Hail Satan? review – better the devil you don’t know

You have to hand it to a film that has you legitimately considering whether you’re a Satanist – doubly so for a film that has you considering whether to actually become one. Yet for many people who sit down to watch Penny Lane’s wry, mind-changing documentary, Hail Satan?, such thoughts are almost certain to occur. That question mark is there for a reason.

Modern Satanists, it turns out, have a lot more in common with atheists and humanists than lamb-slaughtering devil worshippers. With a name like “The Satanic Temple,” you’re half expecting the religion at the heart of this film to be in cahoots with the Westboro Baptist Church. Not so: the Satanic Temple have spent time actively rallying against such an organisation, as witnessed here during a hilarious, testicle-heavy protest at a graveyard. Those with notions of Satanists as demented anarchists might also be shocked to discover that members of the Satanic Temple have real etiquette: when one member takes things too far and proclaims death to the President, she’s ejected from the group.

Following a brief history of Satanism that segues nicely into the origins of the Satanic Temple, Hail Satan? explores the modern day issues that plague this ever-expanding religion. Having grown to 100,000 members since they were founded in 2013, they’ve been largely – and unsurprisingly – misrepresented by the media. And yet the Satanists here are intelligent, liberal-minded, and progressive, far more likely to be out on a litter pick than sacrificing a virgin. Some of the clichés do appear true, of course: tattooed and favouring black dress, many Temple members also have a panache for heavy metal. But their overall mission is one hinged on equal rights and free speech, with just a bit of trolling thrown in for good measure.

Hail Satan? shows us the group at work, dealing with its many detractors, but eventually swings its focus round to their primary occupation: dealing with the double standards relating to the separation of church and state. It’s a thought-provoking moment when the film reminds you that America was not founded as a Christian country, and yet we know that Christian morals and ethics still dictate modern life. This is where the Satanic Temple and co-founder Lucien Greaves come in. It is not their intention to antagonise Christians for the sake of it, but to highlight the ways in which the church is unevenly favoured in lawful matters in a country founded on a constitution that argues otherwise. The group’s relentless bid to get a statue of a Satan-like figure put aside a Ten Commandments monument in Arkansas is a brilliant crafty way of highlighting this strange religious injustice (not to mention it’s very funny).

Lane directs with a devilish playfulness, intercutting her footage with animated segments and clips from movies for what occasionally feels like variety’s sake. The film is slightly undone by the fact that many of those interviewed or featured have their faces blurred or blacked out, and there’s a sense the material can’t quite sustain its 95 minute runtime. Still, this is an eye-opening little film that teaches us to reign in our preconceived notions and ask more questions about the old traditions that govern the new world. Hail Satan? You could do a whole lot worse.

★★★☆☆

By: Tom Barnard

Get Hail Satan? showtimes in London.