# What was up with all the Satanic movies in the 70s? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 1, 2010, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-up-with-all-the-satanic-movies-in-the-70s/527295 "2010-02-01T21:17:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2010, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-up-with-all-the-satanic-movies-in-the-70s/527295/1 "2010-02-01T21:17:36Z")
Aside from _The Exorcist_ and _Rosemary’s Baby_, there were a ton of lesser-known/B-movies about Satanic cults in the 70s - I’ve seen quite a few on AMC recently (_The Devil’s Rain, To The Devil A Daughter_, and _The Touch of Satan_ are some titles I was able to find). What was going on in the culture that resulted in such a seemingly bizarre (for such a “God-fearing” nation) subgenre? Was it leftover anxiety from the Manson murders? A reaction against the aforementioned religiosity of America? Or just cheap attempts to reap some of the profits of _The Exorcist_ and _Rosemary’s Baby_? It just seems weird to me, since the whole idea of devil-worshipping cults has been pretty much extinct in film since then. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2010, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-up-with-all-the-satanic-movies-in-the-70s/527295/2 "2010-02-01T21:25:51Z")
Same reason there were so many disaster movies in the 70s: One or two make a hit, and then a fad starts. Also, perhaps, because in the 1970s, following the enthusiastic spiritual experimentations of the 1960s, and the popularity of the New Age and paranoramal stuff, it was gradually entering American public consciousness that real-life “witch-cults” existed – but not necessarily that there was any important distinction (many still would deny there **is** any distinction) between Wiccans and other neopagans on the one hand and the Church of Satan, etc., on the other. “Witch” still connoted Gothic witchcraft, what was supposed to exist in the 16th Century, i.e., pacts-with-the-Devil stuff. And, of course, the latter dovetails neatly with “End Times” movies such as _The Omen,_ which started to become popular in the same period. I would say **that** is attributable to the rising visibility of Evangelical Protestants such as Hal Lindsey, propagating their interpretation of Bible prophecy, as well as to a widespread perception in the 1970s that American society was in deep decay. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2010, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-up-with-all-the-satanic-movies-in-the-70s/527295/3 "2010-02-01T21:26:17Z")
Add _The Mephisto Waltz_ (1971) and _Race with the Devil_ (1975). There was also an outburst of Christian-themed works in pop culture at the same time:_Jesus Christ Superstar_ and _Godspell_, Top Ten songs like _Oh Happy Day_, _The Lord’s Prayer_, and _Spirit in the Sky_. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2010, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-up-with-all-the-satanic-movies-in-the-70s/527295/4 "2010-02-01T21:28:32Z")
Good question and I’m sure **BrainGlutton** is right about a fad being set off. More generally I’ll point out that people are always attracted to things they are afraid of as a source of entertainment. [Fear of Satanism sure didn’t die off in the '80s](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McMartin_preschool_trial) even if there weren’t too many movies about it. In fact, among the gifts the '80s gave us were the “Satanic panic,” or [Satanic ritual abuse.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satanic_ritual_abuse#Historical_precedents) > [@](#): > > The underpinnings for the contemporary moral panic were found in a rise of five factors in the years leading up to the 1980s - the establishment of Fundamentalist Christianity and political organization of the Moral Majority; the rise of the Anti-cult movement which spread ideas of abusive and brainwashing cults kidnapping and brainwashing children and teens; the appearance of the Church of Satan and other explicitly satanic groups that added a kernel of truth to the existence of satanic cults; the appearance of the child abuse industry and a group of professionals dedicated to the protection of children; and the appearance of posttraumatic stress disorder, repressed memory and corresponding survivor movement. By the way, if you like these movies, try _Satan’s School for Girls_ (1973). It’s hilarious. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2010, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-up-with-all-the-satanic-movies-in-the-70s/527295/5 "2010-02-01T21:42:09Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > . . . as well as to a widespread perception in the 1970s that American society was in deep decay. On that note, check out [_The Big Book of the 70s._](http://www.amazon.com/Big-Book-70s-Factoid-Books/dp/1563896710/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1265060384&sr=8-1) Covers the sex revolution, feminism, drugs, disco, Patty Hearst, the Bay City Rollers, Howard Cosell, Mohammed Ali . . . all the signs of the End Times! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2010, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-up-with-all-the-satanic-movies-in-the-70s/527295/6 "2010-02-01T21:47:14Z")
> [@woodstockbirdybird](#): > > \<…\>Or just cheap attempts to reap some of the profits of _The Exorcist_ and _Rosemary’s Baby_? This pretty much. Remember that the books were written in the late '60s/ early '70s on the heels of sensational reports of counter-culture/ new age fascination with all sorts of things ranging from neopaganism to outright Satan worship. Then you have the book-to-film lag time, and then you have the posers buying into fads five years after they were first cutting edge. ---
**Author:** ![Pray\_for\_peace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Pray\_for\_peace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pray_for_peace)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2010, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-up-with-all-the-satanic-movies-in-the-70s/527295/7 "2010-02-01T22:39:46Z")
I agree that profit was the motive, but part of the reason that the genre was so successful was that some of the stories were purported to be based on real events ( **The Exorcist** and **The Amityville Horror** come to mind). So in addition to the books and films themselves, there was an ongoing investigation of the claims in the books, both by fans and in the media, e.g., in some magazines and on shows like **In Search Of**. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2010, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-up-with-all-the-satanic-movies-in-the-70s/527295/8 "2010-02-01T23:03:07Z")
