Hail Satan? Re-review

Satanists become unlikely sympathetic heroes against Theocracy in this tongue-in-cheek documentary.

“Remember, Evil backwards spells live” – Anton Szandor LaVey, the original Satanist.

Satanism has a bit of a bed rep. Understandable; you may think. They do worship the literal devil, the personification of evil for the entire western world since the middle ages. What sort of person decides to freely follow such a sinister figure, and what do they get out of it? And are they really trying to bring about the rise of the anti-christ?

Those are just some of the questions this quirky documentary answers. Introduced to Lucien Greaves, Co-founder of the Satanic Temple, it quickly becomes apparent that these supposed devil worshippers are not entirely sincere. Instead of literally worshipping the devil, this motley collection of outsiders, free-thinkers and ex-Christians instead see him as a rebellious figure, one whose example of standing up to god is to be emulated.

For the Satanic Temple, this mostly involves trolling the American evangelical right as much as possible. Whether its by having same-sex couples kiss over Fred Phelps’ mothers’ grave, holding a Black Mass in the middle of devoutly catholic Boston, or fighting for the right to erect a monument to Baphomet on the grounds of state capitals.

What initially seems like a bunch of media stunts by a group of oddballs quickly becomes something else. Everywhere the adherents of the TOS go, they find themselves sneered and spat at. Even mild stunts, like taking part in a city council tradition that see’s prayers read aloud before discussions, is met with derision, hysterical comparisons to ISIS, and death threats.

Religious hypocrisy isn’t a new concept, but the ability of the TOS to reveal it is remarkable. The more the Temple’s opponents react with spittle-flecked fury at the suggestion that America was not founded as a Christian nation (despite the historical record being quite clear that it wasn’t) the more Lucien and his allies emerge as unlikely heroes. 

By the end of the film, as Lucien is strapped into a bullet proof vest to deliver a speech, it’s hard not to be convinced by the righteousness of the temples cause, working hard to ensure the separation of church and state in America. Nothing represents the increasing fuzziness of that line that Senator Jason Rapert.

It’s rare for a documentary to have an equally entertaining villain-figure, but the senator manages it. With his redneck drawl and fundamentalist beliefs, he represents everything the Temple is protesting and makes a fun figure to root against.

The cause isn’t the only part of the Temples rise the documentary focuses on. It takes time out to profile several members of the temple who join as it begins to attract converts. It’s fascinating hearing some of the stories behind their decision to join the TOS, and what emerges is a portrait of a group of thoughtful, moral, and friendly people.

Seeing how enthusiastic they are to be amongst like-minded people and their commitment, however self-conscious, to the “Satanic” bit is very endearing. As the movement grows, it creates its own 10 commandments, called the 7 tenets, based around humanistic, libertarian principles, that seem much more moral than the Christian version.

In doing this, an interesting subtext emerges. The more organized the Temple gets, the more and more it begins to resemble a religion it was deliberately set up to counter. It even begins to have its own heretics, with Lucien forced to excommunicate the leader of the Detroit chapter, Jex Blackmore.

As both Jex and Lucien observe, with more mainstream attention and acceptance comes a certain pressure to conform, something which the TOS has arguably bowed to. Seeing members of the Temple of Satan-literal embodiment of rebellion-criticize Jex for calling for the murder of Donald Trump seems a bit odd, to say the least.

It’s a bit of a shame the documentary fails to explore this subtext any further, as it adds another layer to an already fascinating topic. It’s a rare misstep in an otherwise entertaining and thought-provoking film.

Overall, Hail Satan? Is a success. It explores a strange topic with wit and sympathy, evoking some of Louis Theroux’s films. In doing so it investigates an issue that, while we may not face in the UK, isn’t hard to understand why people are so passionate. There’s certain aspects of the subject that could have been explored morer deeply, but this is more a chronicle of the temples rise to prominence, something which is covered well.

Verdict: 4/5

• I didn’t really go into it in this review, but the statue of Baphomet is an absolute work of art.
• Honestly, this film kind of makes me want to join the Temple.
• The music for this film really works as well, capturing the tone just perfectly.

Available on Netflix