#The Satanic Panic of the 1980s

[k-i-l-l-e-r-b-e-e-6-9]

𝔖𝔞𝔱𝔞𝔫𝔦𝔠 𝔓𝔞𝔫𝔦𝔠: 𝔚𝔞𝔯 𝔒𝔫 ℌ𝔢𝔞𝔳𝔶 𝔐𝔢𝔱𝔞𝔩 𝔦𝔫 յգՑօ’𝔰

[interstellar-elf]

Of all the things that would come back, Y2K was my least expected pick for 2024

[catgirl-kaiju]

1980s santanic panic propaganda be like

"d & d... is it dungeons and dragons? or is it dicks & drugs?"

[arconinternet]

Skullduggery (Video, 1983)

You can watch this strange horror film made during the Dungeons & Dragons moral panic here.

You can watch Noah Antwiler's review of it here.

[fuckyeahfightlock]

. . .and speaking of found footage, today I took a branching path off the main road of Horrorflictober '24 to watch Everything is Terrible! Presents: The Great Satan. Found Footage film collective Everything is Terrible! synthesized "over 2,000 satanic panic, religious kook, and D-horror VHS tapes" into a 75-minute feature that illustrates how completely mad Americans went in the '80s and '90s over the imagined threat of Satanists, as well as shines a light on the clownish way Evangelical Christians try to educate the masses on the everyday threats posed by TEH DEBBILL!!!!

This was amusing to have on kind of in the background as I was working on a project. Alternately cringingly familiar (I was a teen in the '80s and a young adult in the '90s) and cozily comfortable (spliced-together video montages were a vital media experience for zinesters, pen pals, punks, mail artists and other subcultural deviants in my youth; I've seen a lot of VHS "mixtapes"), The Great Satan is definitely worth a watch if you are curious about or have memories of the Satanic Panic, like found footage, and/or enjoy visual curiosities. It does feature probably more hardcore porn than strictly necessary, but EIT! does achieve a narrative so it's not entirely gratuitous.

(theatrical trailer. Fabio, god's most perfect ang.el!)

I got some good laughs, and my mind was once again boggled by how easily the whole country--and a lot of the developed world--went completely batshit insane in the 1980s/1990s over imaginary Satanists around every corner. It made me wonder if we're headed for another, similar religious panic, given the ever-increasing blurring of the line separating church and state here in the 21st century.

I greatly appreciated that all the footage is remastered to look as pristine as possible (given what some VHS tape looks like now, this is a major plus), but the film is edited in a contemporary style (ie, VERY fast cuts) and I thought it could have been slowed down a bit in places to give the viewer a chance to settle in. I think this film was made for an Everything Is Terrible! live tour, which I can't fault; I'm sure their fans loved it, but the same effect could have been achieved in less time. 75 minutes is a long time to sit with the samey-same content, presented at such a breakneck pace.

Worth a watch (it's on Youtube, and Tubi).

[lycrabustier]

None of these men ever worshipped anything more than a bag of Fritos, a sixer of Bud Dry, and the Superbowl.

[ohfugecannada]

Getting into D&D in the 70s/80s after hearing about it through the satanic panic controversy must’ve been so funny.

Like, imagine you’re some edge-lord, occult-obsessed goth teenager or early twenty-something in the 1980s, and you hear the rumours about this game that can summon demons, drive people to commit murder and/or kill themselves and was trying to get banned by pearl-clutching Christian parents across the nation. Like the Ouijia board on steroids. So of course you want in on that super fucked up hardcore demonic occult shit, you sign up for the nearest D&D group in your area, you show up, and then it’s just. A bunch of dorky fantasy nerds playing a board game where they act out an off-brand Lord of the Rings story with occasional dice rolls and improv comedy.

[pluto-bringer-of-gloom]

You're metal's chosen warrior!

[explode-this]

Me: *pops out of a nearby shrubbery* did I hear “stranger danger”? If you both have time, I’ve prepared a PowerPoint tying together the thought processes behind “stranger danger” and the 1980s “satanic panic” and how both of these things further empowered so-called “law enforcement” not to actually enforce the law, but to police the norms of acceptable family units by frightening gullible and authoritarian-prone parents into believing that a child/teenager discovering their identities and the possibilities of self-expression always acted at the behest of outside influence, finding that nebulous concepts such as “the devil” and “table top roleplaying games” substituted in nicely for lack of actual evidence. (This also worked for children/teens experiencing mental health crises, so please stay seated for a presentation on Patricia Pulling’s 1989 book “The Devil’s Web” in which the author explains that her son’s suicide was the result of spellcasting in a game of D&D; she also founded BADD (Bothered About Dungeons and Dragons) and worked with various police departments to “educate” them about how to look for “evidence” of satanic cults and “save” other families from this trauma, wherein there was no need to examine the nuclear family and consider that the isolation inherent in the concept might be a much more logical reason for the decline of a child/teen’s mental health.)