Because Hollywood hates originality. Next question. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2010, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-up-with-all-the-satanic-movies-in-the-70s/527295/9 "2010-02-02T00:20:33Z")
[QUOTE=woodstockbirdybird] What was up with all the Satanic movies in the 70s? [/QUOTE] You do know who was president during the first four years of the decade? ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2010, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-up-with-all-the-satanic-movies-in-the-70s/527295/10 "2010-02-02T00:34:48Z")
The _book **Rosemary’s Baby** _ was a big 1967 best-seller, and the film came out in 1968, both preceding Manson. I actually suspect the big growth in Satanic movies came from the brilliant publicity used to market _The Exorcist_ (“get yer vomit bags right here in the lobby!”) and its subsequent success. ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2010, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-up-with-all-the-satanic-movies-in-the-70s/527295/11 "2010-02-02T00:38:56Z")
Not just movies. Fundies were finding what they believed were Satanic references in the lyrics of hundreds of rock-and-roll songs, and it was the era when “Satan worshiping” heavy metal groups first started to become predominant. Urban exploration sites in the area were associated with Satan worship, too; there were always stories about teenagers sacrificing black cats at some abandoned factory or grain mill. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2010, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-up-with-all-the-satanic-movies-in-the-70s/527295/12 "2010-02-02T02:09:22Z")
Don’t forget _The Sentinel_. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2010, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-up-with-all-the-satanic-movies-in-the-70s/527295/13 "2010-02-02T02:12:47Z")
> [@Walloon](#): > > There was also an outburst of Christian-themed works in pop culture at the same time:_Jesus Christ Superstar_ and _Godspell_, Top Ten songs like _Oh Happy Day_, _The Lord’s Prayer_, and _Spirit in the Sky_. Not to mention a burst of Satanic/occult-themed works like _Sympathy for the Devil_ The Crazy World of Arthur Brown’s _Fire_ and almost anything by Black Sabbath. ---
**Author:** ![GameHat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ed655f/32.png) [@GameHat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GameHat)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2010, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-up-with-all-the-satanic-movies-in-the-70s/527295/14 "2010-02-02T02:18:58Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Same reason there were so many disaster movies in the 70s: One or two make a hit, and then a fad starts. Ditto, with vampires for the 90s and 00s. But I’d extend it to books. ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2010, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-up-with-all-the-satanic-movies-in-the-70s/527295/15 "2010-02-02T10:52:44Z")
You also had the end of Hays code which allowed more of these types of movies to be made. Plus some of them such as “Night of the Living Dead” sold a lot of tickets, no doubt aided by an article in “Reader’s Digest” slamming it. I know I wanted to see it after reading that article. But as others have said, once a hit hit happens, you can count on Hollywood making 100 films on the same subject. ---
**Author:** ![singular1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ba9def/32.png) [@singular1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/singular1)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2010, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-up-with-all-the-satanic-movies-in-the-70s/527295/16 "2010-02-02T12:06:31Z")
> [@elmwood](#): > > there were always stories about teenagers sacrificing black cats at some abandoned factory or grain mill. One of the things that makes me happy about my little black kitten at home - I hate to think about what might’ve happened to her littermates. I wish I could’ve adopted them all. Back on subject, it was around this time a lot of metal groups really played up the satanic angle of their posturing, just so the kids would be attracted to them to freak out Mom and Dad. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2010, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-up-with-all-the-satanic-movies-in-the-70s/527295/17 "2010-02-02T13:49:03Z")
Sort of a hijack, but I recall reading that two ex-cops made a god living, by going around to parent’s groups and warning them of the dangers of “Teen Satan Worship”-whatever that was! The fundys really went crazy-they saw satan around every corner. One thing I could never figure out…if satan was so gol-danged powerful, why was he capable of being controlled by teenagers chanting fron a magic circle? ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2010, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-up-with-all-the-satanic-movies-in-the-70s/527295/18 "2010-02-02T14:40:03Z")
Dont forget **The Omen** I & II ---
**Author:** ![a35362](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@a35362](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/a35362)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2010, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-up-with-all-the-satanic-movies-in-the-70s/527295/19 "2010-02-02T14:42:06Z")
FWIW, I have a book about Baby Boomers and Generation X which suggests that this comes from the oldest Baby Boomers starting to have kids and resenting that they’re not the center of attention anymore, coinciding with books like “The Population Bomb” frightening people into being hostile against people with young children. Just throwing that out there. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2010, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-up-with-all-the-satanic-movies-in-the-70s/527295/20 "2010-02-02T14:43:23Z")
This was the time when thousands of people claimed to have been tortured by “satanic cults” and become “multiple personalitys.” To use an unfavorite phrase, the whole thing was a stupid witch hunt caused by mass hysteria. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-up-with-all-the-satanic-movies-in-the-70s/527295.md?page=2)