If the U.S. wants to proclaim religious freedom and then push Christianity in public, then it's only fair for the Satanists to do the same.
92 Reviews
Deal with it.
jascoward29 August 2019
Not what you think
kosmasp25 September 2019
Well unless you are already familiar with the Satanic Temple that is. I wasn't and I was quite surprised. If Satanists engage in equal rights, clean the streets of trash and do things most would consider Christian ... that is quite a surprise. Even if you are not into "Satan" (and I am not), they even give you a yin/yang balance. As in, if you have this statue put up, we want one of ours there too.
Was quite surprised to learn about a lot of things and this is quite entertaining overall (there's nudity in case that matters to you one way or the other). Now after I watched the movie someone told me that the documentary shines a light on the organisation that does not include some of their darker moments. One is included when we see a member split, but there seem to be more things. For that I guess there is the internet. Or maybe a sequel to this? Who knows
Was quite surprised to learn about a lot of things and this is quite entertaining overall (there's nudity in case that matters to you one way or the other). Now after I watched the movie someone told me that the documentary shines a light on the organisation that does not include some of their darker moments. One is included when we see a member split, but there seem to be more things. For that I guess there is the internet. Or maybe a sequel to this? Who knows
In search of the separation of church and state
paul-allaer11 May 2019
"Hail Satan?" (2019 release; 95 min.) is a documentary about the Satanic Temple (TST) and its search for the separation of church and state. As the movie opens, we are in "Tallahassee, 2013" where TST is holding a rally on the steps of the Florida statehouse. Hardly anyone is giving it any attention. We are introduced to Lucien, the spokesperson for TST. When TST wants to do a black mass in Boston, the catholic church and community in Boston organizes a massive protest against "these rapists and murderers", while of course the reality is that the Boston catholic church has allowed sexual abuse against young kids for decades and decades... At this point we are 10 min. into the movie, but to tell you more of the plot would spoil your viewing experience, you'll jut have to see for yourself how it all plays out.
Couple of comments: this is the latest documentary from Penny Lane, who previously brought us "Our Nixon". Here she explores the hypocrisy in certain segments of the population, who are easily riled up by these satanists. Lane along the way brings us a History 101 of satanism. The core of the film goes to looking at the separation of church and state, which TST wants enforced. The segments dealing with the 10 Commandments are instrumental. So this documentary is not quite what I expected it to be, and in fact is likely to make you think about a few things in a way that you might not have expected. Kudos to Lane for that.
"Hail Satan?" premiered at the Sundance festival earlier this yer to positive acclaim, and recently opened at my local art-house theater here in Cincinnati. The Friday early evening screening where I saw this at was attended poorly (6 people, including myself). Hopefully this can gain a larger audience as it is released on other platforms. If you like documentaries, or have an interest in issues surrounding the separation of church and state, I'd readily suggest you check this out, be it in the theater (if you still can), on VOD, or eventually on DVD/Blu-ray, and draw your own conclusion.
Couple of comments: this is the latest documentary from Penny Lane, who previously brought us "Our Nixon". Here she explores the hypocrisy in certain segments of the population, who are easily riled up by these satanists. Lane along the way brings us a History 101 of satanism. The core of the film goes to looking at the separation of church and state, which TST wants enforced. The segments dealing with the 10 Commandments are instrumental. So this documentary is not quite what I expected it to be, and in fact is likely to make you think about a few things in a way that you might not have expected. Kudos to Lane for that.
"Hail Satan?" premiered at the Sundance festival earlier this yer to positive acclaim, and recently opened at my local art-house theater here in Cincinnati. The Friday early evening screening where I saw this at was attended poorly (6 people, including myself). Hopefully this can gain a larger audience as it is released on other platforms. If you like documentaries, or have an interest in issues surrounding the separation of church and state, I'd readily suggest you check this out, be it in the theater (if you still can), on VOD, or eventually on DVD/Blu-ray, and draw your own conclusion.
