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What movies would Satan(ists) watch?
Io9: These Are the Movies Recommended by The Church of Satan - Here's Why
It seems the Church of Satan has a list of recommended movies.
Io9 interviewed 'Magus' Peter H. Gilmore on why these films are especially 'Satanic'.
io9: Who composed the original list, and when? In what form did it originally appear? Has it ever been updated (or will it be)?
Peter H. Gilmore: Our founder, Anton Szandor LaVey, compiled the list for the book titled The Church of Satan, written by his partner Blanche Barton, which my wife and I published in 1990. It also included a relevant reading list. As posted on our web site, we've kept it to his personal selections, but since Magistra Barton is revising and expanding the book, there will be additional films included when it is released.
Peter H. Gilmore: Our founder, Anton Szandor LaVey, compiled the list for the book titled The Church of Satan, written by his partner Blanche Barton, which my wife and I published in 1990. It also included a relevant reading list. As posted on our web site, we've kept it to his personal selections, but since Magistra Barton is revising and expanding the book, there will be additional films included when it is released.
..............//snip
Some of the choices on the film list seem pretty obvious (Rosemary's Baby, Bedazzled, cult classic Evilspeak). But, I'd like to throw out some more unexpected titles and get your feedback on why they made the cut, and how they relate to Satanism: Blade Runner, Blue Velvet, Citizen Kane, Death Wish, Key Largo, Pennies from Heaven, Soylent Green, Strangers on a Train, Treasure of the Sierra Madre, and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.
Pennies From Heaven juxtaposes fantasy with reality, portraying the burning desire to improve one's lot through surreal song and dance scenes. LaVey prized Tin Pan Alley tunes as superb unions of music and lyrics that teach us much about human nature. Christopher Walken's devilishly seductive tap dance scene in a "den of iniquity" exemplifies much that we Satanists cherish, and the overall grim mood punctuated by visualizing what we call an "Is To Be" (desired change in reality) in the musical sequences deftly captures much bittersweet truth about humanity as seen from a Satanic perspective.
Pennies From Heaven juxtaposes fantasy with reality, portraying the burning desire to improve one's lot through surreal song and dance scenes. LaVey prized Tin Pan Alley tunes as superb unions of music and lyrics that teach us much about human nature. Christopher Walken's devilishly seductive tap dance scene in a "den of iniquity" exemplifies much that we Satanists cherish, and the overall grim mood punctuated by visualizing what we call an "Is To Be" (desired change in reality) in the musical sequences deftly captures much bittersweet truth about humanity as seen from a Satanic perspective.
There's an interesting section on the way Satanists are portrayed in movies, and other media, and how those depictions are regarded by the Church of Satan. Gilmore goes on to discuss his upcoming book:
You're currently writing a film book. Is it a guide or more of a film theory-meets-Satanism book? Which contemporary films do you discuss?
I'm writing about films to dispel the idea that is still rampant that a movie is Satanic if there's some reference to Satan, Lucifer, or other devils, demons or the supernatural involved. For Satanists, very few films with such trappings have anything to do with Satanism's philosophical perspective. Most reaffirm Christian ideas, even if the forces of darkness win now and again. We might appreciate that happening in the past when it was rare iconoclasm, but now having the villain victorious is just a cliché. I discuss films, like those on LaVey's list, that satisfy Satanists by employing our principles.
I'm writing about films to dispel the idea that is still rampant that a movie is Satanic if there's some reference to Satan, Lucifer, or other devils, demons or the supernatural involved. For Satanists, very few films with such trappings have anything to do with Satanism's philosophical perspective. Most reaffirm Christian ideas, even if the forces of darkness win now and again. We might appreciate that happening in the past when it was rare iconoclasm, but now having the villain victorious is just a cliché. I discuss films, like those on LaVey's list, that satisfy Satanists by employing our principles.
The article closes with Gilmore's comments on Animal House.
John Landis' Animal House. Apollonian rigidity vs. Dionysian catharsis is brilliantly etched in this classic infernal comedy. Carnality opposes pretense, and the haughty are brought low via mockery. The brilliant cast, screenplay, and score under Landis' adept guidance perfect the art of lampooning the deserving. As Donald Sutherland's Mr. Jennings states: "The most intriguing character, as we all know from our reading, was ... Satan. Now was Milton trying to tell us ... that being bad was more fun than being good?" He then bites the apple he's holding, taking the plunge into knowledge of good and evil ... and so much more.
The fundy church that my grandmother tried to raise me in regarded all movies as works of the devil. Fortunately, I escaped in my teens. Reading this makes me even more glad that I did. Does that mean I'm evil?
