Behind The Scenes: Atomis - In The Realm Of Hungry Ghosts (Official Video)

Michael Valenzuela - Director: The video for 'In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts' by ATOMIS arose through collaborative inspiration. I had been working with Bryan Buss on the artwork, design, and layout for the ATOMIS triple album boxset 'The Void'. Bryan mentioned plans for a Visual Album Screening for the four-track self-titled album. The incredible videos for 'Maelstrom' and '12 Chains' directed by Doug Cook would be the main features for the event. However, there were two additional songs on the album that did not yet have videos. I offered to create visualizers for those two songs. I wanted to match the aesthetic of previous ATOMIS visuals, the box set, and the videos that Doug had created. Symmetry, metaphors, surrealism, and haunting supernatural elements were common themes. The 14-minute epic "Awakening" inspired me to create psychedelic, cerebral visuals to accompany the song's dynamic journey. However, for "In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts" I wanted the video to have more of a narrative.

I let the music set the tone for each section of the video. Musically, the song has a very mesmerizing, hypnotic feel to it, as the guitars are repeated in an almost mantra-type way. The song has no lyrics, but the title itself provided some insight. The title "In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts" is derived from a book by Gabor Mate, MD which explores the epidemic of addiction in our society. But the title also introduces a theme of being hunted in an unfamiliar realm. I created the visuals from the perspective of the prey being drawn in by the hungry ghosts. I decided to make the video black and white to make it feel haunting and like a place void of color. But also to represent duality and conflicting thoughts.

The first half of the video is looping footage of bare trees, to represent feeling lost on the journey of life. Feeling like you're walking in circles. The trees follow the main guitar riff patterns to make the viewer feel disoriented in this dark forest. As the drums come in, some paint and film burn textures start to distort the footage of the trees. This represents the cognitive distortion many people experience, clouding their perspectives and making them feel uneasy. I let this section of the video repeat on a loop almost ad nauseam to represent being caught up in vicious cycles and not feeling like you're progressing. Feeling lost in the monotonous routine.

It's not until the lead guitar kicks for the loop to break. At this point, we are met with the silhouette of The Temptress. She is dancing and luring the viewer into a trap, much like many predatory plants and insects would draw in their prey. Her dance is hypnotic and alluring, but her faceless figure is also mysterious and threatening. This is how addiction works. The deceptive qualities of many addictive substances or behaviors.

When the tone of the song shifts, the temptress changes shape and reveals her true form. This alien-esque figure is The Entity. This is the hungry ghost. The predator. At first, The Entity continues the hypnotic dance to draw us in. But as the music evolves, The Entity becomes more menacing and the viewer is meant to feel paralyzed with fear as The Entity stands firm and raises its arms. The viewer is in the trap now and it's too late to turn back.

For this scene, I was inspired by sci-fi horror films like "Alien", "Event Horizon", and "Annihilation". I was also inspired by TOOL music videos. I achieved the effect by mirroring and distorting footage of a backlit ballerina. Her movements are graceful, but in this context, they are very disorienting and mesmerizing. She becomes like an ever-evolving Rorschach Test as her reflected movements contort into various ink-like shapes. Triggering our own individual subconscious perceptions. Everyone will see something different as they watch this scene. The textures and bright white make it feel like you have entered a different dimension or are facing the lights of an alien ship. It's like having to squint because the light is in your eyes and you can't quite make out the figure.

All of this is meant to represent many themes. It's a cautionary tale to not fall for the traps or temptations that are often associated with many addictive substances or behaviors.

As the song ends and the music fades, we end up back in the dark forest. The viewer is left to interpret for themselves if they escaped The Entity and have a chance to find their way out or if the trap is simply being reset for the next victim.