Hail Satan? shows how divided we have become
Grumpyfish20 April 2019
Hail Satan? is an entertaining ride and shows how divided we have become as a nation. I understand how some might view this film as provocative but honestly its as dark as vanilla ice cream. The real darkness comes from those with pitchforks ready in hand fearing the unknown, the others, maybe our selves.
While not the most daring doc I've seen this year, certainly a good one.
hilarious
chrislawuk17 October 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Its a really funny documentary. I thought the premise of the movement is great. Satanists are actually atheists, the only ones that dont believe in religion. Nearly brought me to tears watching them sticking up for pluralism. Its an interesting turn, not just in documentary film makiing, but in westerm society as a whole. Satan is acknowledged in the doc as an adversary to jesus, not necessarily a bad guy lol. Maybe it should have been obvious all along, i always wondered why I liked metal and horror movies but had no time for religion.
A factual review....Worth a watch.
paulmcpartlin-824638 October 2019
Warning: Spoilers
I don't often write reviews, but I felt compelled after viewing this. The title of the documentary or should I say mocumentary sums it up.
We have a bunch of people who grew sick of the state and its politicians constantly using religion as a political point scoring system. They decided enough was enough... So then cane the problem. How do you fight back??? The answer was pretty easy....
Establish a movement of similarly minded individuals into a collective unit to fight the political status quo.
Unfortunately this is the documentaries undoing... It exposes the The Temple of Satan as nothing more than a bunch of Liberal minded individuals who are sick of politicians using God as vote influencer and winner.
They initially hold a Satan worship speach outside a political hall... It gets some news coverage and snowballs from there to becone something that they struggle to control. They admit their event in Boston was ill thought out.
I started to wonder where was the debauched hedonistic, evil lifestyle that sticks a middle finger up to society and it's rules? With this religion, you won't find it here!!!
The rub here is they don't actually believe in Satan... And they admit it... A news anchor actually states he can smell a fake news story setup. The founder simply smiles.
They said they couldn't think of a better name... Unbelievable, but true (see 60 mins in). Here's where it gets interesting.
They state they don't believe in Satan as a theology!! At this point I was giggling. They have a moral code / tenets... Yep... Satanism with morals...they clean garbage, run clubs, help those affected by homelessness, challenge public policies etc... It's brilliantly obtuse and even subversive... But its not satanism.
The public are missing the point of this documentary... Are they really worshiping Satan as in the question mark in the title??? Or have they stumbled on a great way to start a small, but influencial political uprising? Judge for yourself... It's worth a watch.
Remember, the sign of a good documentary is one that makes you think afterwards.
We have a bunch of people who grew sick of the state and its politicians constantly using religion as a political point scoring system. They decided enough was enough... So then cane the problem. How do you fight back??? The answer was pretty easy....
Establish a movement of similarly minded individuals into a collective unit to fight the political status quo.
Unfortunately this is the documentaries undoing... It exposes the The Temple of Satan as nothing more than a bunch of Liberal minded individuals who are sick of politicians using God as vote influencer and winner.
They initially hold a Satan worship speach outside a political hall... It gets some news coverage and snowballs from there to becone something that they struggle to control. They admit their event in Boston was ill thought out.
I started to wonder where was the debauched hedonistic, evil lifestyle that sticks a middle finger up to society and it's rules? With this religion, you won't find it here!!!
The rub here is they don't actually believe in Satan... And they admit it... A news anchor actually states he can smell a fake news story setup. The founder simply smiles.
They said they couldn't think of a better name... Unbelievable, but true (see 60 mins in). Here's where it gets interesting.
They state they don't believe in Satan as a theology!! At this point I was giggling. They have a moral code / tenets... Yep... Satanism with morals...they clean garbage, run clubs, help those affected by homelessness, challenge public policies etc... It's brilliantly obtuse and even subversive... But its not satanism.
The public are missing the point of this documentary... Are they really worshiping Satan as in the question mark in the title??? Or have they stumbled on a great way to start a small, but influencial political uprising? Judge for yourself... It's worth a watch.
