Chemical Wedding (2008)

A shy, stuttering professor brings Aleister Crowley back to life.

Director:

Julian Doyle

Writers:

Bruce Dickinson, Julian Doyle

Stars:

Simon Callow, Kal Weber, Lucy Cudden

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Simon Callow	...	Professor Haddo / Aleister Crowley
Kal Weber	...	Joshua Mathers
Lucy Cudden	...	Lia Robinson
Jud Charlton	...	Victor Nuberg
Paul McDowell	...	Symonds
John Shrapnel	...	Crowley
Terence Bayler	...	Professor Brent
Richard Franklin	...	Dean
Mike Shannon	...	Alex
Helen Millar	...	Rose
Geoff Breton	...	Young Symonds
Sean Rea	...	Young Alex
Thomas Nelstrop	...	Jones
Robert Ashby	...	Chaplain Marshall
Esmé Bianco	...	Mavis

Storyline

In 1947, noted Satanist Aleister Crowley dies. In Cambridge, 43 years later, with the help of a computer, Crowley's spirit takes over the body of Haddo, a mild-mannered, stuttering don. Over four days, as Crowley prepares for an occult extravaganza, bodies pile up, Crowley's elect engage in rites of passage, and Lia, a red-headed campus reporter, sniffs out a story that puts her in grave danger. Mathers, a scientist recently arrived from Cal Tech, may hold the key to her destiny.

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Plot Keywords:

reporter | death | virtual reality | prostitute | pocket watch | 

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Genres:

Horror | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Details

Official Sites:

Offical site

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 May 2008 (UK)

Also Known As:

Crowley

Box Office

Budget:

£2,500,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bill and Ben Productions, Focus Films, Entertainment Motion Pictures (E-MOTION)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Goofs

When the girl with the (acoustic) violin draws her bow across the strings, the sound that comes out is more like that of an electric violin, or an acoustic violin fitted with a pickup, processed through an effects pedal. There is no evidence of a patch cord plugged into the violin, let alone a pickup attached to it - and in any event, the girl's hand movements over the fingerboard do not match the notes that we hear.

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Quotes

Haddo: Why do you not take my laws seriously?
Victor Nuberg: YOUR laws?
Haddo: "Do what thou wilt. Love is the law, love under will."
Victor Nuberg: Who is it you think you are?
Haddo: Victor, who is it you think I am?
Victor Nuberg: You are Oliver Haddo. H-A-D-D-O, Haddo.
Haddo: Oh, Victor, would you deny me thrice before the cock grows?

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Soundtracks

"Man of Sorrows"
Written by Bruce Dickinson
Performed by Bruce Dickinson

User Reviews

A wedding unlikely to have a great reception.

Given what a filthy, perverted, deviant 'beast' Aleister Crowley was, it's not surprising to find that this film, in which the influential 1920s occultist is a central figure, is packed full of all kinds of depravity. It is this wanton debauchery that will undoubtedly draw in the punters, along with the involvement of legendary heavy metal singer Bruce Dickinson—but be warned... without an in-depth knowledge of sexual magick and the philosophy of Thelema (Crowley's religion), the majority of this film will probably make no sense whatsoever (although I also suspect that even devout Crowley acolytes will be non-plussed by most of what they see).

My limited knowledge of the subject matter certainly meant that I didn't have a clue what was going on for much of the time, and I found the stuff about the super computer and the virtual reality cyber-suit even more inexplicable; this inaccessibility led to utter confusion which ultimately led to utter boredom, despite such lurid weirdness as Simon Callow sending a cum-soaked message via fax, a whore nailed to a door (hey, that rhymes!), Callow peeing over his students during a very unconventional lecture about Shakespeare's Hamlet, and a pan-sexual satanic orgy featuring people doing all manner of unspeakably naughty things (freeze-frame on standby, folks!).