Westworld star Evan Rachel Wood on Monday accused industrial rock icon Marilyn Manson of being a "dangerous man" who subjected her to years of abuse starting when she was a teenager. 

The American actress, who began working in entertainment as a child, has in the past alleged abuse by an ex-partner whom she kept anonymous, but on Monday identified her abuser as "Brian Warner, also known to the world as Marilyn Manson."

"He started grooming me when I was a teenager and horrifically abused me for years," she said of the Grammy-nominated vocalist in an Instagram post. 

Wood, 33, described herself as "brainwashed and manipulated" by Manson but said she'd had enough of living in fear of "retaliation, slander, or blackmail." 

"I am here to expose this dangerous man and call out the many industries that have enabled him, before he ruins any more lives. I stand with the many victims who will no longer be silent," she added.

Wood reposted allegations by at least four other women of rape and sexual and psychological abuse by 52-year-old Manson, as well as druggings, intimidation, violence and death threats.

Manson gained a cult following in the 1990s with his eponymous band, named after the Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe and the serial killer Charles Manson.

Almost always appearing in ghostly pale pancake make-up, painted lips and slicked black hair, Manson cultivated a controversial image after co-founding his band in 1989. 

Evan Rachel Wood said Manson had "brainwashed and manipulated" her. Photo: AFPEvan Rachel Wood said Manson had "brainwashed and manipulated" her. Photo: AFP

- Sex crime accusations -

His albums, laden with occult references, include Portrait of an American Family, Antichrist Superstar and Mechanical Animals.

In 2018, shortly after the Harvey Weinstein scandal unleashed a slew of abuse accusations against powerful men, a police report was filed against Manson, citing unspecified sex crimes dating back to 2011.

The Los Angeles district attorney dismissed the case, saying the statute of limitations had expired and noting an "absence of corroboration."

Neither Manson's representatives nor his lawyer immediately replied to AFP requests for comment on the latest accusations.

The goth rocker was engaged to Wood before the pair broke it off in 2010, a relationship that had gone public in 2007, when Wood was 19.

He spoke in a 2009 interview of fantasising about smashing Wood's skull with a sledgehammer, although his representatives maintained he was just being deliberately provocative.

He has also been accused of rape by an ex-girlfriend of bandmate Jeordie White. 

In 2018 Wood gave a harrowing account of her experiences of abuse in the US Congress, without naming Manson.

"My experience with domestic violence was this: Toxic mental, physical and sexual abuse which started slow but escalated over time, including threats against my life, severe gaslighting and brainwashing, waking up to the man that claimed to love me raping what he believed to be my unconscious body," she said. 

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.