Remember, the sign of a good documentary is one that makes you think afterwards.
It's a yes from me, dawg
cloudk-5340330 May 2019
Hail Satan? was very informative and educational. It's worth watching whether you're interested in joining the Satanic Temple or just open minded enough to look at things through a different (religious) perspective. It stresses religious equality/freedom for ALL religions, not just Christianity.. I can't wait for this to come out on a streaming site (hey Netflix!) to show all of my family and friends that Satanism is not at ALL what they think it is. Educate yourselves, people. Watch Hail Satan?.
HAIL SATAN? JUDGING FREEDOM OF BELIEF?
babyjaguar12 May 2019
Warning: Spoilers
This interesting documentary by Peggy Lane follows the Satanic Temple, concentrating on their evolution from a small group of practitioners into a network of chapters across the nation. The beginning of the film show past U.S. Satanic groups going back to the 60s founding of Satanic followers, by San Francisco's Anton Szandor LaVey. The film uses archival TV footage showing this bay area followers and interviews with LaVey (Church of Satan).
The director uses a humorous tone in the beginning, introducing the founders like Luciens Greaves, founded a new school of its believers, the Satanic Temple. I feel it was not needed, because of the rest of film really questions the notion of sustaining a freedom of beliefs and speech.
It shows the formation of these chapters working together but critical when, even those amongst the chapters chose to go an extreme way of expressing Satanism. It highlights how these chapters joined forces in challenging the legal system in trying to place their public monument next to a monument of the ten commandments.
The director uses a humorous tone in the beginning, introducing the founders like Luciens Greaves, founded a new school of its believers, the Satanic Temple. I feel it was not needed, because of the rest of film really questions the notion of sustaining a freedom of beliefs and speech.
It shows the formation of these chapters working together but critical when, even those amongst the chapters chose to go an extreme way of expressing Satanism. It highlights how these chapters joined forces in challenging the legal system in trying to place their public monument next to a monument of the ten commandments.
An eye opening documentary....
playtimecapsule2 June 2019
Ask people if they have ever considered becoming a Satanist and most will answer NO, but if you watch this film with an open mind you will find yourself wondering AM I A SATANIST?
That said, this is NOT a recruitment film and I applaud all involved for allowing a "warts and all" look into the inner working of the group. A well made, informative, and fascinating documentary.
I look forward to seeing more from Director Penny Lane and I look foward to hearing more about TST.
That said, this is NOT a recruitment film and I applaud all involved for allowing a "warts and all" look into the inner working of the group. A well made, informative, and fascinating documentary.
I look forward to seeing more from Director Penny Lane and I look foward to hearing more about TST.
Interesting View
Xavier_Coo29 November 2020
Don't be an offended baby
bichbebitter23 April 2019
Warning: Spoilers
This documentary has nothing to do with Satanism and more about a political movement. The Satanists of the Satanic Temple are leftist atheists. They push to keep the separation between church and state still flowing through America. Religion has no place in Government issues and laws, and the Satanic Temple makes sure that keeps happening. AMERICA isn't a Christian nation. We are a country that was founded on religious freedom. This documentary was serious, but also funny as hell. I would definitely join their movement and proudly call myself a Satanist. Hail Satan 🤘
All in all, it's a decent documentary. The director did the best possible with this subject and team.
Filip_Pruncu27 October 2020
The documentary is good, the subject is great but the protagonists are.... I don't know, they can be so many things to so many people.
As a Satanist ("traditional" as some like to call us) I find this philosophy of The Satanic Temple way too fluffy, and I see them as confused people who are trying to fit in somewhere. They are certainly a new "Church of Satan", a continuation of LaVey's modern Satanism, only more political. They did things and/or tried to do things very respectable, and many times they were very good at doing them, with lots of maturity and responsibility, but trying to be too nice or being too nice is getting away from the Satanic philosophy, even away from LaVey's tradition. They are to satanism like wicca is to witchcraft. And, like with most satanists, the knowledge of the occult or of religion is quite limited.
