Bizarre Music Video Features A Swirling Hypnotic CGI Moshpit Circling Around A Lone Singer

Try not to be too freaked out by this music video for Dutch rock band De Staat and their song "Witch Doctor"—it features a completely computer-generated moshpit of shirtless men who begin to stomp and shake along to singer Torre Florim prompts.

It's combination of beats, vocals and strange crowd movements makes for a slightly creepy music video, which builds from Florim's initial voice into some kind of CGI human maelstrom.

In their CG glory the moshpit inhabitants are both zombie-like and human-like, sitting uncomfortably within that uncanny valley so you feel slightly unnerved while watching it. The rendered forms give the video an otherworldly, eerie tone as the crowd starts its swirling circle dancing under the commands of Florim. It's not unlike this Sufi dance ritual.

And, it seems, these types of religious dances were an inspiration. "I discovered many religious dances which are quite synchronously moved." Florim has said, "That was the idea." The band then worked with animation studio Studio Smack and animator Floris Kaayk to create the video using a very low budget.

They shot it with Florim against a green screen and spent months compositing the bodies into the scene, after motion capturing their movements. See more in the making-of below.