Satan Wants You
Satan Wants You is a 2023 Canadian documentary film directed by Steve J. Adams and Sean Horlor.[1] The film profiles the Satanic panic hoax of the early 1980s, centring in particular on the history of the discredited book Michelle Remembers.[2] It also focuses in part on how the Satanic panic significantly targeted LGBTQ people, and illustrates parallels to contemporary hoaxes such as QAnon, Pizzagate and the LGBT grooming conspiracy theory.[3]
Satan Wants You | |
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Directed by | |
Written by |
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Produced by |
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Cinematography | Blake Davey |
Edited by | Graham Kew |
Music by | Mark Dolmont |
Production company | Nootka St. Film Company |
Distributed by | Game Theory Films |
Release date |
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Running time | 80 minutes |
Country | Canada |
Satan Wants You premiered at the South by Southwest (SXSW) film festival in March 2023,[4] and had its Canadian premiere at the 2023 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival,[5] before going into commercial release in August.[3]
The film was also screened at the 2023 Fantasia Film Festival, where it was named winner of the DGC Audience Award for Best Canadian Film.[6]
Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 95% of 39 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.7/10. The website's consensus reads: "Capturing a media frenzy in shocking, eye-opening fashion, this documentary has its eyes on the truth and a commitment to counter the fearmongering spread by some who believe Satan Wants You."[7]
Mark Dolmont received a nomination for Best Original Score for a Documentary Feature Film at the 2023 Canadian Screen Music Awards.[8]
References
- Ho, Rachel (August 4, 2023). "'Satan Wants You' Shows How the Satanic Panic of the '80s Still Resonates". Exclaim!. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
- Ayers, Shawn; Bowman, Greg (May 5, 2023). "B.C. filmmakers explore 'Satanic panic' origins in new doc". CityNews. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
- Knegt, Peter (August 10, 2023). "The shocking story behind the Satanic Panic: Steve J. Adams and Sean Horlor take us into their film". CBC Arts. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
- DeVore, Britta (March 8, 2023). "'Satan Wants You' Trailer Uncovers the Hysteria Behind the Satanic Panic". Collider. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
- Steinberg, Danita (April 30, 2023). "Satan Wants You Review: Satanic Panic Doc Casts a Spell". Point of View. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
- Kay, Jeremy (August 14, 2023). "Box office hit 'Talk To Me' wins 2023 Fantasia international feature audience award". Screen Daily. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
- "Satan Wants You". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
- Howard Druckman, "INAUGURAL SONG & SCORE WEEK DELIVERS OPPORTUNITIES, AWARDS FOR MUSIC CREATORS". Words & Music, September 26, 2022.