Occult Rock Band GHOST Heads to Movie Theaters in June with ‘Rite Here Rite Now’
Ghost is known for supporting their music with elaborate theatricality. Now they are taking the next step with a hybrid concert/narrative feature film.
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Rite Here Rite Now is in theaters on June 20 & 22 only
Over the past few years, the Swedish hard rock act Ghost exploded in popularity. Part of surge is thanks their song “Mary On A Cross” going viral on TikTok in 2022 which helped bolster a rapid increase of millions of monthly listeners on Spotify. An even larger reason for Ghost’s current fame is due to years of creating a unique sound, look, and persona that continues to cultivate a passionate audience. As the rise of Ghost progresses, they are taking their theatrical soundscapes to a new venue: the movie theater.
Rite Here Rite Now is the title of Ghost’s upcoming movie. It is described as a “technicolor melodrama” which will be part concert film, and part narrative story. The concert footage in the movie is from their back-to-back concerts at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles in September of 2023, which was the finale of their Re-Imperatour U.S.A. 2023 tour. The narrative portion of Rite Here Rite Now “picks up plot threads” from their web series which expands the lore of Ghost with a suitably retro aesthetic that completely envelopes their imagery and sound.
Why will horror movie fans be interested in Rite Here Rite Now?
If you enjoy occult-themed horror movies from the 1970s—even if you’ve never heard of Ghost and don’t know their music—then this band is worth your time. Their theatricality goes hand in hand with their musicality, and both are vitally important to what makes Ghost the phenomenon that it is. The man behind Ghost, Tobias Forge, says that he “always wanted Ghost to sound like the one band from the 70s that you haven’t heard.” He also envisioned the act as a “big theatrical performance,” which, if you’ve been to any of their concerts (aka rituals) or you’ve seen their videos, then you can hear and see how successful Forge’s vision is.
To get a feel for the cinematic vibe of Ghost, at least initially, think about movies such as Season of the Witch (1972), Alice, Sweet Alice (1976), and To the Devil a Daughter (1976). Ghost employs a healthy amount of humor to go along with its satanic-panic themes, and their videos have come to incorporate many different eras of art and film as influences. For example, Chapter Nine of their ongoing web series, titled “Tomb it May Concern,” is a screenlife mini-dramedy, so it’s easy to see that Ghost isn’t concerned with sticking to a formula as much as it just wants to have fun and be entertaining.
What can we expect from Rite Here Rite Now? At the moment we don’t know much about the movie other than that it sounds like it could be akin to something like Led Zeppelin’s The Song Remains the Same (1976). Led Zeppelin’s film is a concert movie that incorporates filmed elements, making it more than “just” a concert film. Knowing Ghost, they’re likely to take the theatricality even further, making Rite Here Rite Now something similar to an indie horror musical. Whatever the case may be, it is surely going to be a must-see event for fans old and new alike.
Who is Ghost? Where to start?
If you’re new to Ghost, there is a ton of stuff to dive into. So much that it might be a bit overwhelming. As the briefest of brief crash courses, Ghost initially formed with all of its members acting out characters while hiding their real identities. As Ghost, they are led by an enigmatic frontman who provides lead vocals and is at the heart of the ongoing lore of the group. Papa Emeritus I, a satanic-pope-like figure, was the initial leader of Ghost, but the figurehead of the group changes repeatedly, roughly coinciding with new eras and new major album releases. The rest of the band is made up of “nameless ghouls” who all dress alike and act as more of a unified mass than as individuals. You can check Metal Hammer for a nice and concise breakdown of the various major characters in the lore of Ghost.
Though the identities of Ghost started out as completely anonymous, eventually the names of many of its current and former members were discovered and released to the public. Tobias Forge is the only known mainstay in the group. Forge is a founding member, the main songwriter, and has portrayed every incarnation of the group’s leader (currently Papa Emeritus IV). The nameless ghouls have also been revealed over time, and it’s now known that the musicians underneath the costumes change periodically.
Frankly, the best way to begin getting to know Ghost is through their music. They currently have five major studio albums. Start your journey into the world of Ghost by listening to their first release Opus Eponymous (2010), and keep listening through to their latest studio album Impera (2022) (note: my personal favorite album is 2013’s Infestissumam). If you like what you hear, check out the official Ghost YouTube channel to dig deeper. Then, if you still want more, there are plenty of resources out there that dig as deep into the lore as you want to go.
How to watch Rite Here Right Now
Go support Ghost in their film debut by seeing Rite Here Rite Now in theaters, only June 20th and 22nd! Stay up to date on information for the movie by signing up for updates on the official movie site, ritehereritenow.com. Tickets are on sale now!
The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack for Rite Here Rite Now is also available for pre-order now: Pre-Order at the official Ghost web store
You can also find Ghost in the following places online:
