Films by Kenneth Anger

Invocation of My Demon Brother / Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome / Scorpio Rising
FACT, Wednesday 12th November

Reviewed by Adam Ford

It was many years before my time, but when these Anger films were originally released a few decades back, they caused a storm of controversy worthy of his name. The explicit depictions of gay and occultist pursuits incurred the wrath of the religious and film establishments, who felt their stringent moral codes had been violated. Though he was largely snubbed by the elites, he gained an underground (or should that be ‘cult’?) following amongst the emerging youth subcultures featured in his works.
The druggy, hallucinatory atmosphere of Anger’s works transport the viewer to the epicentre of the world it depicts. Dark scenes are perfectly accompanied by eerie, droning soundtracks, and icons such as Mick Jagger, Anais Nin, and Anton LaVey – self-styled ‘High Priest of the Church of Satan’ - make appearances.
Yet for all that I was thoroughly bored. Yes, people were doing things some strange things. Yes, the goings-on are not to everybody’s taste. But in today’s largely secular society, few would be bothered or even interested by these pictures. Perhaps the pagan message of ‘as harms none do as thou wilt’ has come of age, and this was just a bit of harmless fun.