Kenneth Anger’s Lucifer Rising: Occult Saga of a Cursed Film – Brian Butler

The Joshua Tree Cultural Center’s Film Institute will feature Lucifer Rising: The Occult Saga of a Cursed Film—Presentation & Screening by Brian Butler, co-presented with the Estate of Kenneth Anger, on Thursday, November 20, 2025, at the Blak Box Theater in Joshua Tree.

The evening begins with a live multimedia presentation by Brian Butler, artist, occultist, and official representative of the Estate of Kenneth Anger, and culminates in a rare theatrical screening of Kenneth Anger’s underground masterpiece Lucifer Rising.

Presentation and screening

Following a sold-out Los Angeles presentation at the Philosophical Research Society earlier this year, Butler now brings this exclusive deep dive to the desert. As Kenneth Anger’s longtime manager and collaborator, Butler worked with the legendary filmmaker for over twenty years—presenting Anger’s work internationally, producing films, and preserving hidden fragments of his legacy.

“Kenneth and I shared more than two decades of creative work and exploration,” Butler said. “To return with his film to Joshua Tree—a place steeped in its own mysticism—is a chance to reawaken the power of Lucifer Rising in the way it was always intended: as both cinema and ritual.”

Part screening, part ritual transmission, Butler’s presentation incorporates rare archival materials, filmed interviews, and firsthand accounts that illuminate Lucifer Rising’s tumultuous yet legendary creation. The evening culminates in a rare theatrical screening of Lucifer Rising — a chance to step inside its timeless spell, as it was meant to be seen on the big screen, in all its hypnotic and ritualistic power.

A cursed masterpiece

Few films carry the mystique, controversy, and supernatural aura of Lucifer Rising. Hailed as an occult masterpiece, its journey from conception to completion was anything but ordinary. Marked by betrayal, imprisonment, stolen footage, and an ever-shifting cast—including Mick Jagger, Marianne Faithfull, Jimmy Page, and Bobby Beausoleil of the Manson family—the film’s production unfolded like a ritual in itself, steeped in magick, myth, and chaos. Begun in the late 1960s and not completed until 1980, Lucifer Rising remains one of the most influential works of American underground cinema. Its ritual imagery, mythic scope, and turbulent production cemented its status as an occult classic that continues to inspire generations of artists and musicians.

About Brian Butler

Brian Butler is an artist, musician, writer, and occultist whose work has been featured in major publications and presented in galleries and museums internationally. As Kenneth Anger’s longtime collaborator and manager, he was instrumental in reviving the legendary filmmaker’s career from the early 2000s onward.

In this role, Butler coordinated international screenings and exhibitions, facilitated fashion collaborations with Gucci, Valentino, and Missoni, produced Anger’s late-period films, and formed the performance noise duo Technicolor Skull with Anger, which toured internationally and became a defining feature of his resurgence.

Today, Butler carries forward Anger’s legacy as the official representative of the Estate of Kenneth Anger. In 2025, he launched a new resurgence, with Anger’s work featured in major institutional presentations at the Whitney Museum, Centre Pompidou-Metz, Fondazione Trussardi, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, while personally curating and appearing at a series of sold-out Estate screenings, talks, and presentations. Alongside this work, Butler develops his own projects in film, performance, and sound, often exploring the intersections of art and magick.

About the Joshua Tree Film Institute

The Joshua Tree Film Institute, a division of the Cultural Center, curates highly immersive, thoughtfully programmed events that connect cinema to art, history, and lived experience. Its series highlights visionary filmmakers, rare screenings, and interdisciplinary presentations, offering audiences opportunities to engage deeply with film as both art and cultural dialogue.

Films at the Joshua Tree Film Institute are presented in state-of-the-art 7.1 surround sound for a fully immersive experience.

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As part of our immersive film series, this screening is designed to promote a deeper cultural reflection of cinema. We invite filmmakers to participate in our screenings, enabling the audience to better understand their creative perspective. By encouraging thoughtful, collaborative participation crossing both sides of the screen, this series is dedicated to studying and preserving the art of film.

Photo Credit: Stills © Estate of Kenneth Anger. No reproduction without permission.

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