Alice Cooper, Joe Perry, and Tommy Henriksen walked the red carpet in Boston Friday night as their band's new documentary, “Unleashed Spirits: The Rise of the Hollywood Vampires,” had its world premiere as the opening night film of the 42nd Annual Boston Film Festival. The screening took place at the historic Boch Center Wang Theatre in the city's Theater District, a 3,500-seat venue that stands as one of the region's most storied performing arts spaces.
The event drew heavy local star power, as first reported by CBS News Boston, which captured the rock veterans arriving for the high-profile film debut. Red-carpet arrivals began at 6 p.m. ahead of the 7 p.m. screening, according to Eventbrite's listing for the premiere. After the film played, Cooper, Perry, and Henriksen joined director Daniel E. Catullo III along with executive producers Ernie Boch Jr. and Paul Geary on stage for a live panel Q&A, the same listing shows.
A 104-Minute Look Inside the Band's Rise
The documentary itself runs 104 minutes and was directed by Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Daniel E. Catullo III, who chronicles the rock supergroup's transition from private rehearsals to major international stadium and arena shows, according to the Boston Film Festival. Catullo brings more than 25 years of music documentary experience to the project, having previously made concert films and specials for acts including Rush, Foo Fighters, Alicia Keys, and Andrea Bocelli, per Sonic Perspectives. His prior productions have collected more than 100 international award nominations, the outlet notes.
The Hollywood Vampires name itself dates back decades before this modern lineup ever existed. It borrows its identity from a 1970s celebrity drinking club that Alice Cooper founded at Los Angeles's Rainbow Bar & Grill, whose original members included John Lennon, Ringo Starr, Keith Moon, and Harry Nilsson, according to WRIF Rocks Detroit. Cooper, along with Johnny Depp and Joe Perry, formed the present-day tribute act in 2015 to honor those fallen musician friends, the station reports.
Local Money and Old Friendships Behind the Screen
Behind the cameras, the film carries deep Massachusetts roots. Greater Boston auto dealer executive and philanthropist Ernie Boch Jr. served as an executive producer, while veteran music manager Paul Geary was among the film's producers, according to the Norwood Record. Boch Jr. maintains decades-long friendships with both Perry and Geary, the paper notes.
That local connection runs deeper still through Perry himself. The Aerosmith lead guitarist is a Massachusetts native who co-founded Aerosmith in Boston back in 1970, giving the premiere strong regional resonance in his home state, the Norwood Record reports. Perry has maintained a personal friendship with Boch Jr. for approximately 40 years, according to the same account.
Two Albums and a Live Record Before the Cameras Rolled
The Hollywood Vampires arrived at their documentary moment with a recording history already in place. The band's self-titled 2015 debut reached No. 43 on the Billboard 200 and leaned on covers honoring late 1970s icons, according to WRIF Rocks Detroit. The follow-up, 2019's “Rise,” shifted toward original material, and the group released a live album, “At Montreux Jazz Festival,” documenting its 2018 appearance at the festival, the station notes.
Boston Festival's Five-Day Run Continues
The Hollywood Vampires premiere opened a five-day festival that runs through September 21 under Executive Director Robin Dawson, featuring independent films, documentary showcases, and student filmmaker presentations, according to Film Factual.
Beyond the Vampires documentary, this year's lineup includes additional world premieres for narrative features “Bolio” and “A Minor Time,” along with documentaries “Papertown” and “4000 Days,” before wrapping on September 21 with Michael Mailer's “Little Audrey,” per the 2026 Boston Film Festival press release. Post-screening Q&A panels accompanied every live premiere throughout the five-day event, the release states.
Perry's Boston homecoming with the Vampires arrives a couple of years after his Aerosmith farewell-tour return.
