Above is the embed for Rihanna’s new video, Bitch Better Have My Money (a non-YouTube link is here on Vevo if you’re held back by Google’s restrictions). It comes with a sex and violence warning for readers; survivors of sexual assault and trauma will skip hitting the ‘play’ button on this one. Why? It’s a full-on, blood-drenched cult film, a reverently grindhouse-style spectacle of sex, violence and style. So it isn’t for everyone, but is certainly, definitely for me.
I couldn’t decide whether to put this one in erotic art or erotic fashion, because it’s a visual feast, yet the couture is off the hook in every scene (as we’ve come to expect from Rihanna). So much couture/shoe/rubber/everything envy here. But if you’re a cult and horror film addict like me, this little flick is even more of a treat — and I’m enjoying watching the media scramble to call all the cult film references here. There are tons. The closest so far is Dazed, who writes,
For such an overtly cinematic watch, it’s no surprise that the seven-minute Rihanna and Megaforce-directed blockbuster doesn’t shy away from paying homage to cult film. BBHMM relentlessly throws out references across the spectrum, making for a full-blooded visual spectacle and a music video that wears its grindhouse and slash horror influences on its sleeve.
While BBHMM certainly draws on the blood reds of Dario Argento’s work or the comic horror of 70’s B-movies, we’ve aimed for the big screen and decoded RiRi’s reverence for Hollywood. (…read more, dazeddigital.com)
Well, they tried. Also, if you’re a Hannibal fan like me, you’ll love the shots of Mads Mikkelsen at the end, one of which I’ll confess to replaying a few times because… well, let’s just say… it works for me.
