Hot Docs Review: ‘Satan Wants You’ is a lesson in scaremongering
‘Satan Wants You’ explores the ethnically-questionable relationship that formed between a psychiatrist and his patient as they worked together to uncover her repressed memories of being abused by a Satanic cult.
Even though it may seem like we live in a new world of falsehoods and injustice, the truth is humans have lived through numerous periods of people vehemently taking up a disingenuous cause and hurting innocents in the process. Fear is a powerful motivator and has an uncanny ability to band together unlikely allies in even nonsensical fights. In some cases, the consequences of not acting immediately are felt to outweigh the benefits of pausing for further investigation, which can lead to even worse outcomes. Satan Wants You examines how one book may have sparked the Satanic Panic that spread in the ‘80s and ‘90s in North America.
It’s hard to believe so many people were swept up into and had their lives ruined by a single, unsubstantiated — and eventually discounted — memoir. Michelle Remembers was first published in 1980. It was written by a woman, Michelle Smith, who uncovers buried memories of being tortured by baby-sacrificing devil worshippers when she was a child, and Canadian psychiatrist Lawrence Pazder, who helped her access these repressed memories via ethically-questionable, recovered-memory therapy. Audio recordings of her sessions were transcribed and annotated with his expert commentary, turning her horrific stories into a sensation and bestseller. Book tours, television appearances and print interviews spread their story far and wide. Suddenly, the police are being given primers on spotting satanic cults and their victims, and at the peak of Satanic Panic, a string of people are charged with ritual torture and abuse (though many of them would later be acquitted).
As the documentary recounts fictional tales, most of the scenes are blurred visions of satanic-looking symbols, and other undefined images and rituals. Never-before-heard audio recordings of Smith’s so-called memories are played throughout the film, her voice anguished, uttered in various pitches. However, as the evolution of their relationship is revealed, viewers may begin to see how both doctor and patient were manipulating each other to achieve their goals. Interviews with their respective families describe how they both became obsessed with unearthing more memories, and then publicly promoting their revelations. Archival footage shows they revelled in the attention, though even superficial investigation exposes evidence that contradicts Smith’s statements.
The film spends a bit too much time indulging in Smith’s fantasies before finally drawing the connection between the book and the flurry of devil-worship accusations that occurred in the years following its release. There are some interesting perspectives presented by law enforcement, particularly as one identifies as the first Wiccan police detective. But even though a collage of news coverage is displayed, it only briefly focuses on one story of a schoolteacher accused of abusing her pupils and the efforts to clear her name. It’s somewhat unfortunate the link between the book and Satanic Panic isn’t explored more deeply, but the efforts to shine a light on Smith and Pazder’s inadvertent role in its rise is eye-opening nonetheless.
Satan Wants You had its Canadian premiere in the Nightvision programme at the Hot Docs Festival.
Read other reviews from the festival.
Directors: Steve J. Adams and Sean Horlor