Development (pictured in 2025) directed the song's music video. The music video for "The Dead Dance" was directed by Burton and produced by Gaga and
Michael Polansky, alongside Burton and Natalie Testa. It was the first music video directed by Burton since the video for
The Killers' 2012 single "
Here with Me". It was filmed at the
Island of the Dolls in Mexico in mid-July 2025.
The Express Tribune reported on July 10, that Gaga and Burton had been seen filming a music video on the Island of the Dolls, located in the south of Mexico City, Mexico. During the
Giffoni Film Festival on July 25, Burton spoke about Gaga's contribution to
Wednesday and hinted that he had "done something else with her". Following the premiere of
Wednesday second season,
Variety reported on August 4 that Gaga and Burton filmed a music video for a song supposedly titled "Dead Dance". Regarding his experience developing the video, Burton praised Gaga's work, describing her as "inspiring" and an artist he respects and feels connected to, while also expressing his desire to collaborate with her again in the future. The choreography was handled by
Parris Goebel, who had previously worked with Gaga on the music videos for "Disease" and "Abracadabra", and
Corey Baker, who had created The Dead Dance routine for
Wednesday, while the costumes were designed by
Colleen Atwood.
Synopsis The music video takes place in a graveyard and begins with Gaga perched motionless on a wall surrounded by dozens of dolls, which gradually come to life as she starts to dance. She slowly spasms to life, and as she begins to move, the dolls awaken alongside her. The visual opens in black and white but introduces color as it progresses. The choreography features abrupt, jerky movements that evoke a reanimated corpse. Her ensemble consists of a two-piece set with a
corset bustier and ribbon details, paired with a tiered skirt. Toward the end of the video, she removes both garments to reveal a
babydoll tank top and
puffed pants. Her look is completed with tightly coiled platinum blonde curls and makeup emphasizing pale, fractured skin with jet-black lipstick.
Reception -inspired gown and cracked porcelain makeup — a look journalists compared to the title character of
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?.
Billboard Gil Kaufman regarded it as one of the best music videos for Halloween, with Gaga "hosting a dead can dance party while dressed as a raggedy
Baby Jane", and a "throat-clutching, hand-jiving" dance routine. Alexa Camp of
Slant Magazine praised the video, writing that it presents Gaga "looking like a cross between Baby Jane and
Courtney Love" and portrays her as "a possessed doll who spasms to life", with movements that nod to the choreography from Michael Jackson's "Thriller" video. Bianca Betancourt of ''
Harper's Bazaar'' described the video as "quintessential Gaga" in possession of "fabulously frightening" visual, highlighting Burton's direction and Parris Goebel's choreography. Bianca Cosulich of
Marie Claire praised the production for its aesthetic and choreography. She noted that it "revives one of Mexico's most famous urban legends" by being filmed on the Island of the Dolls, and emphasized positive fan reaction to the way the video "spotlights Mexican culture".
The Express Tribune described it as "a spectacle that feels both theatrical and sinister". Tyler Damara Kelly wrote for
The Line of Best Fit that "the cinematic video shifts between stark black-and-white and bursts of vivid color, interweaving unsettling images of dolls with Gaga’s performance." Sonal Pandya of
Times Now noted the video's "macabre feel with porcelain doll imagery", highlighting Gaga's cracked doll styling and the shift from black-and-white to pink-tinted color. Andi Ortiz of
TheWrap described the video as "about exactly as creepy as you would expect a collaboration between Lady Gaga and Tim Burton to be," while Sam Damshenas of
Gay Times called it "a
camp horror spectacle." Mexican outlets such as
El Universal and
Telemundo praised the video's gothic and cinematic aesthetic, highlighting how the use of Xochimilco's Island of the Dolls added a "haunting atmosphere" and "cultural resonance" by bringing the site's legends to life. Shortly after the video's release, a viral post on
Twitter accused the production of using
artificial intelligence (AI) to animate the dolls, citing alleged distortions in their hands during the chorus. The claim sparked debate online, but official credits listed a VFX supervisor and a full team behind the animation. Line producer Carlos Llergo also denied the allegations, clarifying that the moving dolls were "animated in a
VFX studio," and the video's on-location filming at the Island of the Dolls further reinforced its practical production. ==Live performances and other appearances==