Hi everyone!
Now, I know what you’re thinking. I don’t come to One Movie Punch for documentaries about Satanism. I prefer my Satanism as part of horror movies and on “The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” THANK YOU VERY MUCH! And that’s fine. But this documentary isn’t really about Satanism, despite the imagery and themes. It’s about something much different and something much more. For a few films directly related to today’s film, check out “Häxan” (Episode #131), an early documentary about witchcraft that outlines the Black Mass described in today’s film, and “Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills” (Episode #144), a documentary about teenagers accused of witchcraft and Satanism during the Satanic Panic of the 1980s and 1990s, also referenced in today’s documentary.
Before the review, we’ll have a promo from our friends at the “Seeking Human Victims” podcast from the One Good Scare production company. They’ve recently finished up a series on the “Friday the 13th” franchise, the last episode of which contains our promo. You can follow the podcast on Twitter and Facebook @OGScare. You can also check out their webpage at ogscareproductions.com, where you can link to the podcast and subscribe.
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Here we go!
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Today’s movie is “Hail Satan?”, from Magnolia Pictures, the documentary directed by Penny Lane. The documentary takes a look at the rise of The Satanic Temple, a religious organization that has grown remarkably over the last seven years, in part for multiple actions aimed at dismantling religious privilege in government and society. And that’s about where the story ends.
No spoilers.
Unless you’ve actually looked into The Satanic Temple, I’m sure whatever images you’re forming in your mind are based on images you’ve seen on film and television. I grew up during the Satanic Panic of the 1980s and 1990s, which lasted two decades because of endless special reports about so-called Satanic cults, and their link to Dungeons and Dragons. “Hail Satan?” takes a look this time period briefly, along with previous depictions of modern Satanism, from the 1922 Swedish dramatic documentary “Häxan” (Episode 131), through Anton LaVey’s founding of the Church of Satan, and into the ironies of the Satanic Panic itself. When I first moved out the California, I actually found myself heading down a rabbit hole of looking for modern Satanist organizations, and had noticed the larger Church of Satan had fractured into different sects, and many chapters had fizzled away. Today’s documentary doesn’t cover much of that dissipation in detail, but there’s a rich history out there for folks who are interested.
I had originally gone into this documentary thinking it was an in-depth look at the court case to erect a Baphomet statue next to a Ten Commandments statue in Arkansas and Oklahoma. And this combined story forms the backbone of the entire documentary, featuring fascinated backstory on the origins of the Ten Commandments statues, multiple petitions and hearings regarding the statues, and the continuing fight to erect a Baphomet statue. However, these are just two campaigns in a string of campaigns aimed at exposing and dismantling religious privilege in the public sphere. With each campaign, and with the help of social and mainstream media, not to mention religious organizations intent on stopping them, chapters begin springing up around the world, challenging religious privilege in their local and state politics. Instead of a court case documentary, I was getting something much, much more. The chronological narrative of The Satanic Temple is quite fascinating, and the dips into the history of Satanism, and the internal drama among founding members, adds depth, even if it doesn’t always blend well with the overall narrative.
I also think the founders of The Satanic Temple got something much more than they planned when they started their campaigns. Iconography used to make a statement against school prayer carried forward into each campaign, and that iconography was adopted by the other chapters. Satan was less a deity and more an icon, a symbol of the outsider, and as the temple normalizes, we see them adopting seven progressive tenets that if you didn’t know formed the basis of The Satanic Temple, would likely be something most people would agree with. Every challenge to their campaigns and every victory only emboldens them, brings in new people, and expands their community outreach. The question remains if the iconography becomes too much baggage for advancing the progressive tenets, and whether the size of their community remains artificially small for folks who don’t want to see pig heads hoisted upon stakes to get socks to homeless people. The outsider always requires a figure to oppose, or to be outside from, which means as long as religious privilege exists, and sufficient funding, so will The Satanic Temple. And that’s where the documentary leaves it – amidst ongoing campaigns, dealing with the inevitable politics of running a worldwide organization, and dealing with a lot of administrative work that comes with everything. It’s an accurate depiction for The Satanic Temple, but as a documentary, it’s not a very satisfying ending.
“Hail Satan” is an insightful documentary into the founding and rise of The Satanic Temple and their political campaigns against religious privilege in government-run institutions. The film provides a great origin story for the organization, but also ends without much resolution, which may lead some to seek more information, but others to be disappointed. Documentary fans, especially those looking at the separation of church and state, should definitely check out this film. Just be ready for some very shocking scenes of graphic nudity and bloody imagery.
Rotten Tomatoes: 96% (CERTIFIED FRESH)
Metacritic: 76
One Movie Punch: 8.2/10
“Hail Satan” (2019) is rated R and is currently playing on Hulu.
