 The music video is inspired by horror films and extensively features gothic and horror related imagery , including references to Michael Jackson 's Thriller . The video features references to horror cult films such as Saw and American Psycho and the supposedly haunted painting The Hands Resist Him . The Hand Resists Him is a painting created by artist Bill Stoneham in 1972 , depicting a young boy and female doll standing in front of a glass paneled door against which many hands are pressed . The painting became famous for apparently being haunted . The painting is referenced during a scene in the video where West attempts to hold a door closed , from the monsters outside attempting to enter . The video features mostly naked corpse looking models , some of which are decapitated . West 's role in the video is similar to Doctor Frankenstein , with the video set in a castle . Jay @-@ Z appears in the video dressed in a tuxedo , standing in front of a nude corpse in a darkly @-@ lit library . The video contains two versions of Minaj ; a vampire version who is dressed in a gothic inspired outfit ( representing her alter ego Roman Zolanski ) , and a pink @-@ haired version ( representing her alter ego Barbie ) which the other half tortures during the video . Zombies also appear in the video , with hanging corpses and blood @-@ splattered furniture . 
