Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Graphic
- provocative
- grotesque
- darkly comic
- late night viewing
- heavy metal movie night
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film energetic and compelling in its performances and spectacle, but uneven in tone and limited in its understanding of the black metal scene.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The story follows Euronymous, Varg Vikernes, Dead, and other Mayhem figures through the rise of Norwegian black metal and its crimes.
Publicity stunts, self-mutilation, arson, corpse imagery, and mocking adolescent bravado turn rebellion into disturbing spectacle.
Euronymous and his peers pursue increasingly shocking acts to establish authenticity, allowing theatrical posturing to spill into actual harm.
The black metal clique competes over brutality, nihilism, authenticity, and notoriety, with deadly consequences.
Films like Lords of Chaos, and why
Control
shared biographical crime drama, music subculture, and unsettling true-story intensity
24 Hour Party People
shared music-scene biopic framework, volatile male ambition, and dark psychological drama
Snowtown
shared true-crime horror, transgressive youth culture, and disturbing violence
The Dirt
shared rock mythology, grotesque spectacle, and provocative dark comedy
Movie Details
- Director
- Jonas Åkerlund
- Release Date
- 2018-09-20
- Runtime
- 118 min
- Rating
- 6.8 / 10 (581)
Cast
- Rory Culkin
- Emory Cohen
- Jack Kilmer
- Sky Ferreira
- Valter Skarsgård
- Anthony De La Torre
- Sam Coleman
- Jonathan Barnwell
- Wilson Gonzalez Ochsenknecht
- Lucian Charles Collier
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Google Play Movies, YouTube
- Buy
- Google Play Movies, YouTube
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Lords of Chaos about?
- A provocative black metal biopic follows rival musicians whose quest for authentic extremity turns theatrical rebellion into real arson and murder.
- What is Lords of Chaos like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Lords of Chaos as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Lords of Chaos violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Lords of Chaos as graphic.
- What did critics think of Lords of Chaos?
- Critics broadly found the film energetic and compelling in its performances and spectacle, but uneven in tone and limited in its understanding of the black metal scene.
- Which films are like Lords of Chaos?
- Films with a similar feel include Control, 24 Hour Party People, Snowtown, and The Dirt.
- How long is Lords of Chaos?
- Lords of Chaos runs 118 minutes.
- Where can I watch Lords of Chaos?
- In United States, Lords of Chaos is available to rent or buy from Google Play Movies, YouTube.