Lucien is definitely a very charming person, he has the position of a leader but too soft for Satanism. Jex is getting closer to what Satanism should be like, and that is "straight in your face, with no pretty things and excuses."
All in all, it's a decent documentary. The director did the best possible with this subject and team.
Interesting start, falls flat by middle.
OdinsRagnarok26 January 2020
Warning: Spoilers
The movie starts intriguing enough by being more of a joke and then as it escalated into a bigger religion / political movement. Even if it is extremely biased, reporting only from their perspective I think that's alright as it's clearly a documentary just following them and not presenting itself as a non-biased outsider perspective.
But eventually the SJW far left politics just reeks through too much. I lost interest in hearing about their gay love, transgender issues, menstruation for satan, "bad fetishization" of female bodies, and so on. It just becomes so disconnected to satanism, such clearly none of them truly believe in or worship. It's essentially just a far left political group naming itself satanists as a counter culture to the Christian ring wing of USA.
By adapting this far left ideology, they are trapping themselves into a corner where plenty of people, such as myself, are just as much counter to the politics they promote as I am to Christian Right wing politics. Seems to almost defeat its whole purpose of supposed freedom and counter movement. At the 3rd act I just wanted this movie to end, I had enough of this movement. Talk about ruining satanism.
But eventually the SJW far left politics just reeks through too much. I lost interest in hearing about their gay love, transgender issues, menstruation for satan, "bad fetishization" of female bodies, and so on. It just becomes so disconnected to satanism, such clearly none of them truly believe in or worship. It's essentially just a far left political group naming itself satanists as a counter culture to the Christian ring wing of USA.
By adapting this far left ideology, they are trapping themselves into a corner where plenty of people, such as myself, are just as much counter to the politics they promote as I am to Christian Right wing politics. Seems to almost defeat its whole purpose of supposed freedom and counter movement. At the 3rd act I just wanted this movie to end, I had enough of this movement. Talk about ruining satanism.
Hail Satan
ashfordofficial8 January 2022
"You're gonna go to Hell!"
"I believe in it and I'm very excited about it."
It's hard to imagine that one of the most powerful country in the world is overrun by Christian zealots. Even the local governments are nothing but a failed institutional entity.
Hail Satan? Is a smart, witty and thought provoking documentary film that focuses on The Satanic Temple, a nontheistic religious and political activist group that struggle to change the political landscape in the United States by demanding the separation of church and state.
Now I'm pretty much convinced that Penny Lane is a Satanist. Hail Satan Baby!
It's hard to imagine that one of the most powerful country in the world is overrun by Christian zealots. Even the local governments are nothing but a failed institutional entity.
Hail Satan? Is a smart, witty and thought provoking documentary film that focuses on The Satanic Temple, a nontheistic religious and political activist group that struggle to change the political landscape in the United States by demanding the separation of church and state.
Now I'm pretty much convinced that Penny Lane is a Satanist. Hail Satan Baby!
Another Name for Rationalism?
westsideschl24 July 2019
Occurred to me after watching that though out history if you want to stay in power create an enemy. So if you want your God to be #1 be sure he (she) has an adversary; an anti. One thing religions have in common is obedience - no thinking for yourself allowed.
Admittedly Satan has gotten a lot of bad press/reviews & even stories - print, movie, allegory over the past long while. Thus begins our tale of snake, Eve & apple.
So who/what is the new Satan? Well, they're The Satanic Temple w/small groups totally tens of thousands around the world. One goal is separation of church & state allowing all religions equal opportunity for expression. Another is promoting free thinking. Their tenants include: Compassion for all creatures; justice should be foremost; each of us commands our own bodies; respect other's freedoms; science factuality should be a part of your beliefs; mistakes are correctable; compassion, wisdom come first.
The Satanic Temples main adversaries come in the form of Fox News & Catholic Church (their record w/wars, gays, females, trials, priests & kids - not so good). One of Fox friends' vitriolic arguments is that our currency & pledge both reference their God as our national religion, but the Constitution purposefully stays away on that subject. God was added around the accusatory McCarthy era '50s as a counter to Communism.
