Why music fans need to see pop star horror-thriller ‘Opus’

In partnership with Warner Bros. UK

In the brilliant new horror-thriller Opus, due exclusively in cinemas on March 14, celebrated musician Alfred Moretti (John Malkovich) returns after a near three-decade absence with a brand new album – including the Nile Rodgers-penned modern disco bop ‘Dina, Simone’. Six members of the media, including rookie reporter Ariel Ecton (Ayo Edebiri), are invited to join Moretti for an exclusive listen at his luxury retreat. But this party soon gets very macabre, as the beats drop and so do the bodies. Here are five reasons why you need to make a date to see this spring’s most killer movie…

Ayo Edebiri will blow you away

You’ll know Ayo Edebiri. The comedienne, writer and actress came to global fame as Chicago-based chef Sydney Adamu in acclaimed TV drama The Bear, a role that has to date won her an Emmy, a Golden Globe and two Screen Actors Guild awards. In Opus, she takes her first major movie lead, absolutely crushing it as Ariel Ecton, a newbie journalist who is the surprise invitee to be among the first to hear ‘90s legend Alfred Moretti’s first album in 27 years. Eager to write about what she sees, after sensing that all is not right in this secluded residence, the sleuth-like Ariel goes on a journey of both survival and self-discovery. On screen, the unforgettable Edebiri adeptly captures the hungry rookie who isn’t as jaded or cynical as the others around her, a heroine you can really root for. She’s exactly who you want on your side.

Music and media are sublimely satirised

Written and directed by Mark Anthony Green, making his feature film debut, Opus operates as a bloody psychological horror, with plenty of thrills and spills that genre fans will love. But dig deeper and this is a canny satire on the music industry and the media that reports on it. The film superbly skewers the monstrous ego of a musical diva like Moretti, an artist who is rumoured to have bought and worn Freddie Mercury’s teeth, ferries his guests around in a tour bus called ‘The Debutante’ and has quotations from Leonardo Da Vinci up on his wall. Nor do the journalists and photographers get a clean ride either.

Among those brought to this exclusive desert-set residence, veteran paparazzi photographer Bianca (Melissa Chambers), gossip TV host Clara (Juliette Lewis) and influencer Emily (Stephanie Suganami), who have all arrived to take in the eighteenth studio album of Alfred Moretti. These hard-drinking hangers-on are portrayed as sycophants who will soon truly understand the meaning of the word ‘backstabbing’.

The stunning soundtrack is by Nile Rodgers and The-Dream

Opus is all about the power of music. As one of the biggest, best-selling artists of the ‘90s, Alfred Moretti is a bona fide musical genius. So how do you convincingly convey that? Well, hire not one but two icons of the music industry. The soundtrack to Opus is produced by legendary musician Nile Rodgers, the co-founder of Chic who has also worked on some of the most landmark tracks of the past 50 years, including David Bowie’s ‘Let’s Dance’ and Madonna’s ‘Like a Virgin’. Joining him to co-create Opus’ infectious music is highly influential producer-songwriter-musician The-Dream, who has collaborated with some of the world’s biggest artists, including Beyoncé, Mariah Carey and Rihanna. Together, they have conjured up a selection of unforgettable songs: ‘Tomorrow’, ‘Dina, Simone’ and ‘35mm’. With the ‘Opus: The Moretti’ EP dropping on March 14, the same day the film opens in cinemas, this is one record destined to be on your playlist for the rest of the year.

Ayo Edebiri in ‘Opus’. CREDIT: A24

John Malkovich is mad, bad and dangerous to know

There aren’t many actors who could convincingly take on an iconic, reclusive ‘90s musical genius like Alfred Moretti, a man who’s had 38 Number One singles and dated Cindy Crawford back in the day. But John Malkovich has charisma to burn, convincingly portraying the “wizard of wiggle” with uncommon elan. Whether he’s dancing like a loon with his guests as he plays his new album ‘Caesar’s Request’, or gleefully watching a balmy puppet show in his compound, Malkovich perfectly encapsulates the unhinged, egocentric Moretti. Of course, this should hardly come as a surprise. A polymath, who has created everything from fashion lines to wine, Malkovich’s acting career has seen him snag two Academy Award nominations and a host of admirers for off-kilter performances – including as himself in Spike Jonze’s meta-marvel Being John Malkovich (1999). Watching him in Opus is nothing short of captivating. And, yes, that is him singing on the movie’s soundtrack, making it Malkovich’s first official music release.

‘Opus’ poster. CREDIT: A24

It’s the ultimate pop cult movie

In Opus, Alfred Moretti has a group of followers – called The Levellists – who have bought into his philosophies and ideas. All dressed in blue outfits, these loyal servants do his bidding. Consider them the ultimate groupies, men, women and children who have taken their admiration for this musical maestro to a new level, forming a cult around him. As Ariel soon notices, there’s nothing they wouldn’t do for him, including manically shucking oysters in search of pearls, caring not that the knife is scarring their hands. Adding to the film’s all-round eerie quality, it puts Opus alongside such celebrated movies as Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011), Midsommar (2019) and The Menu (2022), films that explore the nature of being in a cult. What drives people to follow a magnetic leader like Moretti? Watch Opus and you will start to understand the power of suggestion.

’Opus’ is in UK cinemas March 14

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