Satanis: The Devil's Mass

Director - Ray Laurent 

Starring - Isaac Bonewits, Anton LaVey (Invocation of my Demon Brother), and Diane LaVey (Witchcraft '70, MSNBC Investigates)

Release Date - 1970

Genre - Documentary

Tagline - "The first film to ever lay bare the bizarre secrets of the pleasure cult!"

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) 

Rating (out of 5):

      With Halloween approaching I wanted to keep my horror binge going but decided to mix it up a little bit.  I recently watched The Films of Sarah Jacobson because I wanted to see I Was a Teenage Serial Killer this month.  I decided to follow up that viewing with another AGFA release.  This time it was their blu release of the 1970 documentary Satanis: The Devil's Mass.  I know some of you are thinking that this is a documentary and not a horror movie but you need to remember that I grew up during the whole Satanic panic of the late 80s.  Hearing suburban moms crying that Halloween was a night for Satan is something I commonly heard and this documentary really put me in a nostalgic Halloween spirit.  

     The documentary follows Anton LaVey and the Satanic Church.  We get a glimpse inside their home, their ceremonies, rituals, and how the neighborhood around them see them.  

     Satanis: The Devil's Mass is not the most informative documentary and doesn't dive deep into the history but the one thing it really does well is show you the look at the life of LaVey and the others in the Satanic Church.  The interviews we get in this one are on both sides of the coin so to speak.  We get people from inside the church and people that are opposed to it.  I really liked that we get interviews from locals who are against it.  It really gives the documentary ground and shows it's not biased.  The topics discussed are mostly current.  It's great if you are looking for an inside look at the church now but I, for one, would love to hear more about the founding of the church and how it came to be.  Finally, the editing in this one is pretty choppy.  The interviews and topics are not that smooth and the transitions doesn't help with the flow of the film either.  The movie, like LaVey himself, almost has an anarchic approach.  We jump from person to person and hear their testimonies with no real rhyme or reason as to why that person is talking about what they are talking about.  Overall, Satanis: The Devil's Mass is an intersting documentary but it's not without it's shortcomings.  I enjoyed what we get but some polish and an outline would have went a long way with this one.  The remaster of this one is not that impressive but AGFA is known for keeping that grainy look while preserving their films.  Check it out but don't expect a life changing experience.