FAR OUT
January 14, 2024
For centuries, those enticed by a good conspiracy theory or two have often found allure in the idea that Satanic worship is the only reasonable explanation for the world’s corruption and other ‘ills’. Yet, this phenomenon has often been used as a scapegoat to blame people for not fitting into prescribed societal moulds. There have been countless instances throughout history to suggest that those interested in fighting the threats of Satanism are actually more concerned with the ‘threat’ of femininity, homosexuality or Judaism, for example.
The Salem Witch Trials, which occurred between 1692 and 1693, are a glaring example of women being targeted by the patriarchy for their lack of adherence to expected feminine norms. Women were accused of being witches and worshipping the devil, leading to subsequent torture and death. That’s just one example – for years, people have been tried and executed for supposedly worshipping the red-horned figure, and the phenomenon is still present in society today.
These days, the internet makes it easier than ever for conspiracists around the world to connect online and analyse media and famous figures for signs of potential devil worship. Many conspiracy theorists associate Satanism with child abuse, suggesting that certain celebrities have engaged in ritualistic sacrifice as a way to become famous or have drunk the blood of children to retain their youthful appearances (many conspiracists seem to forget about the prominence of the plastic surgery industry).
However, Satanic Panic began to pick up pace in the 1980s and 1990s, mainly in the United States – a country where religious fanaticism is strikingly prominent in many areas. You only have to cast your mind back to the West Memphis Three case from 1994 – where several teenage boys were falsely accused of murdering children in a devil-worshipping ritual – to see the mammoth effects of Satanic Panic. One of the three accused teenagers, Damien Echols, was sentenced to death via lethal injection, although he was eventually released from prison in 2011. When he was convicted, much of the evidence used against him consisted of his interest in bands like Metallica, wearing dark clothing, and expressing an interest in Wicca. The teenager had several alibis that proved he was not involved in the murders.
In an interview with The Guardian, Echols explained that many of the religious members of his neighbourhood were constantly blaming any traces of corruption on Satanism, even believing that roadkill was actually evidence of ritualistic worship. He explained: “The local media had run so many stories about Satanic orgies and human sacrifices that by the time we walked into that courtroom the jury saw the trial as nothing more than a formality. It was over before we even walked in.”
The fact that the case was so highly publicised and given significant Hollywood treatment – Echols even served as inspiration for the character of Eddie Munson in Stranger Things – reflects just how intense the Satanic Panic of the 1980s and ‘90s really was. Most of those obsessed with sniffing out every possible Satan worshipper tended to be – and still are – right-wing or extremely traditional and conservative Christians. Using Satanism as an excuse to attack the left, those of other religions, backgrounds, beliefs or lifestyles, many conspiracists hide their bigotry behind feigned concern for child safety. In reality, most Satanic child-sacrificing theories have been found to lack substantial evidence, with conspiracists playing into the homophobic narrative that the LGBTQ+ community supposedly poses a paedophilic threat to children.
But why did the Satanic Panic become so widespread in the 1980s and ‘90s? There were many reasons for this ongoing moral panic, from books such as The Satanic Bible by Anton LaVey, published in 1969, to the 1980 memoir Michelle Remembers by Lawrence Padzer and Michelle Smith. The latter detailed Smith’s apparent memories of childhood abuse at the hands of devil-worshippers, which she remembered through hypnosis, although the book was later debunked and has since been disregarded.
The Manson Family cult’s string of violent crimes, most notably the Tate-LaBianca murders in 1969, were key moments in Hollywood history. The most famous victim of the crimes was successful actor Sharon Tate, who was then heavily pregnant with a child fathered by her husband, Rosemary’s Baby director Roman Polanski. In The White Album, Joan Didion wrote, “Many people I know in Los Angeles believe that the Sixties ended abruptly on August 9, 1969, ended at the exact moment when word of the murders on Cielo Drive travelled like brushfire through the community, and in a sense this is true. The tension broke that day. The paranoia was fulfilled.”
Tension continued to mount in the United States over the years, and by the 1980s and ‘90s, enough horror movies exploring Satanism – with more graphic violence than ever before – had been made, leaving many people even more scared of The Devil. From The Omen (one of the highest-grossing movies of 1976) to the Oscar-winning religious supernatural horror The Exorcist, Hollywood was churning out productions that supplanted an even greater fear of The Devil in audiences.
Additionally, Rosemary’s Baby, which includes a scene where Rosemary, played by Mia Farrow, is raped by Satan, was another significant horror movie that terrified many viewers with its spine-tingling exploration of occult activity and Satanism.
With developments in special effects and the abolishment of the Hays Code allowing directors to make scarier, more realistic-looking movies laden with profanity, violence and gore, it’s no surprise that many susceptible viewers saw a real threat within them. Still, we cannot necessarily blame cinematic depictions of Satanism for the rise of the Satanic Panic – that would be too easy. These filmmakers certainly didn’t make their horror movies with the intention of causing moral panic and playing into Satan-fearing conspiracy theories. Yet, as with all works of art, films can be interpreted as audiences wish, taking on a meaning separate from the director’s intentions.
Thus, from movies about Satanism inciting widespread fear, to conspiracies suggesting that celebrities have achieved their success through secret devil-worshipping rituals, Hollywood and the Satanic Panic have always been interminably linked. It seems as though, while Satanic Panic is not as rampant as it was a few decades ago, fears of Satanism within Hollywood, as well as the music industry, are still potent topics of discussion among conspiracy theorists.
https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/history-of-satanic-panic-in-hollywood/
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