Attendees from all over the world are getting ready to kick off the ten-day entertainment event known as SXSW. From film to television, podcasts, and music, every creative outlet is represented at the festival in Austin, Texas, which serves as a platform for filmmakers to debut their projects and bands to take the center stage of showcases. With films like the Sydney Sweeney-led Americana and immersive experiences like the Yellowjackets pop-up taking over the festival, television and cinema fans will have their schedules packed as they make their way around to various premieres. While there are so many options out there, true crime fans won’t want to miss the debut of Sean Horlor and Steve J. Adams’ documentary feature, 'Satan Wants You', which will tell the story of what’s come to be known as the “Satanic Panic.” In an official teaser, audiences can begin to discover how one allegation became the obsession of a nation.
For anyone who believes the hysteria that caught like wildfire around the time of the Salem Witch Trials or even the Red Scare could never happen again, Satan Wants You is here to remind you that not only did it happen in the 1980s and 1990s but that there are still similar instances happening today. The teaser introduces audiences to the famous book that started it all: Michelle Remembers. Co-penned by psychiatrist Larry Pazder and his titular patient Michelle Smith, the book recounted the allegations on Smith’s behalf in which she recounted memories of being abducted by Satanists at a young age and, among other things, tortured and sexually assaulted.
The book would kick off the Satanic Panic and, as we see in the trailer, lead to similar claims made by a wave of other alleged victims. From The Oprah Winfrey Show to Geraldo, people were stepping forward in droves to tell their stories after having their memories refreshed thanks to Michelle Remembers. Depicting the widespread terror of the time through interviews, viewers will come to understand how one woman’s allegations led to the wrongful convictions of many innocent lives.
It’s worth noting that not only were the claims in Michelle Remembers debunked but that Pazder and Smith would go on to engage in a romantic relationship - further drawing in the public’s side-eye. Not only will Satan Wants You offer up in-session tapes between the doctor and patient, but it will also be the very first time that Smith’s sister, Pazder’s ex-wife, and Pazder’s daughter will sit down to have their stories told. Connecting the dots to similar present-day cults, Horlor and Adams will also use their documentary as a tool to draw comparisons to conspiracies like QAnon and Pizzagate.
Chris Pine and Michelle Rodriguez are shocked that 'Dungeons & Dragons' inspired Satanic Panic: 'That's wild'
The "Honor Among Thieves" stars react to the game's wild history.
Dungeons and... devils? As a wave of Satanic Panic crested through American conservative circles in the 1980s, the tabletop fantasy game Dungeons & Dragons became one of the pieces of pop culture viewed as a gateway to hell due to its ability to immerse kids in an elaborate fantasy world populated by gods and monsters. It's a strange moment in D&D history that the current generation of young players most likely first learned about via the most recent season of Stranger Things.
But don't take the Duffer Brothers's word for it: Jeremy Latcham — one of the producers behind the new Dungeons & Dragons movie, Honor Among Thieves — lived through the country's Satanic Panic period and remembers that Christian-led crusade against the game being as strange as you might imagine.
"I grew up in the '80s in Oklahoma," Latcham tells Yahoo Entertainment. "I remember that the only thing I knew about D&D was going to church on Sunday and we'd have a whole Satanic Panic day! It was all about Ozzy Osbourne eating the head off of a bat, and D&D and some heavy metal music. It was like, 'That's not allowed.' We had to watch a video in our youth group!"
Flash-forward forty years and Satanic Panic is dead and buried, while Dungeons & Dragons is still going strong, not just as a game, but also as a trans-media franchise encompassing video games, books and this already-acclaimed new film. "There's a great irony to me now making a D&D movie so many years later," Latcham acknowledges with a laugh.
In the intervening decades, Latcham left Oklahoma for Hollywood, where he worked at Marvel Studios for years overseeing movies like Iron Man 2 and Guardians of the Galaxy. In 2017, he launched his own production company, Latcham Pictures, now part of eOne — the film and TV studio owned by toy giant Hasbro, which counts D&D under its huge umbrella of tabletop franchises. And that position has allowed him to see firsthand what his former church leaders got so wrong about the game.
"I don't think people realized how community-building the game is, and how it brings people together and brings out the best of them," he explains now. "It's quite the opposite of what the old adage about it was. It's pretty wild how vastly different it is."
Honor Among Thieves co-director, Jonathan Goldstein — who helmed the movie with his regular collaborator, John Frances Daley — echoes those sentiments as the proud father of a D&D player. "My 11-year-old son and every boy in his fifth grade class joined a D&D group," he says. "I didn't force them to do it: They did it on their own. It's so great to see them playing it, because it's not on a screen. They're using their imaginations."
Of course, sometimes those imaginations can get carried away. "For 11-year-old boys, it usually turns very violent, very fast," Goldstein says, laughing. "They killed a princess the other day that the Dungeon Master was really trying to stop them from killing! He was like, 'It's not in your interest to kill her,' but they said, 'Nope, we're killing the princess.'"
