Latest news with #SatanicPanic
Yomiuri Shimbun
4 days ago
- General
- Yomiuri Shimbun
‘Satan Wants You' Revisits Book that Fueled Satanic Panic; Documentary Shows How People Get Swept up in the Unbelievable
Why do so many people easily fall into the trap of believing unbelievable claims? I have a feeling that recently that thought has come to mind much more frequently than before. 'Satan Wants You,' a documentary film produced in Canada, is perfect food for thought when considering such situations. The film has been screened in Tokyo and other areas in Japan. The subject is the Satanic Panic phenomenon that gripped North America in the 1980s. A conspiracy theory that Satan worshippers were ritually abusing children spread widely, and there were many cases in which childcare workers were accused of being Satan worshippers. The film focuses on 'Michelle Remembers,' a book that fueled the panic, as well as the book's coauthors, Michelle Smith and Lawrence Pazder. The coauthors both lived in the Canadian state of Victoria. Lawrence was a psychiatrist, and Michelle his patient. As the two repeatedly held treatment sessions together from the 1970s, Michelle recovered a memory of a horrific experience from her childhood days — ritual abuse by a group of Satan worshippers — or so they both claimed. The book also said Michelle's mother took her to the cult meetings, and it was the Virgin Mary who saved her from her suffering. Although there was no physical evidence to support their absurd claims, TV talk shows were quick to jump on the story. Local Catholic clerics took them to the Vatican and reported to the Pope that Michelle had seen the Virgin Mary. Their book became a bestseller in the United States, and Lawrence served as a speaker at the annual general meeting of the American Psychiatric Association as an expert on child abuse. Michelle's remarks that parents must be careful in choosing a day care facility for their children incited anxiety among many parents, which resulted in witch-hunt-like situations for childcare workers. Even police and the FBI became involved, and the whole scandal continued growing. Why was society rocked by the extremely dubious claims made by Michelle and Lawrence? What was the pair's purpose in the first place? This film follows the phenomenon in detail through interviews and old footage from TV; accounts by families and friends of the people involved and those who investigated Satanic Panic cases; analyses by academics and journalists; and videos and audiotapes, including full-length recordings of treatment sessions, left by Lawrence, who liked keeping records. By doing so, the film tries to figure out how the falsehoods spread by the two mushroomed and grew into such a big deal, and it tries to work out the truth with a wealth of remarks by various people involved. The most shocking claims came from Michelle in old treatment sessions, particularly the one quoted toward the end. 'I can't tell what's real anymore. I couldn't tell what was real,' she screamed. What she shouted after that was not released to the public. What was the reason? What then becomes clear is the panic was triggered by various desires entangled with each other: desire for power, desire for money and desire for love. Satan is scary, but men and women consumed by desire can also deeply frightening indeed. One person who provided testimony for the documentary referred to the QAnon and Pizzagate conspiracy theories, saying the same kinds of things will happen again unless we learn from history. This film is perfect for learning about humans and human society.
Geek Vibes Nation
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Vibes Nation
'Satan Wants You' Blu-Ray Review - Engaging Documentary Shows The Timelessness Of Moral Hysteria
Satan Wants You tells the untold story of how the Satanic Panic of the 1980s was ignited by 'Michelle Remembers', a lurid memoir by psychiatrist Larry Pazder and his patient Michelle Smith. Supported by the Catholic Church, the bestselling book relied on recovered-memory therapy to uncover Michelle's childhood abduction by baby-stealing Satanists. Amplified by law enforcement and America's Daytime TV boom, satanic rumors spread through panic-stricken communities across the world, leaving a wave of destruction and wrongful convictions in their wake. This film digs deep into the roots of moral panics and cult conspiracies, showing how these events still affect and distort our reality today. For in-depth thoughts on Satan Wants You , please see my colleague Mike Vaughn's review from its original festival release here. Video Quality Satan Wants You comes to Blu-Ray from ETR Media with a marvelous HD source which presents this documentary exactly as intended. This feature is a mixture of recent interviews along with older clips, pictures, and other archival material to help round out the history of the original incident and subsequent movement. All older footage seems to be sourced from the most stable source possible, leaving more recent footage looking stronger and clips from the early days looking pretty rough at times. The new talking head interview segments have great production value. Each subject appears crisp and clear with natural skin tones and some highly detailed facial features such as age lines and makeup. The oldest talk show appearances have very few instances of detail and heavy artifacts. The colors spotlighted in the footage such as clothing and background furniture have a nice sense of vibrancy to them. The encode does not come up short when it comes to compression artifacts or unwanted digital nuisances. While not all the footage thrives with an HD presentation, this documentary deserves a place on Blu-Ray. Audio Quality This Blu-Ray disc comes with a favorable DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that captures this material to nice effect. Dialogue is the focus in the center channel as you get these recollections and theories delivered in a stable environment. The interviews deliver a worthy lineup of talking heads to supplement the archival footage. Any incidental music comes through with fine fidelity. This may only be a stereo presentation, but the room feels purposefully saturated when you are viewing the film. There are no notable digital anomalies or other issues spotted. This track delivers what you want. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided. Special Features Booklet: A multi-page booklet featuring an essay from film critic Heather Drain is provided here. Final Thoughts Satan Wants You is an engaging documentary that not only gives you an idea of how moral hysteria spiraled a bit out of control in the 1980s, but it also makes a compelling argument for why we are doomed to repeat this history if we do not learn from it. The film does not travel down too many unnecessary paths, and the interviews that are provided are prescient and insightful. The film moves along at a good pace so you get all the appropriate information without feeling sluggish or like the film overstays its welcome. If you are interested in the Satanic Panic movement, you should enjoy this one. ETR Media has released a Blu-Ray featuring a great A/V presentation but not much in the way of special features. Recommended Satan Wants You is currently available to purchase on Standard Edition Blu-Ray or with a Limited Edition Slipcover exclusively through Vinegar Syndrome. Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray. Disclaimer: ETR Media & OCN Distribution have supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Scotsman
