Starting in the 1980s and spreading throughout the ‘90s, the Satanic Panic is a moral panic surrounding Satanic ritual abuse and the fear of society being tainted by the Devil. It all started with a book published in 1980 by psychiatrist Lawrence Pazder and Michelle Smith, titled Michelle Remembers. The book makes several unsupported claims about Satanic ritual abuse, which began sweeping the nation, leading to a massive moral panic.

The Satanic Panic truly took the world by storm. From the McMartin Preschool Trial to the spread of deep-seated conspiracy theories. In the 1980s, people began taking a closer look at pop culture and media to ensure their children weren’t being exposed to any “Satanic influences.” This led to groups forming to ban things like Dungeons & Dragons, rock and metal music, and various TV shows.

The Satanic Panic is still somewhat prevalent today, mainly in the form of unsubstantiated claims from conservative Christians and online forums like QAnon. The Satanic Panic is a craze based on fallacies and fueled by a lack of education and understanding. That said, it has led to a catalog of movies inspired by the folly. Let’s check out some of the best.

7 The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021)

A man screams in a kitchen in front of a backlit window in The Conjuring 3 The Devil Made Me Do It
Warner Bros. 

Also called The Conjuring 3, this is the eighth installment in the Conjuring universe and premiered in 2021. The movie features Patrick Wilson (Insidious) and Vera Farmiga (Bates Motel) reprising their roles as paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren. The movie is based on the 1981 murder trial of Arne Cheyenne Johnson, which was the first time in U.S. history where a murder suspect claimed demonic possession as their defense.

Farmiga and Wilson give great performances as always, but aside from that The Devil Made Me Do It is a tired edition to the franchise compared to the others. However, when considering references to the Satanic Panic, this movie is full of them. It's full of the horrors of demonic possession and witchcraft, with the umbrella theme largely being the fear of the devil himself.

6 We Summon The Darkness (2020)

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Saban Films

We Summon The Darkness touches on just about everything that defined the Satanic Panic. It's the '80s, there's a satanic cult on a nationwide killing spree, and teens are road-tripping to see heavy metal shows. It even features Johnny Knoxville (Jackass) as a sinister pastor.

The movie has a few twists and turns that keep the audience entertained, and there's also a clever sense of humor that makes We Summon The Darkness a really fun movie. Plus, the backdrop of the 1980s really amps up the vibe and accentuates the moral panic at the time. Despite those standout elements, We Summon The Darkness sits at a 69% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and has received mixed, mostly average, reviews.

5 Trick or Treat (1986)

Trick or Treat Movie
De Laurentiis Entertainment Group

Trick or Treat is a fun '80s horror film that really doesn't seem to get the love it deserves. The movie plays into a well-known facet of the Satanic Panic — the evilness of rock music. Those who truly believed in the Satanic Panic thought that rock music was pure satanism and used as a vessel to deliver evil messages and corrupt the minds of children. The premise of Trick or Treat is that when someone plays a dead heavy-metal rocker's (Tony Fields) record backwards, it brings him back from the dead with the power to kill his critics and really anyone who may have slighted him.

The movie really captures the moral panic around rock music and its link to Satan and even features cameos from rock legends Ozzy Osbourne and Gene Simmons. Both of which were frequently criticized for being disciples of the devil and for spreading twisted messaging through their music and imagery.

Related: The '80s Satanic Panic: the True Story Behind Stranger Things Season 4's D&D Plot

4 Satanic Panic (2019)

satanic-panic-movie
RLJE Films

This comedic horror movie was released in 2019 and taps into the fear of satanic cults and ritual sacrifices. It's about a delivery driver who delivers a pizza to a mansion in a very affluent neighborhood. But when the owner skips out on a tip, she enters the mansion to demand one. Upon entering, she stumbles into a secret cult gathering and the members kidnap her to use for a virgin sacrifice. This forces her into an all night fight for her life against a group of creepy, murderous cultists.

Satanic Panic is a very self-aware movie, so it's able to poke fun at itself and embellish the ridiculous nature of the plot. It doesn't take itself too seriously, and while it's certainly not an award-winning hit, it's a fun late night watch for fans of the horror genre looking for a little campy gore. It's slightly similar to the 2019 horror film Ready or Not, also about a family that's in a satanic cult.

3 The Omen (1976)

Damien in a cemetery
20th Century Fox

The Omen originally debuted in 1976 and featured major stars at the time, including Gregory Peck (To Kill a Mockingbird) and Lee Remick (Anatomy of a Murder). It's about a child named Damien Thorn, who is adopted by Robert (Peck) and Katherine (Remick). After a series of sinister events and warnings from others, Peck begins to wonder if his adopted son may be the antichrist.

The Omen was a box office hit and became one of the highest-grossing films of 1976. Following the movie's success, it turned into a franchise with Damien: Omen II in 1978; Omen III: The Final Conflict in 1981, and Omen IV: The Awakening in 1991. The original was remade in 2006 with Liev Schreiber (Spotlight) and Julia Stiles (10 Things I Hate About You) in the lead roles. There's also a prequel in development, titled The First Omen, with Arkasha Stevenson set to make her feature directorial debut.

2 The Exorcist (1973)

Max Von Sydow as a priest with Linda Blair in The Exorcist
Warner Bros. Pictures

The fear of demonic possession and the need to call a priest to your house in the middle of the night to perform an exorcism is very Satanic Panic-inspired. When The Exorcist premiered in 1973, it was a major success and critics deemed it genuinely scary. It almost instantly became a horror classic. It received criticism and saw a bit of controversy for some of its disturbing, grotesque imagery and content, and was even protested by a Christian group in London.

Since its debut, The Exorcist has established a long-lasting legacy and continues to scare and disturb viewers to this day. As with most successful movies, a franchise soon followed, consisting of five additional films. There was supposed to be a remake of the original with David Gordon Green (Halloween) set to direct. However, after backlash from fans of the original, the plans changed and there will be three direct sequels to the original, rather than a remake.

Related: Horror Movies That Need Documentaries Made About Them

1 Hail Satan? (2019)

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Hard Working Movies/Hulu

While it's not an embellished, gore-centric film meant to scare you, the 2019 documentary Hail Satan? has to be the best piece of Satanic Panic-inspired media, as it's actually educational and serves a greater purpose. It's a documentary about the Satanic Temple, directed by independent filmmaker Penny Lane. It details the origins of the Temple, including interviews with members and co-founders Lucien Greaves and Malcolm Jarry, and also focuses on the organizations political activism. The documentary showcases events and displays of activism, showcasing the Temple's dedication to preserving the separation of church and state against conservative Christians.

Hail Satan? directly combats the perceived notions of the Satanic Panic that ran rampant in the '70s and '80s by showing the Temple's operations behind-the-scenes, providing the audience with a glimpse of what the organization does and what being a Satanist actually means. While educational and important given the political climate, Hail Satan? also manages to convey a playful undertone. All of these aspects combined make for a must-see documentary.