The Satanic Panic - a phenomenon of the 1980s and '90s - was a terrifying rollercoaster for all involved. Accusations of child sacrifice ruined lives as the public sought answers for why everyone suddenly seemed to have been victims of Satanists and Satanic rituals. Amplified by the Catholic Church, law enforcement and daytime TV, rumours of these cults made their way through fearful communities, creating a witch hunt for anyone believed to be part of alleged Satanic worship groups.
At the centre of this conspiracy was a book called "Michelle Remembers," a memoir published in 1980 by Canadian psychiatrist Larry Pazder and his patient Michelle Smith in which Smith's recounted false memories where she was abducted and tortured by a satanic cult in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
The new documentary, "Satan Wants You," describes the experiences of the satanic panic, how the memoir (,Michelle Remembers,) sparked it, and exposes how a lie from a Canadian patient and doctor became an enduring myth. The film was featured at HotDocs and SXSW, and its filmmakers Sean Horlor and Steve J. Adams speak to Colin Ellis and Nam Kiwanuka on this episode of TVO's On Docs podcast. They dissect the chilling story and production behind "Satan Wants You," and the satanic panic phenomenon of the 1980s and '90s.
Stay connected to On Docs and TVO’s latest documentaries: https://www.tvo.org/
Listen to more TVO Podcasts: https://www.tvo.org/podcasts
Subscribe to TVO Media Education Group newsletters: https://www.tvo.org/newsletters
Follow Nam Kiwanuka on Twitter - https://twitter.com/namshine
Follow Colin Ellis on Twitter - https://twitter.com/ColinEllis81
Get the TVO Today app: App Store: https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/tvo-today/id1616182112
Google Play https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.tvo.tvomediaapp&pli=1
TVO Today is a trusted source of insight and information about life in Ontario and beyond. Our award-winning current affairs journalism, documentaries and podcasts explore relevant issues and inspiring solutions. Visit https://www.tvo.org for more.
Donate to TVO: http://tvo.org/give
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Ep. 3 - How Artificial Intelligence Is Shaking Up Polling
Ep. 2 – How Social Media Giants Run Your Life
Ep. 1 - Is Corporate Social Responsibility a Sham?
Ep 13 - The Life and Architecture of Raymond Moriyama
Bonus episode - When a movie is so bad it's good
Ep. 12 - #onpoli and The Art of the Possible
Ep. 11 - The Satanic Temple's fight for religious freedom
Ep. 10 - The importance of Ava DuVernay's 13th
Ep. 9 - Taking the temperature of health docs
Ep. 8 - Blowing the whistle at Marineland
Ep. 7 - Why C3 is not your parents' church
Ep. 6 - Michael Kanentakeron Mitchell: A retrospective
Ep. 5 - The long-term consequences of a wrongful arrest
Ep. 4 - Bruce Beach's plan to save the world
Ep. 3 - Is cell-based meat the future of food?
Ep. 2 - Coppers: An arresting look at retired cops
Ep. 1 - Suresh Doss on Jiro Dreams of Sushi
Ep. 9 - Confronting the horrors of Iran's Evin Prison
Ep. 8 - And the Oscar for Best Documentary goes to...
Ep. 7 - Who gets to profit from Indigenous art?
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
The Modern West
The Agenda with Steve Paikin (Audio)
#onpoli, a TVO podcast
Word Bomb
Unascertained