Honor Among Thieves stars Chris Pine and Michelle Rodriguez missed D&D's Satanic Panic period and express surprise that the game could ever have been considered dangerous. "I remember rap music being feared," Pine says, digging around in his childhood memories. "Metallica was feared, death metal was feared. But I don't remember Dungeons & Dragons ever being on the most wanted list of cultural artifacts. That's wild."
"What's surprising to me about that is D&D is super-imaginative," Pine continues. "It's really collaborative and positive. There's always a lot of laughing when you play."
On the other hand, Rodriguez's own religious background helps her understand why D&D was targeted at the time. "I grew up as a Jehovah's Witness," the Fast and Furious star says. "So when it comes to suppression of some sort, I get it. But that's weird that was a thing [with D&D]. Maybe people confused it with an Ouija board." Now there's a crossover we'd like to see on the big screen.
Satanism, ritual cults and Hollywood: debunking ‘satanic panic’ conspiracy theories
Earlier this year the non-binary singer-songwriter, Sam Smith, performed their song Unholy, at the Grammys. Dressed in a red devil-horned top hat and latex costume, the performance drew upon popular occult and gothic aesthetics. And it attracted a huge amount of criticism for the supposed promotion of satanic imagery.
Conspiracy theorists alleged that the performance was, in fact, a real, satanic ritual orchestrated by an elite cult of Hollywood satanists. Its supposed aim? To morally subvert society by brainwashing and indoctrinating young people.
Only a few months prior, a similar mass online panic had taken hold in the form of the Balenciaga scandal – with conspiracy theorists claiming that the fashion brand was secretly engaging in child trafficking and satanic ritual abuse.
This was after photographs for its latest campaign featured children holding teddy bear bags that appeared to be dressed in bondage fetish-wear.
These are just the latest in a string of satanic conspiracy theories, from the 2014 Hampstead hoax, which involved false allegations of a satanic paedophile ring operating out of a north London school, to the rise of the now infamous QAnon movement, where supporters believe that Satan-worshipping elites are trying to take over society.
Satanism scares
In the UK and further afield, there’s a long history of claims that secret, Satan-worshipping cults exist that ritualistically abuse and sacrifice children. Emerging in the form of moral panics known as “satanism scares”, it’s possible to trace these rumours and myths back to second-century Rome. Yet they really rose to prominence during the Middle Ages.
This satanic mythology has often been used as a way to demonise Jewish communities. In particular, they’ve often involved false allegations that Jewish people use the blood of non-Jewish – usually Christian – children for ritual purposes.
The European witch-hunts which happened during the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries also incorporated claims of devil-worship and child sacrifice.
While accusations of satanic abuse have repeatedly been found to be unsubstantiated and allegations debunked, these rumours and conspiracy theories can cause very real harm.
False satanic abuse allegations have resulted in harassment, death threats and online attacks. In one instance a child was kidnapped after a group falsely believed they were the victim of satanic ritual abuse. And there have even been death sentences (later overturned), in the case one 1990s murder trial in the US.
Indeed, satanism scares can be considered a form of witch-hunt. In the 1980s and 1990s there was a mass satanism scare in the US and UK which became known as the “satanic panic”.
This episode saw many people falsely accused, arrested and at times convicted of satanic abuse. To this day, courts are still working through exonerating those falsely accused.
In one case, a US couple spent 21 years in prison after being found guilty of satanic ritual abuse. Their conviction was eventually overturned due to the faulty witness testimony.
The most famous case was the McMartin preschool trial, which is still the longest-running and most expensive trial in US history. It followed false allegations that hundreds of children had been sexually abused and involved in satanic rituals at a California preschool. It led to fears that children and wider society were under attack from satanic forces.
The satanic panic gained momentum from religious TV channels, public authorities and perhaps most prominently from tabloid media. In both the US and the UK it built upon preexisting societal moral panics relating to cults and child abuse, as well as drawing upon existing homophobic narratives.
Today’s theories
Conspiracy theories appear to reemerge at times of crisis, such as the COVID pandemic and terror attacks. They are often used as a way to scapegoat specific groups considered responsible for widespread societal anxieties.
Satanic cult conspiracy theories today also integrate themselves within other conspiracy theories. Following the pandemic, anti-vax narratives and COVID-19 conspiracy theories are often incorporated.
Some of these allege that the vaccine is the “mark of the beast”, or an attempt by supposed “satanic elites” to control the masses.
Such claims have also latched onto homophobic and transphobic narratives, intertwining allegations of satanic ritual abuse with existing right-wing ideas that attempt to associate LGBTQ+ communities with grooming and paedophilia.
They also incorporate “new world order” conspiracies, which are often explicitly antisemitic. These allege the existence of a powerful network of elites with a hidden, subversive satanic agenda.
