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Movie Review: Hail Satan?
The new documentary covers the fight for religious freedom in the United States in a unique and entertaining light
COLUMBUS — When you first think about Satanism, you probably think about sex cults, blood, and people wandering around in black cloaks trying to kill babies. But while Penny Lane’s (@Lennypane) new documentary incorporates these elements into her newest film for their triviality, they’re hardly the most interesting part of the story.
Hail Satan? follows the fight for religious freedom in American politics as the Satanic Temple (or TST) takes on the Christian establishment across the country. While the Satanic Temple does incorporate the traditional symbols of Satanism into their message, they quickly explain that it has a greater purpose: to go against the establishment and show the hypocrisy of the narrative that the United States is a Christian nation.
I was able to go to a screening of this film provided by the Wexner Center for the Arts at the Ohio State University as a part of Flyover Fest, which a weekend of public readings and film showings in the city of Columbus. After the showing, there was a Q&A with Lane, who is incredibly well spoken and personable. As someone who was pretty familiar with the topic beforehand and has read the Satanic Bible, I was…
