The 42nd Boston Film Festival just landed its opening night headliner, and it’s bringing some serious rock-and-roll pedigree with it. Unleashed Spirits: The Rise of the Hollywood Vampires, a documentary chronicling the supergroup’s formation and chaotic journey, will kick off the festival - a choice that promises to trade traditional red-carpet glamour for leather jackets and questionable decisions.
For those who somehow missed the saga, the Hollywood Vampires aren’t your average tribute act. The band, famously founded by Alice Cooper, Johnny Depp, and the late Joe Perry’s ongoing guitar wizardry, started as a loving homage to the boozy, brilliant rockers of the 1970s - think Lennon, Keith Moon, and Jimi Hendrix - who used to drink Cooper under the table at the Rainbow Bar & Grill. But the documentary apparently digs much deeper than the cocktail napkin history, exploring how a joke between friends mutated into a genuine, globe-trotting phenomenon.
Here’s the thing about this festival pick: it’s a smart, slightly mischievous curveball. Boston Film Festival organizers could have easily gone with a prestige drama or a star-studded indie, but they chose a music doc about a band that’s as much about mythology as it is about riffs. That’s a statement. It signals that this year’s slate is less about awards-bait and more about raw, unfiltered storytelling - and honestly, there’s nothing more cinematic than watching legends try to out-drink each other while somehow still playing “School’s Out” better than anyone under 50.
The film itself remains shrouded in typical documentary secrecy - no director credit, no runtime, no specific release date beyond the festival slot. All we know is what the title promises: a rise. And the Hollywood Vampires certainly had one, albeit a rise that felt more like a friendly bar brawl than a calculated takeover. The project seems to lean into the messy, human elements of the band - the friendships, the feuds, the sheer improbability of it all. If the teaser buzz is anything to go by, expect plenty of behind-the-scenes footage that makes you wonder how anyone survived rehearsals, let alone a full tour.
There’s also an undeniable pop-culture hook here: Depp. The actor’s legal battles and public image have shifted dramatically in recent years, and this documentary lands amidst his ongoing musical reinvention. The film’s framing of the Vampires as both refuge and rebellion will likely resonate with audiences who’ve watched him oscillate between Hollywood exile and revival. But the doc wisely doesn’t seem to make him the sole focus - instead, it positions the band as a collective of misfits who found kinship through volume and vice.
Festival director (no name given in the official materials) clearly understands the assignment: opening night should be an event, not just a screening. And what’s more event-like than a band whose live shows have featured cameos from Paul McCartney, Dave Grohl, and a rotating cast of rock royalty? The Boston crowd will get the next best thing to a concert - a front-row seat to the chaos that birthed one of the most unlikely supergroups in modern memory.
Of course, there’s a slight irony in a band named after dead rock legends opening a festival in a city known for its literary, buttoned-up reputation. Boston isn’t exactly the Sunset Strip. But that’s precisely the point. The documentary isn’t just about rock excess; it’s about the stories we tell ourselves about creativity, mortality, and the dumb luck that keeps musicians alive long enough to form a second act. There’s a melancholy thread here, too - the original Vampires were, after all, a club of the deceased. The current iteration is a séance, a way to keep ghosts rocking.
As for the festival itself, this marks the 42nd year of an event that has historically mixed local favorites with international discoveries. Locking in a documentary with built-in music-nerd appeal and tabloid-adjacent star power is a savvy move to draw younger crowds - and frankly, anyone who’d rather watch Depp shred than listen to a director talk about aspect ratios.
Will the film convert skeptics? Hard to say. Documentaries about living legends often walk a tightrope between hagiography and exposé. But given the band’s own track record of embracing imperfection - including a notorious onstage moment where Cooper fell off a stool and kept singing - there’s a good chance the film honors that spirit. You don’t join the Hollywood Vampires to look cool. You join because you’ve got nothing left to prove and everything left to play.
The 42nd Boston Film Festival runs with Unleashed Spirits leading the charge, and if the crowd’s energy matches the subject matter, this could go down as one of the most unhinged opening nights in the festival’s history. In a good way. Probably. Just don’t be surprised if someone sneaks a flask past the ushers - they’ll be in good company.
Source: Variety