year old boy who suffers an accident that later gives him the ability to morph into a hedgehog, and the boy decides to use his new power for good. Since it had absolutely nothing to do with Sonic, SEGA demanded rewrites. Later Super Mario Bros. came to theaters and was a complete and utter failure. Both SEGA and MGM suddenly didn’t think video game movies were a very good idea. MGM then realized they had a new James Bond movie in the works so they ditched SEGA.
Sega and Ben Hurst Sonic Satam movie: that's right everyone's favorite sonic cartoon almost got A movie, A decade after MGM’s failed Sonic movie, one of the writers of SatAM called Ben Hurst pitched a movie acting as a continuation of the show, this time animated. But, darn Ken Penders had to get involved. He pretended to be helping Ben, and then went up to SEGA and claimed that Ben was trying to steal the Sonic franchise. This killed any attempt of Ben’s movie idea being made. Being the jerk he is, Penders then brought up his own concept for a movie to SEGA.
Sega and Ken penders Sonic Armageddon: This was the movie that Penders pitched to SEGA, the plot seemed to be much darker with Mobius being destroyed and roboticization being much more gruesome then in the cartoon. Most of the important characters are not shown and a few of them have major redesigns (the biggest being Snively, who’s now more cyborg-like). SEGA was interested, but Sonic X was airing and they didn’t think it would be worth it to have a show AND A movie out at the same time with different continuities.This went far enough to have concept art and a trailer. ..a very awful trailer-
Ken penders knuckles the echidna movie: In the early 2000s, wind was caught of lead writer Ken Penders’ alleged attempt to get an animated feature film centered around Knuckles the Echidna into development, the key studio of choice being DreamWorks SKG.
His proposals were rejected (according to Penders) not out of disinterest, but due to severe legal complications regarding the copyrights to any Sonic characters developed in connection to the license by any party, which are said to essentially render the story thus far created through the intertwining roles of Japanese and American-conceived characters and concepts entirely limited to the media in which they first appeared—in this case, the Archie comic book series. (It is believed that this same snag is the reason for Sonic’s suspiciously unnamed home planet featured in Sonic X.)
To this day, it is supposed that, due to these complications, Sonic and his friends will never grace the big screen in any form not sanctioned by Sega of Japan in whatever form they choose, and the odds that elements originating from the pages of Archie, including such central elements as the Dark Legion in this case, are extremely slim due to the same set of circumstances.In a self-published article, Penders mentioned that the film proposed would have been an animated feature, though whether the animation would have been traditional or computer-generated is unknown.
Sega and Ken penders sonic the hedgehog movie: that's right the sonic Archie comics almost got a movie, In the mist of the coming dispute between Archie and their freelancers there was some reflection by Ken Penders on his Twitter. In fact the reflection may have revealed more than reflected.He and SEGA were planning on a film project earlier in the decade that would be based on his work for Archie. The film was scheduled to be released in 2011 but one unfortunate event would prove to be the setback that resulted in the project being discontinued. Penders explains more:
Ken penders: I have documents that show SEGA & I were trying to launch a film project based on the work I did for the Archie comic series, I had meetings with them in person in Hollywood, at their offices, at several E3 shows and #comiccon .
One thing you need is someone within the company who believes in your project, and that person untimely passed away on us, I had the backing of the producedirector of the FOX animated X-MEN series, who was aiming for a 2011 release. We considered SEGA Licensing Director Robert Leffler a personal friend as well as business associate. The project was designed to establish a global Sonic continuity based on the Sat-AM and Archie series with SEGA’s blessing. The film would have defined Sonic and Sally as an official couple for the franchise.
