The Uncanny Concept Art of "Southland Tales"

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Exclusive: The Uncanny Concept Art of "Southland Tales"

By Abraham Riesman

Art by Kasra Farahani

Not every movie demands Karl Marx street signs, schematics for a giant airship, renderings for a government-run domestic surveillance agency, box art for a fictional porno starring Buffy. But then again, not every movie is Richard Kelly's 2007 cult sensation flop, the time-travel apocalypse musical Southland Tales.

Art was central to Kelly's bizarre vision from the beginning, and it turned out to be crucial for understanding the whole story. A set of graphic novels he imagined, he told me, he "always intended to be blueprints for an animated prequel that would lead to a final extended cut of the whole film." If you haven't yet been down the rabbit hole of Southland Tales yet, let this (or the feature story I wrote) be proof: you don't need to have seen the movie to find Kelly's future visions eerily, unsettingly familiar.

Art by Zachary Fannin

Homepage for USIDEATH.org, the Neo-Marxist underground's secret online network targeting USIDENT, the government's secret digital surveillance program

Neo-Marxist graffiti.

Box art for Cockchuggers 2, one of Krysta Now's starring vehicles.

Cover art for Teen Horniness Is Not A Crime, Krysta Now's debut single.

Art by Ron Cobb:

Schematics for the Jenny von Westphalen, Baron von Westphalen's MegaZeppelin.

More MegaZeppelin schematics.

Art by Jay Kelly:

Detail from Resolve, a painting used in promotions for Southland Tales.

Resolve in full.

Art by Alec Hammond

The Neo-Marxist headquarters.

Utopia 3, Baron von Westphalen's L.A. energy factory.

Art by Kasra Farahani

General concept for Santa Monica Pier.

Utopia 3.

Thematic concept art for Krysta Now's posse.

Art by Martin Mercer:

Storyboards for the intro.

Storyboards from the climax.

Storyboards for the MegaZeppelin's destruction.

Riot police during the climax.

Art by Priscilla Elliott