Karina Gonzalez Photos.
As the final heavy metal riffs echoed through the darkened museum, the crowd held its breath for the grand climax. Onscreen, Faust ascended to heaven as his love defeated the devil, while the music vibrated through every seat in the room. As the words “The End” appeared on screen, the audience burst into applause, giving the metal duo The Silent Light a standing ovation.
Held at Lost in New Haven last Saturday, the screening brought out around 50 people for a unique mix of film and music, with a live score set to F.W. Murnau’s 1926 silent film Faust. The event was part of an ongoing touring series by The Silent Light, a band that creates original heavy metal soundtracks for classic silent films. This iteration followed a popular performance set to the 1927 sci-fi classic Metropolis last year.
“I’ve seen this film over 200 times … I just know where the beats of the film are,” said Michael Formanski, the band’s lead guitarist.
Based on the 15th century German legend of the same name, Murnau’s Faust tells the story of an old alchemist (played by actor Gösta Ekman) who makes a deal with the demon Mephisto (Emil Jannings) to save his village from a deadly plague. Mephisto gives him youth and power, but things take a turn when Faust falls in love with an innocent woman named Gretchen (Camilla Horn).
When the demon tries to destroy her life, Faust is forced to make a choice between his own soul and saving the women he loves. He realizes that love is the only thing stronger than the devil—and sacrifices his mortal life to prove it.
To bring the 100-year-old film to life, musicians Formanski and Joe Dahlmeyer, who play guitar and drums respectively, spent five years preparing to tour their work, and writing a live score to films like Faust. Formanski remembered practicing daily for years, in order to get “everything timed perfectly and to write the score." The two have a natural dynamic: they are cousins who have been playing music together since age 12.
Formanski, who grew up in North Branford and is now living in Los Angeles, got the idea while studying at the California Institute of the Arts in 2014, when a film history professor noted that every frame of Faust looked like a metal album cover, and deserved a similarly heavy soundtrack. Despite the intense performance, Dahlmeyer noted the score is structured with enough breaks to stay manageable, allowing Formanski’s vision to match the film's visual beats.
Throughout the night, the combination of live metal and silent horror created high-energy reactions from the crowd. Suspenseful music built up as the demon spat his fiery breath into a women’s drink to turn it into a love potion, prompting quiet scoffs from audience members glued to the screen. Later on, attendees gasped in disbelief as a mob of townspeople and soldiers seized Gretchen for the death of her child in the snow, despite her efforts to save the baby’s life.
Top: Trisha Formanski. Bottom: Mary Rose Holland, Maren Adnee, Leonie Strassegge, and Lily Phillips after the performance. Karina Gonzalez Photos.
For newcomers and metal lovers alike—including many of the duo’s proud family members— word-of-mouth and social media brought a good crowd to the museum. Attendee Trisha Formanski, who arrived with the band, admitted she was surprised by the setup upon arrival, calling it “a great night out” and marvelling at Lost in New Haven, where New Haven ephemera and artifacts fill the building from one end to the other.
Another first-time viewer, Mary Rose Holland, heard about the show through friends and was, by the end of the evening, already eager for future events.
“I didn’t know what to expect, but I'll be honest, it very much exceeded by expectations," Holland said. She added that if they perform at Lost in New Haven again, just as they did a year ago, she would love to return for the encore.
Top: Joe Dahlmeyer. Bottom: Jerri Formanski.
The room was also filled with returning fans and familiar faces supporting the group. Jerri Formanski attended to cheer on her son, noting how well the 1920s film blended with the museum’s vintage artifacts. Meanwhile, returning attendees CJ Jones and his partner Kayley Gallagher came back after loving the band’s previous show at Lost In New Haven last year.
“My favorite part was at the beginning– it was cool with the friggin’ massive demon and the loud music feeling it in your body,” Jones said.
After the final applause, the longtime supporters stayed late to explore the museum displays, chat with other audience members, and buy merchandise.
This article comes from the ninth cohort of the Arts Council's Youth Arts Journalism Initiative (YAJI). Karina Gonzalez is a sophomore at Acellus Academy. She was previously at Engineering and Science University Magnet School (ESUMS).