If you thought “Ice Cream Cake” was creepy, then you are in for a plot twist. The ladies of Red Velvet have made a jaw-dropping return after their summer special, “The Red Summer” and turning their duality on its head with their comeback track, “Peek-A-Boo”. Some fans may see this as the return to their more mature “Velvet” side but there is still some playful hints of their “Red” side peeking in, which makes the music video for this all the more fun and spooky.
Already so many theories have jumped left right and centre, speculating with one subject in mind; the supernatural. We have had links to vampires, especially with “Peek-A-Boo” succeeding “Red Flavour” and the possible link to its lyrics. However, one thing is very clear. The director of this video had every detail planned out to perfectly fit the Horror B-Movie style. The five girls are seen as a coven, dressed exactly the same in red garments and performing candle lit rituals throughout the course of the video. They seem to have no fear of pain as they inflict multiple wounds on each other – notably with Irene cutting Seulgi’s cheek with a shaving blade without any panic or human reaction. Meanwhile, Yeri and Wendy play target practice on the other members as they once again appear oblivious to the sense of danger.
Why does their stoic nature matter in this theory? Simply due to the power they seem to hold over each other and to people outside their Coven. They plan out what appears to be a sacrifice, even anticipating it with excitement – running through their trophy room of uniforms and Joy pining over a small house made of pizza and french fries. Again, the pizza may seem strange but it acts in multiple ways. The concept of the video as a whole follows the stereotypical American B-Movie; the clueless Pizza Boy who falls for what appears to be a sorority but in fact is a band of supernatural creatures to prey on them for sustenance. Following that, the girls may not need traditional food whatsoever which can lead back to the Vampire theory or even the Succubus theory. Both Yeri and Joy seem to use their own wiles again the pizza delivery boy who returns to the house frequently and partakes in their games, oblivious to the fact that they are preying on them.
However, there are a few things to note which was brought to attention while making this breakdown. One Youtuber known as InternetsNathan has recently highlighted a few signs that there may be more to this than a simple Coven and we couldn’t help but apply it to our theory too.
You may already noticed that we mentioned the girls dressed all in red but Wendy is instead dressed in tartan, differing herself from the other girls. In fact, when it comes to the delivery boy she has very little one-on-one involvement. Instead, it is the others who appear alone with him at multiple times. Furthermore, the members also attempt to help him escape after multiple rituals but the only one who doesn’t run with the delivery boy is Wendy. Could she possibly be the leader of the Coven? It could explain the obvious differences within the group, but if that was the case she would appear in the centre frequently instead of Yeri. Maybe Yeri is more influenced due to her role as the youngest and has more influence from Wendy, who may prefer to pull the strings discreetly and commands the other girls to obey and lure him into the trap.
At the end of the video, we can also see the entire group’s power in full work as there appear to be very little concern over the large number of delivery boys disappearing in the area. Posters are visible to show the growing body count but there seems to be no panic, no wide search. In fact, the number that is dialled by the delivery boy – which we could expect to be the emergency services or any other form of help – appears to be non-existent, which leaves him helpless as Red Velvet hunt him down and add him to their collection. There could be suggestions that this was manipulated by them to ensure their tracks are covered and that their existence is never revealed as they continue the hunt once again.
Like many supernatural concepts, these music videos always generate a lot of discussion and multiple theories. In fact, that is what makes them so fun to watch. We may never know the real story planned by SM Entertainment but what we can enjoy is another enchanting cinematic from the quirky quintet. “Peek-A-Boo” is a perfect blend of their signature pop sound and their sultry visuals, which gives their second full album the fitting name of “Perfect Velvet”. It may be a few weeks late for the spooks and scares of Halloween but this is a bewitching comeback that has got us under Red Velvet’s spell once again.
Red Velvet’s second full length album, “Perfect Velvet” is now available to download on iTunes, Google Play and to stream on Spotify.
