It's been almost 20 years since the world was first graced with Ghost, the Swedish theatrical metal group with a seemingly Satanist bent. A far cry from the small town of Linköping, where frontman and main creator Tobias Forge began writing and recording songs, the band now has five studio albums, several EPs, a Grammy, and enough history to fill an entire occult bookshelf.
Despite all these achievements, a concert film remained a distant thought for Forge, who noted that the group was reluctant to commit.
“We've avoided doing one,” the 43-year-old singer says on a video call from Stockholm, almost reveling in his stubbornness. “Basically, as soon as we got the question from festivals, 'Can we film the show?' No. 'Can we convey that somehow?' No. Forget it, we don’t want to do that.”
“The longer it took us to make a movie, the more I knew it was something worth sitting through,” he adds.
It wouldn't be until Forge crossed paths with independent film director Alex Ross Perry that a movie, “Rite Here Rite Now” (in theaters Thursday) would become a reality. To call this turn of events unexpected would be an understatement: Perry, 39, is more recognizable for his character-driven dramas about neurotic New Yorkers (“Listen Up Philip,” “Golden Exits”) than for filming fisticuffs. shows at the Kia Forum.
But most importantly, he was also a fan.
“I was a fan before I thought we would ever collaborate,” Perry says via Zoom from New York, interrupted only occasionally by his young daughter. “And I'm still a fan of the aesthetic, the merchandise, the story-building and the music.”
He had heard ramblings about their “real deal” status and set out to revisit them in 2017, when Ghost opened for Iron Maiden at the Barclays Center. Needless to say, he fainted.
“We love that theatricality,” Perry says of the show and Forge's general penchant for grand gestures. “She's obviously loved him his whole life.”
Tobias Forge of Ghost in the movie “Rite Here Rite Now.”
(Robert Kolodny)
Between films, Perry began working with Ghost's record label, Loma Vista, and finally threw his hat in the ring for any potential projects. First was the band's 2022 April Fool's Day movie, “Metal Myths: Ghost Pt. 2,” then a free pop-up screening at Los Angeles' legendary Whiskey a Go Go.
By 2023, and at the end of Ghost's 20-month world tour for their most ambitious album, “Impera,” the time was finally right to capture their live experience on film. Perry was ready. Of course, it helped that they had 10,000 concertgoers filling the Kia Forum to capacity.
“We knew that once we finally came out with a concert film, it would be something fans were waiting for,” Forge says. “So you better make it worth it.”
Ghost would seem to be any director's dream. Forge stalks the stage with his face painted white, a demonic and elegant threat. All of the musicians wear masks that obscure their faces, a constant in the various incarnations of Ghost. (They are known as Nameless Ghouls). Forge's Catholic iconography-inspired costumes, designed by Bea Åkerlund, add a controversial mystique. An embroidered “666” adorns the sleeve of one of his anti-pope suits. Surpassing even the glam-rock pyrotechnic traditions of KISS and hair metal, this particular show features dancers dressed as skeletons and enormous stained glass windows rising behind the band throughout the set.
One of Ghost's so-called Nameless Ghouls performs in “Rite Here Rite Now.”
(Robert Kolodny)
Sometimes Ghost's gimmick is unwelcome. A crowd of protesters gathered outside a September 2023 show in The Woodlands, Texas, waving signs that read “Defamation is not free speech” and “I'm Catholic, stop attacking my faith.” Non-fans expressed their outrage to the fullest.
“I think it's sad,” Forge says of these types of incidents. “We are not there to cause controversy. We are there to entertain people. The point is not that children make their parents angry; “That was never like that.”
Forge is reluctant to explain too much. When Ghost gained momentum shortly after the release of their 2010 debut, “Opus Eponymous,” he discovered that other bands were drowning their fans with constant updates on social media.
“I didn't want to communicate at all,” Forge recalls. “I want people to think and fantasize about things. I don't want to fuck. say them.”
