‘Rite Here Rite Now’ review: Ghost’s metal-mad debut movie is grandiose, ghoulish fun

Masked metallers Ghost have never been bigger. Since 2022’s monster-selling album ‘Impera’, they’ve rocked hundreds of thousands across multiple sold-out world tours and won new Gen Z fans when the algorithm gods sent 2019 track ‘Mary On A Cross’ viral on TikTok. So it’s fitting that, at the peak of their powers, they’d want to immortalise that moment with a gripping new concert film.

Enter Rite Here Rite Now. Screening in select cinemas globally on June 20 and 22, the innovative new flick blends footage of Ghost’s two sold-out shows at LA’s Kia Forum last September with narrative story elements that build upon their long-running Chapter web series.

The premise goes like this: frontman Papa Emeritus IV (FKA Cardinal Copia) is closing out the band’s ‘Impera’ tour cycle, but he’s struggling with the knowledge that he is soon to be replaced by a new band leader. As Ghost’s longest-serving figurehead, he’s seen them through two albums, two EPs and the pandemic. He’s not ready to go – and is keen to prove there’s a bit more left in the tank before he retires.

In between some, frankly, rollicking performances, Papa heads backstage. We see him chat to Sister Imperator and the ghost of Papa Nihil – his parents and fellow members of Ghost’s Ministry, a devil-worshipping group that forms the centre of the band’s fictional backstory. The two campy Elders – who have served since the 1960s – struggle to convince him that his time is up, leading to a surprisingly tender and emotional heart-to-heart that breaks Papa’s cycle of immaturity, allowing Nihil to impart some much-needed wisdom about life and death.

Onstage, Papa oozes charisma and proves his chops as a true showman. The rest of the band are as electric as ever, even if you can’t see their faces behind steampunk-inspired masks. Energetic tracks like ‘Twenties’ and ‘Dance Macabre’ amp up the theatrics with backing dancers and acrobats, while ‘Square Hammer’ and ‘Rats’ are real set highlights. Offstage, Papa’s acting is natural and charismatic, while Nihil and Sister Imperator’s amusing cameos capture the entertaining essence of the Chapters stories that have been running since 2018. Directors Tobias Forge (who also writes) and Alex Ross Perry have turned in a carefully woven love letter to the band and offer balanced moments of humour and spectacle, as well as surprising twists and turns to Ghost’s lore.

If you’re a casual fan, Rite Here Rite Now makes for a fun, enjoyable experience that should tide you over until their next album or tour. But if you’re a die-hard, this is essential viewing – not just for its exhilarating live moments, but for the next part of the gripping Ghost saga.

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