• Quick note - the problem with Youtube videos not embedding on the forum appears to have been fixed, thanks to ZiprHead. If you do still see problems let me know.

Satanic Panic TV show

RelentlessPunishment

Thinker
R
Joined
Apr 24, 2011
Messages
166
I think the 'Satanic Panic' of the late 80s and early 90s is one of the most overlooked pieces of recent social history, especially considering how instructive it is about evangelical Christianity, which, in my understanding, propelled the paranoia and madness out of the churches and into the mainstream. And it's probably equally as instructive about how paranoid and mad the mainstream can be - and what we're all capable of believing.

For anyone who want to reminise or learn about it, here's a two hour TV special from 1988, called 'Devil Worship: Exposing Satan's Undergrond'. First, here's a link to an article about the show:

http://www.religioustolerance.org/geraldo.htm

I don't know how to make playlists, so I've just posted a separate link to each part:

Part 1; http://www.youtube.com/user/Styxhexenhammer666#p/search/0/VgV9K-1_mV8

Part 2; http://www.youtube.com/user/Styxhexenhammer666#p/search/1/Lk_mPtWOGZY

Part 3; http://www.youtube.com/user/Styxhexenhammer666#p/search/2/rSbHfuZmqK8

Part 4; http://www.youtube.com/user/Styxhexenhammer666#p/search/3/7mywJ1Yk3_I

Part 5; http://www.youtube.com/user/Styxhexenhammer666#p/search/4/v5Lk0HNKjNc

Part 6; http://www.youtube.com/user/Styxhexenhammer666#p/search/5/IQot5f8dZlI

Part 7; http://www.youtube.com/user/Styxhexenhammer666#p/search/6/DIGR61um8vQ

Part 8; http://www.youtube.com/user/Styxhexenhammer666#p/search/7/T9DB5ZcW0s4

Part 9; http://www.youtube.com/user/Styxhexenhammer666#p/search/8/FoNlgN0FuAQ

I know there are incomplete or blurry versions of it floating around, but this is the whole nutty thing in good quality, and I think it's an absolute gem. For those under about 25, you have to understand that this seemed quite normal in 1988.

This is a guest list from a conspiracy website;

http://forum.davidicke.com/archive/index.php/t-43629.html

It also features a truly Satanic overdose of 80s fashion and haircuts.

FYI, Michael Aquino, the Satanist with the pointy eyebrows, is a favourite with conspiracy theorists. He claims to have forumulated the psychological warfare tactics used in Iraq (scroll down to the blast paragraph of the article);

http://rightweb.irc-online.org/profile/Vallely_Paul

Also, Sean Sellers, interviewed as a teenager from death row, is the only person executed in America for a crime commited under the age of 17, at least according to Wikipedia;

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean_Sellers
 
Thanks. This is worth looking into. Was in the middle of it while I worked in Christian Radio. I'm grateful to be away from this.
 
Boy it's easy to forget what a fearmonger Geraldo Rivera was/is.
After just watching a few minutes of this it convinces me that there is a large percent of the lemming population that is ready to eat this up again.
 
I remember my parents got really worked up about this (especially my mom). I couldn't listen to pretty much any music that she hadn't approved (due to the subliminal messaging threat) and I couldn't play Dungeons and Dragons. It really got in the way of two of my three favorite things to do when I was 12.
 
I remember watching a training film ( produced for police ) back then on how to spot signs of Satanic activity.....
I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.....
 
Craig4 said:
I remember my parents got really worked up about this (especially my mom). I couldn't listen to pretty much any music that she hadn't approved (due to the subliminal messaging threat) and I couldn't play Dungeons and Dragons. It really got in the way of two of my three favorite things to do when I was 12.
Click to expand...

And now it has kind of turned. ;)
http://heltnormalt.dk/rokoko/2012/02/17 (I hope there is a simple "translate page" function)

Around here there were some stories of how those Americans freaked out over role playing games, but nothing that effected me or my friends.

The closest were another role playing group in town who got a lot of police attention due to their research resembling a bank robbery too much. :D
 
I will take a look when I get to a PC with flash. Thanks for pointing it out.
 
Satanic panic..yea right

back in the early eighties when I was in my early 20s I was supposedly living in the second largest devil worshipping center in the world ( Victoria BC ) and thinking this whole idea was kinda cool, in a counterculture kind of way, I naturally wanted to check it out first hand.

now I'm not going to admit to how much time I spent driving around in my Fiat 124, spray painted black, wearing black clothing with an upside down cross around my neck and listening to Black Sabbath, trying to track down leads.

I found nothing, an ho boy, was I ever pissed off about it. :mad:
 
The satanists of the 1980's and 90's were the equivalent of Internet trolls; they wanted attention, and exactly the kind they ended up getting. I don't feel bad for them any more than I feel bad for trolls who get the banhammer.