Arriving at a job that already had a strong visionary (but needed structural help), Perry had been tasked with “story surgery,” working out Forge's ideas about mythos and script and putting them on paper. When it came time to shoot, both parties agreed on a hands-on approach. Not only had Los Angeles always been Forge's second home, it was also where the band had scheduled back-to-back shows in September. They would need two shows because, on at least one of those nights, according to Forge, something would undoubtedly go wrong. (It helped that all the on-location filming was done by live concert director Jim Parsons, producer of Coldplay, Genesis and Ed Sheeran.)
Ghost performing at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles in 2023. Two separate shows were filmed for “Rite Here Rite Now.”
(Ryan Chang)
For Perry's part, he insisted that all post-production on the film be done in his hometown of New York so as not to go over budget.
“If I have to do it in Los Angeles, no, you can't do anything with the budget you have,” Perry says. “If I have to do it in Stockholm, no, I don't know anyone. If I can do this in New York, in my own way I will get exactly what you want to spend.”
This resulted in all of the film's “behind the scenes” scenes being filmed there as well, where he created an entire set that would fit perfectly with the Kia Forum. “It's got boxes of equipment, about a couch, and some folding chairs,” Perry says of the Forum's actual backstage. “Tobias wanted his big baroque set, with the red velvet curtain, chandelier and Phantom of the Opera look.”
Those scenes play a crucial role in the film, adding breaks to the nearly two-hour performance.
In one sequence, Forge changes clothes backstage and emerges in a dazzling boxing robe. The camera follows him through the crowd and ends up capturing footage later edited to look like a UFC or WBA strike. He doesn't play a huge role in the grand scheme of the film, but it shows that Forge and Perry were clearly having fun behind the camera, more than willing to experiment with something ridiculous but in keeping with Ghost's style.
“[Forge] He makes these incredible albums that fans love, with these wonderful songs that fill stadiums,” Perry says. “Then, on the other hand, he does these very slapsticky comedy sketches, and he inexplicably managed to combine these two into the superproject.”
Filmmaker Alex Ross Perry on the set of “Rite Here Rite Now.”
(Marco Maddox)
And that's the glue: Perry and Forge come from completely different worlds, but they manage to make a movie that sums up Ghost's overall greatness and also doesn't take itself too seriously. Perry credits editor Robert Kolodny, whom he calls a magician. “He spent two months with me making the most arcane Ghost documentary-mockumentary possible,” says the director.
Ghost may not have Beyoncé or Taylor Swift numbers, but there is a strong and loyal fan base behind them that knows how to introduce themselves to the band. Watching “Rite Here Rite Now,” everyone else at the concert looks like they're dressed head-to-toe as a nun. Others shake their heads behind black and white face paint, reflecting their idol.
Will there be another collaboration between Ghost and Perry? “Why not?” Forge says. Anyway, it will be years before we see it.
Meanwhile, fans of the director won't have to wait that long. He has another music-related film in the works. Although Perry's relationship with Ghost spans nearly a decade, his work with the revered alternative rock band Pavement dates back to 1999. The group tapped him to direct the music video for their viral hit “Harness Your Hopes.” Perry also directed “Slanted! Nice to meet you! A pavement musical” in 2022.
He is now finishing a biopic about Pavement, “Pavements.”
“It's pretty much been the bane of my existence,” Perry joked. “It couldn't be more different than [“Rite Here Rite Now”], but they are two different sides of the same brain waves of musical storytelling.” Perry confirms to The Times that the edition has a blocked image.
Meanwhile, Ghost will inevitably continue to rock stadiums and piss off Sunday worshipers along the way. When it comes to live performances, they are one of the best in the business and now they have the film to prove it.
“I thought I'd better put things together and tell the story,” Forge says of the concert film, which, while often deafening, conveys notes of community and kindness. “Since people are listening, it's better to tell them something important.”
