The science of mass hysteria

Satanic Panic 

Hello everyone and welcome to Creepy Café, where I tell you a creepy story while we drink together a cup of coffee.

Today’s drink is a Cappuccino because just like today’s story gained popularity in the 80’s and 90’s and became a huge part of pop-culture. Our story today talks about mass hysteria that grew to include Oprah, the Smurfs, and even McDonald’s. It’s the story of satanic panic.

What is Satanic Panic?

Source: Bloody disgusting

Satanic panic was a phenomenon that swept North America. At the height of the craze, you couldn’t read the newspaper or turn on the TV without hearing about subliminal messages hidden, pagan symbols, or criminal trials involving human sacrifice. As outlandish as all of this seems now, it was a real concern back then thanks to urban legends, unqualified experts, and an overzealous media.

The start of the panic

Caption: The exorcist book
Source: Amazon book

Satanism was a heavily discussed topic in the 1970s. The novel ‘The Exorcist’ was an instant hit in 1971 and was followed by a film adaptation in 1973. It tells the story of demonic possession that claimed was loosely inspired by a real exorcism performed by the Catholic Church. There were even reports   of people fainting during screenings. Thanks to figures like Charles Manson, ritualized evil didn’t seem that far-fetched. And with the public having some idea of the occult, it wasn’t hard for them to believe in a story involving satanism and abuse.

Caption: Michelle Remembers book cover
Source: Amazon 

That set the stage for the 1980 book “Michelle Remembers”, where a psychiatrist named Lawrence Pazder detailed what he claimed was the true story of patient Michelle Smith, an adult who underwent over 600 hours of hypnosis to recall long-repressed memories of being involved in a satanic cult as a child. With shocking stories of abuse, sacrifice, and demonic rituals, Michelle Remembers caused a stir and was widely seen as a legitimate chronicle of a horrific underground movement. Even though reporters expressed doubts about Pazder’s book, it went on to become a huge success and made satanic activity more plausible in the eyes of the public. Many believed that this book started the satanic panic.

The Myths of Satanic Panic: 

One of the most common myths during the height of satanic panic was the idea that family-friendly corporations were secretly in league with the devil. The earliest victim was McDonald’s. In October 1978, McDonald’s felt compelled to publicly announce that franchise founder Ray Kroc was not  a financial supporter of the Church of Satan. 

Caption: Led Zeppelin 
Source: Cheat Sheet

Even if you’re not familiar with satanic panic, you’ve probably heard of the idea that certain songs played backward reveal subliminal messages. Rock music was especially susceptible to those accusations in the 1980s, when bands like Led Zeppelin and The Rolling Stones were charged with hiding  their support of the devil in their records.

In the case of one band, the possibility of hidden lyrics led to a lawsuit. In December 1985, two friends, 18-year-old Raymond Belknap and 20-year-old James Vance, ended a night of drinking by agreeing to a suicide pact.  Belknap died, while Vance was left with severe injuries. Vance’s parents sued the band Judas Priest for $6.2 million because both young men had been fans of their music and rumors persisted that hidden message like “do it” and “let’s be dead” were buried in songs like “Better by You, Better Than Me.” The civil case went to court in 1990, with audio experts playing the songs backward and forward at different speeds.  Ultimately, a judge ruled that the plaintiffs didn’t prove subliminal messages were deliberately placed on the album and the band wasn’t liable. 

The Dark Side of the Dark Side

Caption: McMartin School
Source: NYtimes

As trivial as some of these examples are, satanic panic also led to some very serious and life-altering consequences.  In 1983, one mother accused an employee of the McMartin preschool in Manhattan Beach, California, of molesting her child, triggering a massive investigation that went back two decades and eventually grew to include seven employees of the preschool and 360 children who said they had been abused. As the investigation continued, the claims of the children grew increasingly bizarre.  Some said a teacher flew through the air. Others claimed they were forced to witness the sacrifice of other children. At the heart of this sensational story was Children’s Institute International, a child advocacy group that was responsible for interviewing kids about their traumatic experiences. 

While their approach to interviewing the children was not intended to be coercive, many of the kids felt compelled to repeat or make up stories of abuse, including details of satanic worship. Many of these interviewing techniques were later discredited.  If they refuted allegations, they might be told they were too scared to talk. In an interview with The Los Angeles Times in 2005, one man, now an adult, reflected on his experience with investigators as a child.  He said that he would be asked questions repeatedly until he learned to give them the answer they wanted. Others later admitted to lying in order to tell authorities what they thought they wanted to hear. 

This brings us to the end of this spook story. Do you believe the panic was justified?? Let me know what you think in the comments and what other stories you would like to read next!

Tune in to the next blog for another creepy story and another cup of coffee.  Have a safe spooky day!