“Lords Of Chaos”– Movie Review

This week at The Film Society Of Lincoln Center, I attended The New York Premiere of the horror film “Lords Of Chaos” starring Rory Culkin.

Synopsis

When a heavy metal band begins experiencing success, will internal squabbles result in  fatalities?

Story

In Oslo, Norway during the late 1980’s, Mayhem was formed.  Its organizer  was one of its guitar players, Euronymous (Culkin).  Mayhem was a heavy metal band – although Euronymous liked to refer to it as a “Norwegian Black Metal Band” because its music was thematically dark.  Slowly, the band started to gain a small but loyal following by playing in local clubs. Just as it looked like Mayhem was going to hit it big, tragedy struck when Mayhem’s lead singer committed suicide and the group subsequently disbanded.  Euronymous borrowed money from his father and opened a record store specializing in heavy metal music.

One day in the record store, Varg (Emory Cohen) enters; as a fan of Mayhem, he soon reveals he has ulterior motives.  Varg offers Euronymous an audition tape and after listening, he finds Varg is talented. Borrowing money from his mother, Varg records some tracks in a studio with Euronymous and some of the former members of Mayhem; they sell the record in the store and it gets some recognition.  Euronymous invites Varg to become a member of Mayhem; he accepts and when the band reunites, it quickly picks up where it left off, to some extent thanks to Varg, who gave it a new sound.

Not long after, Euronymous learns of Varg’s arsonous inclinations.  Being anti-religion, Varg feels it necessary to burn down churches so the “oppression” (as he sees it) of the Norwegian church will end once they no longer have a safe place in which to worship.   Euronymous fears Varg’s urges go a little too far, so he abandons any association with him, seeking a more normal life. Varg, however, believes Euronymous is doing this out of jealousy; thinking Euronymous hates him because he’s gained notoriety, Varg decides he must rid himself of Euronymous once and for all.  But can Varg be dissuaded before it’s too late?

Review

“Lords Of Chaos” would hardly be considered the typical horror flick; in fact, it is a biopic with characters made even scarier because they actually existed.  The story of this band is truly horrifying and one which is spelled out in excruciating detail. If you are the type who likes their movies with plenty of blood, guts and gore, then “Lords Of Chaos” is definitely for you.  The film is not without its controversies, however – many people knowledgeable of the band maintain that this is not a true portrayal of its story or that a number of crucial details have been omitted (either intentionally or accidentally). 

What is most notable about “Lords Of Chaos” is the rather intense performances – this is especially true of Rory Culkin and Emory Cohen, but really it’s true of the entire cast.  It is this intensity that truly holds the entire story together. Also, the directing choices by Jonas Åkerlund enhance the tale, although they may sometimes leave the viewer a bit puzzled as to a given shot’s reference or meaning.  His screenplay (based on a book about the band) also sets up a great sense of foreboding from the very first scene that perfectly sets up the tone for the remainder of the movie.

Following the screening, there was an interview with its star Rory Culkin and writer/director Jonas Åkerlund.  Åkerlund maintains that he tried to keep “Lords Of Chaos” as close to reality as possible, but admits to some embellishment.  In this shoot – which lasted 18 days, most of it in Budapest – he tried to tone down the murder scenes, compared to how they actually played out in real life.  Culkin said he based his characterization mostly on photographs since films and videos of the real Euronymous were incredibly difficult to come by.