someone: hi

me: did you know the narrative that school shooters in the US are all bullying victims is false and originates from inaccurate coverage of one of the most infamous school shootings, the columbine shooting? in reality the columbine shooters were reactionaries who isolated themselves deliberately and followed an ideology that positioned them "above" the rest. so, a lot of school shooters are actually ideologically motivated rather than revenge motivated. no one knows this and the media paints these murderers as victims. do you want to know what the columbine effect is? also I have a lot to say about "stranger danger" as a conservative fear campaign to promote the isolated nuclear family

[k-i-l-l-e-r-b-e-e-6-9]

𝔖𝔞𝔱𝔞𝔫𝔦𝔠 𝔓𝔞𝔫𝔦𝔠: 𝔚𝔞𝔯 𝔒𝔫 ℌ𝔢𝔞𝔳𝔶 𝔐𝔢𝔱𝔞𝔩 𝔦𝔫 յգՑօ’𝔰

[arconinternet]

Hell's Bells: The Dangers of Rock 'N' Roll (Videos, 1989)

The Christian anti-rock-n-roll documentary. You can watch it here.

[trendynewsnow]

Bruce Campbell's Journey from Horror Icon to Small-Town Police Chief in 'Hysteria!'

Bruce Campbell: From Horror Icon to Small-Town Police Chief In 1981, Bruce Campbell captivated horror enthusiasts with his unforgettable portrayal of Ash Williams, the rugged demon-slaying hero in “The Evil Dead.” Directed by Sam Raimi, this unique and now-cult classic film follows a group of friends who confront malevolent forces while vacationing in a remote cabin. This role undeniably marked a…

[connectparanormal]

Satanic Panic in the 80s

Sadly, bogus conspiracy theories like this still make the rounds. Essay version at Satanic Panic of the 80s: The Myth of Cult Ritual Abuse.

From the video:

The “Satanic Panic” of the 1980s in the U.S. stemmed from unfounded fears of satanic ritual abuse, leading to widespread moral hysteria and wrongful convictions based on coerced testimonies. Public anxiety intensified due to sensational media coverage and dubious investigative practices, ultimately revealing society’s vulnerability to misinformation and the consequences of moral panics.

[dijidweeeb]

Documentary: What was the Satanic Panic? (2020)

[millionmovieproject]

If this was broken down by age group, it would be likely that the majority of leading stat of nos belong to Millennials, and on from there. In the '80s and '90s, there was a rise in child abductions and home invasions, that were widely covered by the media. Not only the incident its self, but through the whole investigation and criminal process. Although it was actually the kind of thing we would want from the media, it was also great for their ratings and viewer-retention--people were glued to their tvs. It was much like the Satanic Panic phenomena, but actually reflected the real dangers particularly children were facing, being that it had become so easy to lure them into cars with candy and puppies, or how suburban neighborhoods became like hunting grounds, for their easy access, and large numbers of children.

Statistically, only around 1% of child abductions are by strangers, but those stories were much more sensational and frightening to parents than the story or a parent, or relative taking a child they already knew. It was also something that investigators seemed to have no idea how to pursue, so it was not uncommon for the cases to go unsolved. This put people into a frenzy. Parents became sure that strange predators were coming for their children, particularly as Boomers, who had lived through the golden age of serial killers a short time before, and had been scared out of going places alone, with strangers, hitchhiking, etc..

So, the response was to drill into children similar messages. Don't talk to strangers, if a stranger approaches you, run. Don't approach anyone offering you anything, or asking for help (adults don't ask children for help), don't play in the street/front yard, don't answer the phone when your parents aren't home (remember also that was before cells and caller id, so it was not uncommon to come up with a call code when their parents were trying to call: ring twice, hang up, call back), and most especially, DO NOT OPEN THE DOOR TO STRANGERS. Under NO circumstances. This extended to neighbors, people carrying packages, or other kids.

What wasn't anticipated with that messaging to an entire generation of kids, was as they grew into teens, eventually adults, and even parents, they would keep up that practice. Not necessarily because of the fear of stranger-danger, but because they grew to feel like a stranger at the door had no business there (they don't!), and now with doorbell and security cams, we just watch them on the cameras, and still don't answer!

Imagine it is the middle of the day, and someone you don't recognize knocks on your door. You are not expecting anyone, they are not carrying a package, and they do not appear to be in any kind of danger or distress.

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[k-i-l-l-e-r-b-e-e-6-9]