Do not challenge the death. Stay at home.
A viral video from Malaysia is using the Ghanaian pallbearer meme to deliver an important coronavirus public health announcement — as well as a hilarious horror film.
Created by ad agency 75insanity, "How To Summon The Death" follows an unfortunate man (played by in-house actor HauYen Tan) who is relentlessly dogged by the ominous EDM strains of Tony Igy's "Astronomia." The song is a reference to the popular video meme of Ghanaian pallbearers dancing while carrying a casket, which is frequently used to imply imminent death.
Though the funky funeral footage originally came from 2017 AP and BBC stories, the lively pallbearers only rose to meme status this year. It's a very on-brand meme considering the year 2020 has been.
A 75insanity spokesperson told Mashable they filmed the creative sketch during lockdown, with the entire production completed within one week. "We have no brand placement in this video as we were just making it for our own channel content as well as for hygiene awareness for the public," she said.
It's safe to say the message has been spread. "How To Summon The Death" has now been shared thousands of times on Twitter, where it has racked up over three million views.
