Satanis: The Devil’s Mass
Documentary

Satanis: The Devil’s Mass is a 1970 documentary by Ray Laurent that delves into the founding years of the Church of Satan, as told by Anton LaVey himself, his family, his inner circle of members and priests, some random Christian priests, a couple of Mormon guys and his nosy, gossipy neighbors. It’s fascinating to see his house on California Street, a small, all-black Victorian manor sandwiched in between modern white houses, and to hear his neighbors recount various tales of his lion and naked ladies on altars. What’s more fascinating is to hear from the young LaVey, and see what a charismatic and strange man he was, hearing his philosophies spoken over a glass of scotch on the rocks. Watching him hang out with his “entourage” of followers is really interesting, as you get a much better idea of him as a leader in the Church of Satan than you do watching him preside over various rituals. They present themselves as a group of outgoing and outspoken individuals, and frequently interrupt his serious diatribes on Satanism and it’s place in history among other religions with jokes and stories about masturbation and sex. I guess that’s how Satanists roll, and it’s far from the mainstream portrayal of them as zombie-like, unquestioningly worshipping evil – that’s how the Christian evangelists roll. And when I’ve have heard the Mormon dudes ramble on once or twice about how they are giving up all earthly pleasures so that they can guarantee they will end up in some fabricated afterlife, if I were to choose a religion, which I’m not, I would definitely have to go with the people who are telling me it’s ok to drink and have sex and generally enjoy life instead of seeing it as punishment. Call me crazy. After the jump, step back in time and meet some fascinating people in Satanis: The Devil’s Mass…