That said, it's fairly easy to troll fundamentalists who believe Satan literally walks the earth and influences people. And unfortunately, when they get their "righteous fury" there tends to be collateral damage. A lot of innocent people went to jail over that nonsense, and none of them as far as I know was one of the "satanist" trolls.
 
Last edited:
Craig4 said:
I remember my parents got really worked up about this (especially my mom). I couldn't listen to pretty much any music that she hadn't approved (due to the subliminal messaging threat) and I couldn't play Dungeons and Dragons. It really got in the way of two of my three favorite things to do when I was 12.
Click to expand...
My neighbors bought guns when the Watt's Riots happened. It was nowhere close to where we lived. I don't even recall this specific Satanic scare, the Satanic stuff was common background noise since the 60s.

However, the Satanic ritual abuse scare had tragic consequences with the hysterical preschool trials. And apparently Italy didn't get the message that there are no groups committing Satantic ritual murders, only the occasional single psychopath.
 
Last edited:
Toke said:
And now it has kind of turned. ;)
http://heltnormalt.dk/rokoko/2012/02/17 (I hope there is a simple "translate page" function)
...
Click to expand...
There is on Google Chrome.
Therefore it came as a great shock to many when a heavy metal magazine the other day could reveal that there are several places on the band's latest album are hidden messages, calling to praise the Lord and love our neighbor as oneself.
Click to expand...
That's funny.
 
Last edited:
Craig4 said:
I remember my parents got really worked up about this (especially my mom). I couldn't listen to pretty much any music that she hadn't approved (due to the subliminal messaging threat) and I couldn't play Dungeons and Dragons. It really got in the way of two of my three favorite things to do when I was 12.
Click to expand...

My mother was weird. I guess because she liked some of the music that was often accused of being "satanic" so she would say they sounded ridiculous making such accusations. However, I didn't play RPG's myself but tended to run with that crowd. I eventually learned to hide that detail about the boys I dated because she wouldn't let me date them. Someone, somewhere made a connection to my mother about Ricky Kasso and D&D. I don't recall if he ever actually played but my mother was convinced that he did, thereby convincing her that people who played RPG's were satanic murderers in the making.
 
Bikewer said:
I remember watching a training film ( produced for police ) back then on how to spot signs of Satanic activity.....
I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.....
Click to expand...

I took some criminology classes in college, and one of the professors was a retired police officer who really believed in all the Satanic Panic stuff. We had to watch two videos about it. One was some sort of professionally made video. I can't remember the details, but I do remember that it listed Def Leppard as the most Satanic band ever. The other video was a homemade police training video where some kid(s) had painted graffiti on an abandoned house and set up an "alter" with some roadkill they found. I just remember that the graffiti had misspellings, like "Satin rules".

Also, thanks to the OP for posting this. I was just going to do a search for Satanic Panic when I saw this thread. I haven't seen the Geraldo video since high school. A friend of mine came from a fundamentalist household, and they had numerous materials on how to spot satanists. They had recorded this Geraldo special when it aired and had it on VHS.

If anyone knows of any good books or links about this subject I would appreciate knowing about them.
 
Last edited:
I recall buying Dio's Sacred Heart album back then and returning it because it had a really stupid, obvious backward spoken word at a point in the song where the music faded.

The word, when reversed? Satan. I was so disappointed I returned it, not for the Satanism but for the stupidity.

Heavy metal acts clued into the "controversy" early and recognized it as a way to sell records. Dark music needs dark lyrics and imagery.

I remember those days well.
 
riptor said:
I took some criminology classes in college, and one of the professors was a retired police officer who really believed in all the Satanic Panic stuff. We had to watch two videos about it. One was some sort of professionally made video. I can't remember the details, but I do remember that it listed Def Leppard as the most Satanic band ever. The other video was a homemade police training video where some kid(s) had painted graffiti on an abandoned house and set up an "alter" with some roadkill they found. I just remember that the graffiti had misspellings, like "Satin rules".
Also, thanks to the OP for posting this. I was just going to do a search for Satanic Panic when I saw this thread. I haven't seen the Geraldo video since high school. A friend of mine came from a fundamentalist household, and they had numerous materials on how to spot satanists. They had recorded this Geraldo special when it aired and had it on VHS.

If anyone knows of any good books or links about this subject I would appreciate knowing about them.
Click to expand...

Well after all, everybody loves the feel of Satin on their body
 
Bikewer said:
I remember watching a training film ( produced for police ) back then on how to spot signs of Satanic activity.....
I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.....
Click to expand...

The exact same thing is happening now, with the difference is they're training police to be on the watch for Sharia law.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top Bottom