Sega and Sony's cancelled sonic the hedgehog movie
on 3 December 2013, Sony Pictures Digital Domain Names, Inc., a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, filed a notice of registration for three inactive websites adressed as "SonicTheHedgehog-Movie.com", "SonicTheHedgehog-Movie.net" and "SonicTheHedgehogMovie.net". The registrations were reported by The Sonic Stadium on 7 December, but neither Sony Pictures nor Sega confirmed the existence of a proposed film project at the time.[21]
On 20 March 2014, a film adaptation was first hinted when The Tracking Board released a rumor about the film, stating that it would receive a "Dark Knight treatment" and posted a writer shortlist of proposed writers involved.[22] On 10 June 2014, the official Sonic website was updated, with a locked section listing "TV and Movies."[23] Later that same day, at a private Sega/Sony Pictures press conference, The Hollywood Reporter reported the confirmation of the film, and that Sony had green-lit the project.[3]
It was revealed on 21 June 2014 that Sonic the Hedgehog and its eventual successor films will be a separate continuity from the Sonic Boom continuity.[24] On 19 November 2014, Van Robichaux stated that the film production team is "aiming for [a] PG-13 [rating]".[25]
On 31 October 2016, The Hollywood Reporter reported that Tim Miller, who had left directing Deadpool 2 due to creative differences, had been hired as executive producer for the film and that Jeff Fowler will assume directorial duties. Patrick Casey and Josh Miller are also confirmed to write the script.[4]
Van Robichaux, the former writer of the Sonic Movie, before being replaced by Patrick Casey and Josh Miller, said some more details about the production of the Sonic Movie while it was being produced by Sony Pictures.
-Jeff Fowler was attached to direct the movie as far back as when the project was still at Sony.
-The reason why Sony didn’t produce movie was because of the 2014 hack and a lot of the new executives that were brought to oversee the project didn’t like the direction the movie was taking.
-Sega and Van clashed over Dr. Robotnik’s name. Van wanted him to be named Dr. Robotnik as it would be easier for American audiences to swallow and would be “more intimidating”, but Sega wanted him to be named Eggman.
-Van clashed a lot with an unnamed Sony executive (most likely Amy Pascal)
But wait there's more....someone on Reddit i guess managed to find more leaked info about Sony's sonic movie...Now this could be fake, but seeing how the 2014 Sony hack happing it wouldn't be surprising if this is true
"It would've originally stayed more close to the games and would have been like a combination of Sonic 1 and Sonic Adventure in terms of story.
I think this leak is real considering how many early plot synopsis there were during production of the movie, and also because it talks about a casino and a lead human male and female role (the film is currently going under the name "Sonic The Hedgehog: Casino Nights" as a working title, and now we have a cop and his wife confirmed in the story).
And Also because Sony had an entirely different vision for the film than Paramount does. Sony's idea was to make a more darker origin story for the characters. Paramount seems to be wanting to make a comedy adventure family film considering it has comedic actors like Jim Carrey and Tika Sumpter involved.
When Paramount got the rights to the film they completely redid the script and the story. Here is a supposed leaked early draft of the film's plot (this includes the ending):
"Sonic (Schwartz) is a tearaway teenage rebel hedgehog living in the forest near Green Hills, Montana. He was mutated by experiments by Doctor Robotnik (Carrey), along with several other animals, who escaped years ago and now live in peace. Tails and Knuckles aren't mentioned in the script, but it can be inferred they're around.
Doctor Robotnik's experiments centered around ancient golden Incan rings, which the animals took with them when they escaped. Sonic is restless and wants to see the world. He's caught speeding in Green Hills town and arrested by the sheriff, Tom (Marsden). He quickly becomes a viral sensation online, and draws the attention of Dr. Robotnik, who comes to Green Hills to get back the rings. Despite Tom trying to protect Sonic, he's captured by Robotnik and taken to his government lab. Tom is able to break inside with the help of town locals who have befriended Sonic, and together they free him. A last stand takes place in Green Hills as Robotnik launches an assault with gadgets and robots he's created, but is foiled by traps laid by the townsfolk and Sonic. Robotnik is blown up, survives, and is then arrested for his illegal experiments becoming public. Sonic is hailed as a hero, but rather than wanting to see the world, he decides he wants to stay and protect his home, Green Hills. Ends with him running down a highway."
When someone asked if he goes fast in the film, the leaker responded this:
"He goes fast a few times, but it didn't read very exciting. It's more like zipping down highways or quickly leaving a room and popping back in with a chili dog, which happens once.
Oh, I forgot to mention there are a couple of oblique references to the game. Robotnik has divided America up into 'Zones' in a map at his lab. He actually says, "I need back up to the Green Hills Zone!" at one point. Sonic speeds past a signpost making it spin around, which I took to be a reference to the spinning signs at the end of levels."
When someone asked how close it was stay true to the games, they responded:
"The way it read, it was meant for people who remember playing Sonic years ago but not much else. The references are as general as you can get, in that there is Sonic, there are rings, 'Green Hills'. It doesn't adhere to any storyline from the games, comics or anything else.
