SIFF 2023: 'Satan Wants You' Capsule Review

Nowadays we think of the Satanic Panic of the 1980s as almost quaint, forgetting how it decimated countless lives and gripped the country in a destructive frenzy. One talking head in Satan Wants You  refers to the book Michelle Remembers as “Patient zero for the Satanic Panic,” and the documentary digs into that now-discredited tale that fanned the flames of mass hysteria.

[Related Reading: 'A Disturbance in the Force' Movie Review]

The film looks at the book, its origins, the dubious scientific process behind it, as well as the abuse of power, manipulation, and public disinformation it helped spread. Most important, it examines the lasting damage and legacy, the echoes of which are still prevalent and continue to cause chaos today. [Grade: B+]

Find all of our SIFF 2023 coverage HERE.