“We’re not what you think we are,” a Satanist spokesperson tells reporters towards the beginning of Penny Lane’s documentary about the Satanic Temple. For most viewers, this will be true. Dispel any images of blood drinking or animal sacrifice – these worshipers of the Dark Lord collect socks for the homeless, clear rubbish from beaches and tirelessly campaign for abortion rights.
What gives? Well, for starters, members of the Satanic Temple, now based in Salem, Massachusetts (where else?), don’t actually believe in Satan. Their ‘church’ is more of an activist group for which Satan functions as a handy mascot, a symbol of rebellion and satirical tool used to promote equality and the separation of church and state in the US.
The film chronicles the Temple’s precarious journey from its foundation in 2013 to the present, honing in on the group’s more notorious stunts. One episode involves an attempt to stage a Satanic ‘black mass’ on Harvard campus, another the founding of an After School Satan club proposed as an alternative to Christian-based after school groups. And a large part of the documentary focuses on the Temple’s lengthy campaign to counter the Ten Commandments monuments put up around the state capitols of Oklahoma and Arkansas by erecting their own giant statue of the goat-headed, angel-winged deity Baphomet immediately besides it.
It all seems a tad juvenile at first, but as the documentary goes on the genius of the project becomes apparent. The ‘villains’ here are conservative Christians like the Arkansas lawmaker Senator Jason Rapert, insistent on the idea that America is a Christian nation. The Satanists are keen to point out that the only mention of religion in the American Constitution refers to liberty of expression, and that the official motto of the United States – “In God We Trust” – wasn’t adopted until 1956 amid widespread moral panic.
Lane’s documentary takes a relatively straightforward approach, combining interesting history lessons with talking-head interviews. The playful, mischievous tone is completely in tune with that of the Temple’s (exceptionally diverse) membership, who carry out their role as unlikely upholders of the US Constitution with an amusing degree of self-depreciation. Add to this the constant clips showcasing the idiocy of the right-wing media – responsible for the ‘Satanic Panic’ of the ’80s and ’90s, and quick to compare the modern Satanic Temple to ISIS or the KKK – and what you get is a frequently hilarious film.
That question mark in the title is a little insincere, though. Hail Satan? feels lightweight when it comes to interrogating the more nuanced critiques of the Satanic Temple. An incident late in the film sees key member Jex Blackmore, the founder of the group’s increasingly radical Detroit chapter, declaring at a private ritual, “We are going to disrupt, distort, destroy … execute the president.” The Temple decided she had gone too far, and removed her as a spokesperson. Frustratingly, however, the film hardly follows up on this fascinating internal division.
Nevertheless, Hail Satan? makes for an extremely entertaining watch, and finally gives the Satanic Temple the good publicity they’ve so desperately needed. There’s no doubt the filmmaker has been won over – and there’s a good chance you too will emerge from the film with a newfound sympathy for the devil.
Hail Satan? is in cinemas and on demand 23 August.