Although Eminem’s latest single, “Venom,” comes from the Marvel supervillain movie of the same name that hit theaters today, the plot of his video is more akin to 1998 Denzel Washington possession caper, Fallen.
In both Em’s new video and in Denzel’s late-90s feature, the protagonist battles a body-hopping spirit that takes possession of anyone it comes into contact with, making them commit violent acts and sing its theme song. However, the differences are plenty, too. In “Venom,” the spirit in question is actually Eminem, who possesses his victims and raps a couple of bars as each one before bumping into and taking over a new host, while the most violent act he commits in the video is punching an old man into the sky. Of course, the old man is fine when he lands, having been taken by the spirit of Em to perform a few lines himself.
It’s easy to see where the idea of possession came in; after all, one of the primary plotlines of the Venom film is its protagonist, Eddie Brock, being “possessed” by the titular alien symbiote and beating up corporate goons, but it appears Eminem only lightly adapted the movie for the song from its soundtrack. “Venom” also doubles as the album closer of Eminem’s recent surprise album, Kamikaze.
