Xochimilco’s haunted Island of the Dolls steals the spotlight in Lady Gaga’s newest music video

So that’s what Tim Burton was doing successful Xochimilco.

Lady Gaga released a caller euphony video connected Wednesday that was directed by Burton and filmed successful the confederate Mexico City borough of Xochimilco, wherever the vocalist and manager were spotted earlier this year.

The video — “The Dead Dance” —  is linked to the singer’s relation connected Season 2 of the Netflix deed bid “Wednesday.”

The opus was introduced past week during a instrumentality lawsuit for “Wednesday” led by Lady Gaga. The vocalist plays Rosaline Rotwood, a mysterious but legendary teacher astatine Nevermore Academy, the schoolhouse that the rubric character, Wednesday Addams (of The Addams Family), attends.

The video was filmed connected La Isla de las Muñecas (“The Island of the Dolls”), a chinampa wrong the Laguna de Teshuilo located successful the canals of Xochimilco. A chinampa is an artificial island, oregon floating garden, primitively utilized for intensive agriculture successful past Mesoamerica, peculiarly by the Aztecs. Chinampas are inactive successful usage today.

The Island of the Dolls is notable for the multitude of dolls of assorted styles and colors that tin beryllium recovered passim the chinampa. In 2022, Guinness World Records recognized the land arsenic hosting the world’s largest postulation of haunted dolls — astir 4,000.

Lady Gaga’s video opens with the vocalist emerging from a partition alongside respective haunting dolls, arsenic if she were a doll coming to life.

Legend has it that a young miss drowned successful the canal and her assemblage was recovered among the h2o lilies alongside La Isla de las Muñecas. Owner Julián Santana believed the girl’s tone haunted the island, truthful helium began collecting dolls from the garbage and the canals. For the amended portion of 50 years (until his decease successful 2001), helium arrayed the dolls connected huts and hung them from ceilings and trees to ward disconnected evil spirits successful hopes of obtaining amended harvests.

The island’s caretaker — Santana’s nephew Javier Romero Santa — claims unexplained cries tin inactive beryllium heard today. “At night, we circuit the spot … and we perceive a young woman cry, oregon a moan,” helium told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation successful 2022.

Mexican integer paper SDP Noticias went truthful acold arsenic to speculate that Lady Gaga could beryllium cursed arsenic a effect of touching immoderate of the dolls — considered by immoderate a deficiency of respect — during filming of the video.

Gaga and Burton are besides collaborating connected the existent play of the Netflix deed amusement Wednesday, directed by Burton. Lady Gaga appears arsenic Rosaline Rotwood. (Netflix)

Tim Burton was successful Mexico City successful June to beforehand the opening of his accumulation “The Labyrinth,” astatine the Lienzo Charro Constituyentes successful occidental Mexico City. He besides visited the canals of Xochimilco, apt scouting “The Island of the Dolls” arsenic a determination for Lady Gaga’s video.

Whispers astir the “The Dead Dance” video emerged successful aboriginal July, according to Variety magazine, erstwhile outlets reported that she had been spotted filming thing with Burton successful Xochimilco.

Lady Gaga had antecedently been successful Mexico successful April erstwhile she performed 2 concerts astatine Mexico City’s Estadio GNP Seguros.

“Wednesday” has a beardown Mexican transportation done its pb actress, Jenna Ortega, who is of Mexican and Puerto Rican descent. The amusement besides explores the fictional Gomez Addams’ Mexican heritage.

The Netflix bid besides features Mexican euphony successful its soundtrack, specified arsenic “La Llorona” and “Un Mundo Raro” by the precocious beloved Mexican vocalist Chavela Vargas.

With reports from El País and The Wrap