It was repeatedly suggested in the doc that they should all (as non-Christians) go to Hell, but would that include Gandhi?
Admittedly Satan has gotten a lot of bad press/reviews & even stories - print, movie, allegory over the past long while. Thus begins our tale of snake, Eve & apple.
So who/what is the new Satan? Well, they're The Satanic Temple w/small groups totally tens of thousands around the world. One goal is separation of church & state allowing all religions equal opportunity for expression. Another is promoting free thinking. Their tenants include: Compassion for all creatures; justice should be foremost; each of us commands our own bodies; respect other's freedoms; science factuality should be a part of your beliefs; mistakes are correctable; compassion, wisdom come first.
The Satanic Temples main adversaries come in the form of Fox News & Catholic Church (their record w/wars, gays, females, trials, priests & kids - not so good). One of Fox friends' vitriolic arguments is that our currency & pledge both reference their God as our national religion, but the Constitution purposefully stays away on that subject. God was added around the accusatory McCarthy era '50s as a counter to Communism.
It was repeatedly suggested in the doc that they should all (as non-Christians) go to Hell, but would that include Gandhi?
A fresh look at atheism
Two_Journeys3 February 2023
Worthwhile, and amusing documentary about the Temple of Satan, a group that has given atheism a religious footing and which especially fights for religious freedom and secularism in the USA. The movie also provides insights into Christian fundamentalism in the USA... which is perhaps not so much an issue in other parts of the world (but you never know what may happen once the * hits the fan). The church of satan tackles these issues by holding up a mirror, always tongue in cheek, but with an impressive consistency. The movie's message is: cool down folks, there will always be people with different opinions.
Fantastic Film
baileycrawly24 January 2021
What's truly sad when you talk about a documentary like "Hail Satan?" is the 1-star reviews from "concerned Christians" who either didn't watch the movie or were so insistent on having their own beliefs represented and satisfied that they completely missed the point of not just the film, but of the organization for which it represents.
This is a really great look into the Satanic Temple. It covers a lot of ground in its relatively short running time. It details, in as much detail as any intelligent human being could ever need, the beliefs of the organization as well as the things they stand for. No longer is Satanism a closeted belief system wherein society lives in perpetual fear of their animals and young children going missing and being sacrificed to the Lord of Darkness. In fact, when you talk about The Satanic Temple, you're not even talking about a group of people who believe in the devil. They view "Satan" simply as an adversarial being, and their core message is very simple: If you open the door for God, you have to be willing to open the door for Satan.
This film is an example of a struggle for equality in society, a governmental fight to have equal religious representation. Perhaps the finest moment in the film is the discussion on the Ten Commandments monument that The Satanic Temple fought in court. The short of it is that there was a monument, which was donated to the state Capitol by Paramount Pictures following the release of their "Ten Commandments" film in the 50s with Charlton Heston. The Satanic Temple, seeing the blatant support of Christianity, constructed a large monument of Baphomet and had to fight to be included on the state grounds. It's little things like these that really represent what the organization stands for, and for anyone who has any kind of misconceptions otherwise it's recommended that you check this film out..
You can agree with their belief system or you can be opposed in every possible way, but to say that they bring nothing of value to the table or that they are, in any way, shape or form, a threat to society or to "the children" (everyone loves to clutch their pearls and whine about "thinking of the children," as though they can't make their own decisions). They exist, they are as valid as everyone else, and they deserve to be heard and given consideration to just like any other human beings on the planet.
Whether you believe they should or not.
Lucien Greaves is running a really great organization that uses symbolism and titles to shock, offend and, most importantly, to troll. And Christians around the world have taken that bait. Over and over and over again. And they'll continue to do so.
Just shut up and watch the film.
Is it a good documentary?
jonathanmarklund25 July 2019
I'm not a christian, nor am I a member of the Satanic Temple.
