For almost 30 years, Marilyn Manson has embodied a nightmare character in the American musical universe, to the delight of her fans.
Updated yesterday at 11:46 am
I have always found that there was something a little poseurous and a big puppet in his art, but I appreciated his desire to disturb by being one of the few to take up the torch of horrifying provocation, in large spectacular masses that sometimes used Nazi imagery. Like Kiss, like, much darker. His admirers, and the industry in general, have always made a distinction between the man, born Brian Warner, and his character, whose name is inspired by the actress Marilyn Monroe and the psychopath Charles Manson.
Playing monster does not make you a monster, but after seeing Phoenix Risingthe two-part documentary by Amy J. Berg (director of Deliver Us from Evil on the sex scandals of the Catholic Church, selected for the Oscars in 2006), we say to ourselves that yes, this guy is indeed a monster, after all. Another, unfortunately. This production offered on HBO and Crave gives the floor to actress Evan Rachel Wood, who recounts the abuse she suffered at the hands of Marilyn Manson, whose spouse she was from 2007 to 2010.
The first part of Phoenix Risingwhich premiered earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival, caused a stir as Wood in 2021 publicly revealed the name of her attacker whom she had been talking about for a few years in her fight to change the laws on victims of domestic violence, including when she testified before the US Congress in 2018. Many women want the statute of limitations increased in cases where it can take years for victims to have the courage to speak out, so much fear, shame and trauma paralyze them.
Just before the HBO broadcast, Marilyn Manson filed a defamation lawsuit against Evan Rachel Wood and his partner Illma Gore, who are seen in the documentary. According to Manson, these are completely made-up allegations to destroy him and he is asking for a jury trial to clear his name. He says he has in his possession evidence to exculpate him.
Since the release of Evan Rachel Wood, a dozen women have accused Marilyn Manson of physical assault and psychological harassment, four of whom have filed complaints. But Manson denies everything and maintains that they were recruited by Wood and Gore, who would have scripted their testimonies.
So the battle is officially on, but one wonders how Manson will fare after seeing a reunion of his victims, including Wood, sharing their harrowing experience with him. Especially since among them is Dan Cleary, collaborator of the artist on his tours, who confirms their statements and reveals in passing that Manson hacked the private data of those around him with his WiFi. “They don’t lie,” he says.
But director Amy Berg essentially follows the journey of Evan Rachel Wood before she throws Manson’s name on social networks, the final and last moment of the documentary when the young woman breaks free, not without bursting into tears. We understand her, because what she says is appalling.
She was only 18 when she met Manson, who was 36, when they were both already a couple. The star of Westworld had just found success with the film Thirteen, he was already a god of music. Besides the age difference, pretty much all the usual patterns of a toxic relationship are present – brainwashing, isolation, blackmail, control – with an added layer of Manson-style sadism, as there would have been rape, torture , scarifications, drugs administered without his knowledge, obligation to drink his blood… the list is long and appalling.
She also accuses him of having raped her on the set of the music video Heart Shaped Glasseswhich she wants to see removed from the web, and those who support her are increasingly campaigning for this to happen.
“Aggression was an art for him”, sums up Evan Rachel Wood, who would have suffered an abortion under pressure, which led her to have suicidal thoughts. She claims that one way Manson silenced people around him was to force them to say racist and anti-Semitic slurs on camera, which could potentially be used against them. “He’s a wolf dressed as a wolf, it’s easy for him to hide,” notes the actress’ brother. “He is afraid that the survivors will organize themselves”, underlines Illma Gore. Evan Rachel Wood says he received several threats from Manson, who wanted to attack his family.
Marilyn Manson’s mask is falling, but it won’t come easily, as he is in counterattack mode, and many of his fans want to support him by sowing doubt on the web. It’s a phenomenon we’re getting used to every time a star falls off its pedestal.
Was Marilyn Monroe the glamorous facade of Brian Warner and Charles Manson, the real influence of her personality, which tends towards the excesses of gurus full of themselves and their power over others? He wouldn’t be the first to take advantage of it. It is by following this battle that we will know, because it has only just begun. For him. Because Evan Rachel Wood has been fighting not just for herself for a while now, but for all the victims.
Phoenix Rising is available on HBO and Crave.