During much of the eighties and early nineties, America was caught in the grip of Satanic Panic. The hysteria saw parents convinced that Satanist cults were out to steal their children and led to some truly devastating incidents. In the SXSW documentary Satan Wants You directors Steve J. Adams and Sean Horlor explore the potential origin of the phenomena, tracing its roots back to a memoir – Michelle Remembers – by therapist Lawrence Pazder and his patient, Michelle Smith.
The book, now discredited, was presented as an account of Michelle’s uncovering of childhood trauma. Through a series of sessions with Pazder, the young woman recounted stories from a period of her life when she was held hostage by a Satan-worshipping cult that subjected her to deplorable levels of torture. Michelle Remembers was a best-selling book, and made household names out of both patient and doctor. The pair were on every television show pushing their book, and getting the word out about these sick groups of individuals. In the wake of the media circus, others came forward with their own stories and, like wildfire, a chain reaction began that ended in misery for many.
Satan Wants You details all aspects of Michelle Remembers, interviewing Pazder’s ex-wife and family, Michelle’s sister, the woman who transcribed Michelle’s session tapes, and members of the police who were involved with the investigations into the rise in cult related crime. Each subject has a fascinating story to tell, and all have their own opinion on the validity of Michelle’s experience. It’s the epitome of sensational story and as Adams and Horlor slowly slice through the layers to the truth, the plot gets thicker and somehow more strange.
Explored in the latter half of the documentary, the most terrifying aspect of Satan Wants You is its highlighting of the cycle beginning again. Fake news and some of the population’s ferocity of belief in it, is dangerously close to Satanic Panic. The saying is that history repeats and as Satan Wants You demonstrates, it didn’t work out great the first time around. A documentary sure to push the viewer onto the precipice of further Satanic Panic rabbit-hole exploration, Satan Wants You is unbelievably engrossing and sensationally moreish.
Satan Wants You
Summary
Yet more proof that fact will always be stranger than fiction, Satan Wants You highlights the shocking story that ignited a nation-wide frenzy of fear.
Satan Wants You was reviewed at SXSW 2023.
