Written and directed by Steve J. Adams and Sean Horlor, following how the Satanic Panic of the 1980s was ignited by “Michelle Remembers”, a memoir by psychiatrist and his patient. The book relied on recovered-memory therapy to uncover Michelle’s abduction by baby-stealing Satanists.
Part of the problem when attempting to create a documentary surrounding a topic like possession and satanic cults, is that films tend to either lean too far into the belief or just go purely critical which leaves little to be discovered. What Steve J. Adams and Sean Horlor have achieved with Satan Wants You is knowing where the line is, not outright decrying but also not blindly believing everything they’re handed. There’s such a fantastic evolution to it, it has the same attitude as you’d expect of a viewer, going in with an open mind and gradually forming your opinion. The tone has a growing scepticism which builds a nicely suspicious and questioning edge throughout.
On top of that, it feels intensely self-aware of the horror styled ground that it’s treading and genuinely takes that into account, using it in its favour. It has that satisfying The Conjuring-esque spookiness to its recreations and lingering shots of tape cassettes as the disturbing recordings unfold. It’s not often you get that strong style along with a consistent, well told story because it is a topic so vulnerable to gossip and exaggeration. Again, it’s that awareness the filmmakers hold, it brings everything together so excellently, blending horror and documentary.
That’s not all that Satan Wants You has to offer, yes it is a very interesting story of how the Satanic Panic took hold and having Michelle at the centre, stoking the flames but it’s what that fear represents that’s the real message here. As it reaches its final moments, it opens up a much larger and extremely relevant discussion about fearmongering, conspiracies and how this is just one of many instances where the public’s mind has been shaped for the worse by tall tales.
Keeping the focus on the human element makes this exploration so successful, it’s all about our flaws and weaknesses, how we get trapped in circles of violence and fear. Although Michelle is a particularly interesting example and hearing her complicated journey asks a lot of questions about manipulation and greed. There’s a good mix of outside opinions and people who were very close to this story to give a broader view.
Satan Wants You gets so much right that others have gotten so wrong. Approaching such a contentious topic with an open mind, it holds back the judgement and instead explores what it means to be vulnerable, attention-hungry or manipulative. It has just enough darkness and a horror edge to its style to build a superb, gripping atmosphere. Ultimately, it asks a poignant question about the deep, reverberating damage that can be done with fearmongering, as well as a timely reminder of how much easier it is to accomplish in a social media obsessed world.
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