Over recent weeks, a peculiar phenomenon has taken hold of a strange corner of The Internet. Back in April, a content creator called @demonflyingfox uploaded an AI-generated video onto YouTube which showcased Harry Potter characters as beautiful yet somewhat menacing models, the type that would usually be hired by high-fashion brand Balenciaga.
After shortly hitting the viral stratosphere, amassing over 7 million views, the clip sparked a startling trend which saw other characters from various franchises receive a similar AI-generated treatment, courtesy of programmes such as ChatGPT, Midjourney, ElevenLabs, and D-ID.
So far, we've seen shows such as Breaking Bad, Family Guy, Star Wars and The Lord Of The Rings go under the digital knife. Now, we've even seen a clip displaying Balenciaga-fied rockstars, made by internet axe-slinger Bradley Hall, and it's seriously given us the creeps.
Kicking off the video is a beautifully flame-haired 'Dave Mustaine', who mutters "peace sells but who's buying? Not me, I'm buying Balenciaga" between a pair of ultra-pouty, taut lips. Although the Megadeth frontman deep-fake certainly looks enchanting, he doesn't really look all that much different to his younger self.
Elsewhere, we see Black Sabbath's 'Tony Iommi', dripping in jewels, smouldering like a fairy-tale king from another world.
There's also a strangely inaccurate depiction of Metallica's Lars Ulrich, who looks more like a character from The Rocky Horror Picture Show, with very little hair on his head.
Our favourite of the lot, though, has to be the 'Ozzy Osbourne' model, who, while styled in a florescent, yellow, bejewelled jacket and top-hat, with eyes hollowed out in charcoal eyeshadow, declares in a swaggering tone: "Forget the Crazy Train, I'm boarding the first train to fashion city, next stop Balenciaga, baby!".
At the end, 'James Hetfield' appears in a futuristic metal suit, and says: "Nothing else matters, except for my extensive collection of Balenciaga apparel. Yeah yeah!". While we're pretty certain that Metallica's Nothing Else Matters wasn't about the frontman's love of high-fashion, it's hilarious all the same.
Check it out below:
@bradleyhallguitar ♬ original sound - Bradley Hall