So when I went into this film I wanted to see a fair and unbiased documentary about the movement and the issues that they are about.
Instead, we get a propaganda piece for the temple. Almost no time whatsoever is dedicated to the opposition, and they are often presented as babbling fools. (which in some cases, they probably are).
It would have been nice to see some criticism against the movement and especially against it's members, as well as letting them defend themselves and talk without being over-edited.
This just feels like a very long commercial.
So when I went into this film I wanted to see a fair and unbiased documentary about the movement and the issues that they are about.
Instead, we get a propaganda piece for the temple. Almost no time whatsoever is dedicated to the opposition, and they are often presented as babbling fools. (which in some cases, they probably are).
It would have been nice to see some criticism against the movement and especially against it's members, as well as letting them defend themselves and talk without being over-edited.
This just feels like a very long commercial.
Very informational about TST
duzt-528047 February 2020
I am most familiar with LaVey's version of things but enjoyed watching TST's call to action and fighting religious discrimination. And generally I also appreciate educating people about the prevalent form of Satanism. It's a little hokey at parts for me, with people really being kind of silly with the masks and whatnot. But the main reason I knocked a couple stars off is because they didn't mention or otherwise adopt Ghost as the official band of the Temple. (haha)
Great documentation
mrdonleone29 September 2019
The Church of Satan: saving us all or sending us to hell??? Worth the personal pondering about; for me as a filmmaker i just like how they made a wonderful documentary out of it, maybe the best around the widely spread concept of Satanism ever.
Hail Satan
henry8-317 December 2019
Documentary charting the works of the The Satanic Temple in the U.S.
Fascinating, often hilarious look at this group who are against evil and any form of violence and seek to promote the right to religious freedom in a country moving ever closer to right wing Christianity becoming enshrined in law, contrary to the constitution. The 7 tenets that the Group live by make perfect sense in a modern society but there is seemingly no place for this in a modern country like the U.S.
The arguments as to why they refer themselves as Satanists when they apparently aren't, are less convincing, which is particularly frustrating given that it is the Christian Witch Hunters that define their crimes, but otherwise they are a group to be admired in a film worth catching.
Interesting, funny and not a little worrying.
Fascinating, often hilarious look at this group who are against evil and any form of violence and seek to promote the right to religious freedom in a country moving ever closer to right wing Christianity becoming enshrined in law, contrary to the constitution. The 7 tenets that the Group live by make perfect sense in a modern society but there is seemingly no place for this in a modern country like the U.S.
The arguments as to why they refer themselves as Satanists when they apparently aren't, are less convincing, which is particularly frustrating given that it is the Christian Witch Hunters that define their crimes, but otherwise they are a group to be admired in a film worth catching.
Interesting, funny and not a little worrying.
RADICAL RESISTANCE
kirbylee70-599-5261794 August 2019
Warning: Spoilers
One thing that should be brought up immediately when discussing the film HAIL SATAN? The movie is about The Satanic Temple and yet has virtually nothing to do with the religious character of Satan. Instead the film is a documentary about the group as a radical political group who chose the name with the intent of upsetting and poking a figure into the eye of the religious right.
The Satanic Temple were co-founded by Lucien Greaves and Malcolm Jarry with Greaves taking the role of front man for the organization. Self-proclaimed atheists the pair make it their mission to take on the religious groups for what they consider infringing on their rights and the separation of church and state. In their view the two entities should never mingle and all things religious should be removed from public locations or other icons should be allowed to co-exist in the same place.
The films shows the group beginning as a sort of merry prankster type organization that just wants to ridicule and attack those they disagree with. But as it progresses we see that the more people that join the more serious their views on things solidify and become more meaningful to their members.
One of the center pieces of the film you've most likely heard about and that is the construction and emplacement of a statue of Baphomet at the state capitol in Arkansas. Their desire was to have this statue of a horned satanic goat creature located next to the statue of the Ten Commandments there. While the claim is that they believe in their religious freedom to do so it's painfully obvious this is a way to thumb their noses at those who have religious convictions.