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
The Filthy Fifteen: the songs that led to the creation of the Parental Advisory sticker
There was a time when you could pick up an album, whether on CD or vinyl, without being warned that its content might be morally dubious. But thanks to the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC), that now-familiar Parental Advisory label on the front of albums, which has been co-opted for shirts and merchandise over the years, became a regular sight in record stores from 1985. This move by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) was seen as a way to appease the moral panic surrounding music and to respond to major retailers like Walmart, who refused to stock titles deemed to be 'soiling' the social fabric. The PMRC, led by Tipper Gore , specifically cited 15 songs as problematic and requiring parental supervision for purchase or listening. The objections ranged from overt sexual themes to concerns about Satanic Panic , fuelled by perceptions of metal music and Dungeons & Dragons . So, what 15 songs prompted the RIAA to finally concede and add a label advising parents to exercise caution when buying for younger family members? We've compiled a list of all the songs the PMRC deemed questionable and objectionable, leading to the creation of the Parental Advisory label. 1 . Cyndi Lauper - She Bop (1983) This quirky and energetic pop hit from She's So Unusual was included on the Filthy Fifteen due to its veiled references to female - ahem - 'self-love'. While Lauper initially downplayed the explicit meaning, the suggestive nature of lines like, "She bops and they bop and they bop and they say / She bops and they bop and they bop all day," was interpreted by many as a coded celebration of female sexual pleasure, making it controversial for the time. | Koh Hasebe/Photo Sales 2 . Venom - Possessed (1985) A band at the forefront of early extreme metal, Venom's Possessed from their album of the same name directly confronted dark occult themes with lyrics like, "Possessed by evil / Driven by hate / Satan's my master / Seal my fate." This overt engagement with satanic imagery and themes made them a clear target for the PMRC's campaign against perceived negative influences in music. | NielsPhoto Sales 3 . Mary Janes Girls - In My House (1983) This upbeat R&B track from their self-titled album was surprisingly included on the Filthy Fifteen due to lyrics that were considered sexually suggestive and inappropriate for younger listeners. Lines like, "In my house, you can do it all night long / In my house, we can get it on," were interpreted as direct invitations to sexual activity within a domestic setting. | Contributed Photo Sales 4 . Black Sabbath - Trashed (1983) Inspired by a real-life incident involving guitarist Tony Iommi crashing a car while allegedly under the influence, the lyrics of Trashed from Born Again, such as, "I got trashed, out of my head / I wrapped my car around a tree / I got trashed, nearly dead / But I'm still here, you see," were seen as a dangerous and irresponsible glorification of drug and alcohol abuse and its consequences. |Photo Sales Related topics: BoostMusicHistoryAlbumsRetailers
Scotsman
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
The Filthy Fifteen: the songs that led to the creation of the Parental Advisory sticker
There was a time when you could pick up an album, whether on CD or vinyl, without being warned that its content might be morally dubious. But thanks to the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC), that now-familiar Parental Advisory label on the front of albums, which has been co-opted for shirts and merchandise over the years, became a regular sight in record stores from 1985. This move by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) was seen as a way to appease the moral panic surrounding music and to respond to major retailers like Walmart, who refused to stock titles deemed to be 'soiling' the social fabric. The PMRC, led by Tipper Gore , specifically cited 15 songs as problematic and requiring parental supervision for purchase or listening. The objections ranged from overt sexual themes to concerns about Satanic Panic , fuelled by perceptions of metal music and Dungeons & Dragons . So, what 15 songs prompted the RIAA to finally concede and add a label advising parents to exercise caution when buying for younger family members? We've compiled a list of all the songs the PMRC deemed questionable and objectionable, leading to the creation of the Parental Advisory label. 1 . Cyndi Lauper - She Bop (1983) This quirky and energetic pop hit from She's So Unusual was included on the Filthy Fifteen due to its veiled references to female - ahem - 'self-love'. While Lauper initially downplayed the explicit meaning, the suggestive nature of lines like, "She bops and they bop and they bop and they say / She bops and they bop and they bop all day," was interpreted by many as a coded celebration of female sexual pleasure, making it controversial for the time. | Koh Hasebe/Photo Sales 2 . Venom - Possessed (1985) A band at the forefront of early extreme metal, Venom's Possessed from their album of the same name directly confronted dark occult themes with lyrics like, "Possessed by evil / Driven by hate / Satan's my master / Seal my fate." This overt engagement with satanic imagery and themes made them a clear target for the PMRC's campaign against perceived negative influences in music. | NielsPhoto Sales 3 . Mary Janes Girls - In My House (1983) This upbeat R&B track from their self-titled album was surprisingly included on the Filthy Fifteen due to lyrics that were considered sexually suggestive and inappropriate for younger listeners. Lines like, "In my house, you can do it all night long / In my house, we can get it on," were interpreted as direct invitations to sexual activity within a domestic setting. | Contributed Photo Sales 4 . Black Sabbath - Trashed (1983) Inspired by a real-life incident involving guitarist Tony Iommi crashing a car while allegedly under the influence, the lyrics of Trashed from Born Again, such as, "I got trashed, out of my head / I wrapped my car around a tree / I got trashed, nearly dead / But I'm still here, you see," were seen as a dangerous and irresponsible glorification of drug and alcohol abuse and its consequences. |Photo Sales Related topics: BoostMusicHistoryAlbumsRetailers