While such allegations may appear far-fetched – and it may be difficult to understand how people can believe in them – at their core, satanism scares centre around two very common enemies: Satan and child abusers. In this sense, they act as a kind of demonology blueprint.
Many people may first become involved with these theories because they have genuine concerns about child abuse or “cults”. But these initial concerns can then be manipulated by conspiracy theory rhetoric and online misinformation.
Beyond simply affecting those falsely accused, these conspiracy theories can also be emotionally damaging for those caught up in them and their families.
The image of satanism that these theories propose draws on sensationalised occult stereotypes along with horror aesthetics. It lumps them together with notions of witchcraft, satanism, the paranormal and ceremonial occultism to create an amalgamated image of evil.
This is important because ultimately, understanding the ways that “satanic panic” can piggyback off of and weaponise popular political and social issues is crucial in recognising and removing their harmful effects.
Prepare yourselves my fellow Truth Warriors, the "Satanic Panic Psyop" intended to ridicule and shame anyone who dares to speak of the "Global Satanic Pedophile Cabal" is gaining momentum. I expect that the Psyop will be fully activated by late summer of (2023).
Put on the full armor of God and stand your ground and never stop fighting to expose the horrible truth.
Seeing Ghost, and the importance of embracing Satan amid fabricated panics
In the age of QANON and hysterical anti-LGBTQ backlash, one rock band embodies a hellishly fantastic alternative.
Rock and metal music are synonymous with sympathy for the devil. Over the last decade, Swedish outfit Ghost have refined the art, theatrics, and sound to center and redefine those hellish associations. Ghost crafts inviting, often operatic Satanic anthems on the surface, but digging deeper into their eclectic, catchy, atmospheric arena rock proves they are a perfect counterbalance to the moral panics dominating headlines today.
So when Ghost kicked off their 2023 US Re-Imperatour trek at the Concord Pavilion on August 2nd, 48 Hills had to take in the open air congregation of metal fans delighting in paradise lost.
The Bay Area’s history with the dark lord goes way back: The Church of Satan was founded in San Francisco in the 1960s, and San Francisco is constantly cited locally and nationally as a lawless hellscape. Satanic panic was of course, and still is, a fictitious narrative that preys on fear and ignorance, so we should at least acknowledge and celebrate the music that winks-and-nods that nonsense away.
Which brings us to Ghost, the premier architects of such reprieve at the moment. The themes in Ghost’s music —the hubris of man, the faithfulness of submission and superstition, the rise and fall of empires, to name a few—are nuanced critiques of power spanning their five album discography.
We live in such a golden age for Satanic and moral panics, Ghost’s proud “hail, Satan” schtick is not even subject to wall-to-wall media coverage of American Christians burning their records, citing their music as a sign of the end times. That certainly would have been the case in the ’80s during Satanic panic’s height, coinciding with parental advisory stickers first arriving on record covers.
That panic continued into the ’90s and became fixtures that blended in more than went dormant. Ghost haven’t been without their attendant controversies. Yet the perpetrators of moral panics are gaining enough traction with their Christofascist mission these days, to focus away from music as an easy punching bag (although they still do it). They’ve grown powerful playing tunes from that worn songbook.
QANON, the political panic movement that accuses the Democratic Party of being a Satanic cabal that drinks children’s blood, reached residency in the White House and Congress. The Supreme Court, supposedly the highest arbiter of justice in the US, is more compelled to condone state dominion over people giving birth, than keep the water poison free. The anti-queer, anti-trans panics are dangerously in full swing with state’s rights bigotry funded by national PACs or good ol’ traditional corporate hypocrisy.
It’s all coupled with “won’t someone please think of the children” hollow anti-child trafficking campaigns; every bad faith actor is suddenly the staunchest defender of the weakest and most vulnerable children, unless those kids are Black in America, Brown at the border, or queer or trans anywhere.
Ghost’s music isn’t directly topical, but such visible embrace of Satan during these delusional times builds dams against moral panic’s deluge. From their position removed from power, Satanists aren’t inherently judgemental like the QANON, Satanic, and moral panic adherents, whose philosophy characterizes everyone who isn’t following in their blind, cultish faith as murderous pedophiles. When the grifters have claimed piety, the Satanists inherit truth’s pulpit.
Ghost’s indulgences in pop and glam pitches a grand preacher’s tent. Details like tailoring frontman Tobias Forge’s outfit with subtle skulls, Beethoven frills, and a concise message that’s always been a rock and metal rallying cry printed on the inside of his gold ringleader coat—“fuck you”—further his eccentric conductor stage presence. As Forge’s painted face serenades with delightful subversiveness, the righteous guitar riffs by the band of nameless ghouls—like those that launched their Concord set with “Kaiserion”—elevate their show into a necessary concert experience, because if fans are going to risk COVID rocking out to a musical act, why not one that’s singing about plague?
