‘Satan Wants You’: New Documentary Exposes The Disturbing Truth Behind Satanic Panic [SXSW 2023 Review]
Josh Korngut
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Cultural hysteria is nothing new. While today we’re privy to panics targeting topics like drag and gender, in the 80s and 90s, a similar cultural shitstorm was brewing about another enemy threatening the American nuclear family: Satanists. Now, filmmakers Sean Horlor and Steve J. Adams are uncovering the truth behind the historic 1980s Satanic Panic by revealing its deeply disturbing catalyst with their stunning SXSW World Premiere of Satan Wants You.
The main talking point of this documentary is the publication of Michelle Remembers, a ‘true account’ written by Michelle Smith and her psychiatrist-turned-romantic partner Larry Pazder. In the memoir, the two authors allege exposing and recovering a lengthy list of outlandish and downright atrocious memories from Smith’s own childhood. The ‘recovered memories’ claim that as a small child, Smith’s mother had gifted her to a cult of Satanists who then had her undergo a series of torturous (physically and sexually) rituals pertaining to their love of all things Satan.
Not long after this lurid publication became a bestseller, America saw a wave of panic-stricken parents and communities, all terrified and deeply concerned about Satanic groups and their influence on children. The timing was no coincidence. This cultural maelstrom sadly led to the wrongful imprisonment of numerous individuals, as well as an endless list of character assassinations and a decade-long witchhunt not unlike McCarthyism and the Q-Anon-fueled Pizzagate-style disturbances of the past decade.
One of the most intriguing touchstones of Satan Wants You is the documentary’s access to never-before-heard recordings from the therapy sessions of Michelle Smith and psychiatrist Dr. Larry Pazder. Through these shocking recordings, the audience is privy to the deeply inappropriate relationship built between the patient and doctor, who would eventually end up together, destroying two marriages in their wake. Some interviews here allege that Michelle had her eye on Pazder throughout the entire process and invented her stories to catch his attention. Others believe her to be wholly honest in her beliefs and that the two developed a bond through the lengthy and traumatic sessions. Either way, the evidence of their intimacy through these tapes is deeply unsettling and gravely inappropriate.
Other fascinating interviews conducted by Horlor and Adams include a high priestess of the Church of Satan, a Wiccan police detective, an FBI ‘Mind Hunter’ as well as the families of both Michelle and Larry. All of these perspectives are gently blended to paint a disturbing cocktail for viewers. Not everyone here thinks poorly of Michelle, even though mounting evidence leaves the infamous figure in a dubious light. Unfortunately, she does not agree to be interviewed for Satan Wants You. And it’s easy to understand why.
By the end of the film, a connection is made between the Satanic Panic of the 1980s/90s to the new generation of panicked misinformation that is poisoning media and minds across North America. While the Satanic Panic may have somewhat faded into obscurity, new bad actors are still fueling unfounded fears across the nation and waging new hatreds against innocent bystanders. There is a sad lesson here to be had about history repeating and the dangers of fearing what we least understand.
At the end of the day, Satan Wants You paints a bleak picture of the state of misinformation. While it does not offer solutions to how to fix or approach such toxic hysteria, it does do an excellent job at exploring the shocking catalyst behind the 1980s wave of Satanic Panic: Michelle Remembers.
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Satan Wants You
Summary
‘Satan Wants You’ is a shocking and insightful documentary unearthing ‘Michelle Remembers,’ the disturbing memoir which acted as the catalyst for the Satanic panic wave of the 1980s.