To be honest, it felt like an Alvin and the Chipmunks or Smurfs movie.""
Sega and paramount pictures upcoming sonic the hedgehog movie
It was announced on 2 October 2017 that Viacom-owned Paramount Pictures had acquired the film rights to Sonic the Hedgehog from Sony, replacing the latter as distributor. Sony had temporally shut down production before the switch after placing it into turnaround.[6] The announcement came after co-producer Neal Moritz's Original Film banner signed a first-look production deal with Paramount the prior month, ending their previous deal with Sony, and several months after Sony's film financing partner LStar Capital ended its deal with Sony due to a string of box office failures from the studio.[26][27] Despite the change of studios, the production staff working on the film remained employed and moved to Paramount as well.[6] This is not the first time Paramount and Sega have crossed paths - from 1969 to 1983, both were subsidiaries of Gulf and Western Industries.
On 22 February 2018, an official press release was put out confirming the film's move to Paramount and a release date of 15 November 2019, a date that was first reported by The Hollywood Reporter two days prior.[28][29] Sega will have creative input into the project and will co-finance it with Paramount, who will release the film worldwide.[28]
Independent outlet Omega Underground reported on 4 March 2018 that the film's producers were circling Junkie XL to compose the film's musical score, reuniting him with Miller once again after doing the score for Deadpool. The site also reported that Paramount was aiming to begin filming at some point in July, backing up story co-writer Van Robichaux's speculation he tweeted a month prior.[30][31]
On 1 April 2018, it was announced that filming was going to start on 30 July in Vancouver, instead of Atlanta as previously reported.[32]
On 29 May 2018, it was reported that Paul Rudd was in talks for a lead role as Tom, "a cop who befriends Sonic and will likely team up to defeat Dr. Eggman". Paramount later clarified that this was not the case, but that Rudd had been considered for the role at one point. The same day it was revealed that the film will have a budget of $90 million.[33] The following day, it was announced that James Marsden had been cast in an undisclosed role,[34] later revealed to be Tom Wachowski.
On 7 June 2018, it was announced that Tika Sumpter was cast to star opposite James Marsden in an undisclosed role.[35] On 12 June 2018, it was later stated that shots of the film would be filmed at Vancouver's Highway 19 during mid-September 2018, and that the movie's current title is "SONIC".[36] Soon after, screenwriter Patrick Casey revealed that for the film, Sonic would have a design that was still him and yet a "little more realistic".[25] At Too Many Games in 2018, Johnny Gioeli stated that “Sega Has Nothing To Do With The Sonic Movie”.[37] Takashi Iizuka soon after corrected though, that he would be supervising the film.[38] Sonic the Hedgehog was originally slated for a 15 November 2018 release, but after Sony Pictures' turnaround, it is now scheduled to be released in the United States on 8 November 2019 by Paramount Pictures.[1] In an exclusive IGN interview the first official poster for the film was released on 10 December 2018, revealing its official title as Sonic the Hedgehog. Tim Miller explained Sonic's redesign:
"That was always Stage 1 of adapting it to what the real world is and what a real animal would be like, it would be weird and it would feel like he was running around nude if he was some sort of otter-like thing. It was always, for us, fur, and we never considered anything different. It’s part of what integrates him into the real world and makes him a real creature. <...> I don’t think SEGA was entirely happy with the eye decision, but these sorts of things you go, ‘It’s going to look weird if we don’t do this.’ But everything is a discussion, and that’s kind of the goal, which is to only change what’s necessary and stay true to the rest of it."[2] Filming
Principal photography commenced on 30 July 2018 at Vancouver, British Columbia, and continued until 30 September 2018. During filming, the picture was shot under the working title "Casino Night", a reference to the level in Sonic the Hedgehog 2.[39] A casting call was ordered to run on 18 Aug 2018, 12:00 pm - 6:00 pm PT and 19 Aug 2018, 10:00 am - 2:00 pm PT for residents of Ladysmith, BC. The roles were for the "townsfolk" from the fictional town, Green Hills.[40] Filming ended on 16 October 2018.[41] Despite this, more filming took place in downtown San Fransisco in late October.[42]
Well that was a very long post...Anyway guys let me know what you think of these cancelled films down below
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