As the film progresses we see some of the other events that the group has promoted. One is an after school Satan club complete with coloring books and another a "Menstruatin' with Satan" program that provides feminine sanitary products for women. In the eyes of the group and the director of this film, this is simply trolling those who they seek to offend and upset, harmless harassment of people they consider rubes for believing the way they do.
But something amusing does actually take place as the film nears its end. The group has become so large that this anarchistic organization formed to stick it to those tethered by rules and regulations suddenly becomes the entity they seek to destroy. They come up with their own set of rules to be followed. When the leader of the Detroit chapter violates one of those rules by calling for the assassination of the President, she is kicked out of the organization. The group has gone full circle and become that which they claim to hate the most.
Perhaps it's showing my age but as I watched the members of the group rattle off about their beliefs and the organization I felt like I was watching a large group of malcontents who looked like the kids most picked on while in high school. I don't know how to describe it. It's not the tattoos or body piercings that make one believe this (I know plenty of people with both) but their general attitude towards things. They might have legal legs to stand on in the various events they stage but at the same time after watching this film I find it hard to believe they do them out of concern and more out of just an attempt to garner attention for themselves and laugh at others as if they're above it all.
Would I recommend this film? Sure. It gives people a chance to see how ridiculous a group like this can be. Or if you're a believer in the organization you'll cheer for their antics. They distance themselves from the religious version of Satan but have no problem using icons or ceremonies that have ties. In the end it's a movie about people who seem to have nothing better to do than make waves.
The Satanic Temple were co-founded by Lucien Greaves and Malcolm Jarry with Greaves taking the role of front man for the organization. Self-proclaimed atheists the pair make it their mission to take on the religious groups for what they consider infringing on their rights and the separation of church and state. In their view the two entities should never mingle and all things religious should be removed from public locations or other icons should be allowed to co-exist in the same place.
The films shows the group beginning as a sort of merry prankster type organization that just wants to ridicule and attack those they disagree with. But as it progresses we see that the more people that join the more serious their views on things solidify and become more meaningful to their members.
One of the center pieces of the film you've most likely heard about and that is the construction and emplacement of a statue of Baphomet at the state capitol in Arkansas. Their desire was to have this statue of a horned satanic goat creature located next to the statue of the Ten Commandments there. While the claim is that they believe in their religious freedom to do so it's painfully obvious this is a way to thumb their noses at those who have religious convictions.
As the film progresses we see some of the other events that the group has promoted. One is an after school Satan club complete with coloring books and another a "Menstruatin' with Satan" program that provides feminine sanitary products for women. In the eyes of the group and the director of this film, this is simply trolling those who they seek to offend and upset, harmless harassment of people they consider rubes for believing the way they do.
But something amusing does actually take place as the film nears its end. The group has become so large that this anarchistic organization formed to stick it to those tethered by rules and regulations suddenly becomes the entity they seek to destroy. They come up with their own set of rules to be followed. When the leader of the Detroit chapter violates one of those rules by calling for the assassination of the President, she is kicked out of the organization. The group has gone full circle and become that which they claim to hate the most.
Perhaps it's showing my age but as I watched the members of the group rattle off about their beliefs and the organization I felt like I was watching a large group of malcontents who looked like the kids most picked on while in high school. I don't know how to describe it. It's not the tattoos or body piercings that make one believe this (I know plenty of people with both) but their general attitude towards things. They might have legal legs to stand on in the various events they stage but at the same time after watching this film I find it hard to believe they do them out of concern and more out of just an attempt to garner attention for themselves and laugh at others as if they're above it all.
Would I recommend this film? Sure. It gives people a chance to see how ridiculous a group like this can be. Or if you're a believer in the organization you'll cheer for their antics. They distance themselves from the religious version of Satan but have no problem using icons or ceremonies that have ties. In the end it's a movie about people who seem to have nothing better to do than make waves.
Good insight but want more back story.
jamesthbron11 December 2019
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