Customer Reviews

Satanis the Devil's Mass / Sinthia the Devil's Doll

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I picked this one up for SATANIS. I wasn't sure what to expect at first, but I'm happy to report that it's a blast! Anton LaVey certainly delivers. He's worth the price of the disc right there. And that's not all! There's also some nutty mormon guys, some nice late 1960's styled nudity that's later follwed by the spectacle of a saggy looking lady on the altar (this proved to me that Satanists truly accept folks as they really are. lol!), and interviews with LaVey's neighbors are a real hoot too! I'd love to see more of the Church of Satan. They certainly aren't stuffy or bland. SATANIS is the reason to pick this up and it's well worth a look by fans of fun forgotten cinematic gems.
This is great stuff!

Satanis is a wonderful documentary about Anton LeVey and his Church of Satan. Every neighbour interviewed has either one of two extreme reactions: either he is evil incarnate and doomed to go to Hell, or else they think the Church is one of the funniest things they have ever encountered. For example, one woman laughs about how Anton keeps trying to talk her large-chested friend into coming in for one of their ceremonies because he wants to see her naked. Priests interviewed suggest that what he is doing is a silly passtime. Stories are also told about, e.g., having to put up with the noise his pet lion would make at night. The ceremonies themselves are a laugh riot.

Sinthia is nothing more than pop psychology nonsense. Some of the psychedelic imagery is fun, and there are some laugh out loud moments, but it can get dull at times. Suggested drinking game: one shot every time the lead female screams "Mommy!" or "Daddy!" (Actually, forget that. Nobody can drink that much and live).

The extras are great too. "My Tale is Hot" is funny (especially when the Lou Costello type complains to the devil "Hey, you interrupted the Walt Dibney show!!"). "Sex Ritual..." pretends to be a serious documentary, but is actually nothing more than an exploitation short with spooky, weird sets. Its high level of prententiousness is hillarious. The guys on Queer Eye for the Straight Guy will be surprised to learn when they watch this last short that they are unknowingly engaging in Satanic rituals.

Ha Ha Ha. Fooled you, because I'm DIABOLICAL!!!! I actually think this DVD should get 4 stars. The world is a little less interesting now that this Messiah of Modern Times has released his mortal coil. He was a true visionary. He realized (and helped others to realize) the hypocrisy and mind control of institutional religion and created a philosophical/aesthetic assault as an antidote to that influence. Institutional religiosity keeps the herds mindless so they can give up their personal wills to religions that keep them from facing reality or taking responsibility for themselves. Lavey intended to awaken a few courageous souls to step out of the Matrix by giving them some intellectual free space and confidence to start thinking for themselves. Most dolts are so blindly reactionary to concepts of good and evil that they're too blind to realize that the man wasn't "evil" or promoting a destructive view of the self and world. He isn't really a Satanist as he doesn't believe in God (nor evil or good). It's all a joke and a put on which the Christian automatons helped to promote and make famous by giving him all the publicity he needed, turning him from a neighborhood eccentric to an internationally known figurehead who hobnobbed with the rich and famous (William Shatner, we never knew ye.) How ironic. Christian churches perpetually need objects to fearmonger so they can continue to control their sheep and they find that in Satan. Fear of burning in hell is how they discourage an honest inquiry that would get people to realize the MYTH that Christianity is. Do your homework and see how Christian beliefs have profoundly changed over the millenia. (i.e. Doesn't anyone think it peculiar that all the new testaments were found in the Meditteranean and written in Greek, nothing in Aramaic, which was the supposed language of Jesus and his apostles? Why are Paul's words in the epistles considered equal to Jesus's when Paul never heard Jesus speak? Early Christians believed when you died you hibernated in the ground, hence certain burial customs to preserve the body, until the second coming and at which point they were resurrected and judged worthy of eternal physical life on this planet. If unworthy you would be consigned to oblivion NOT eternally burning in Hell. The Christian religion is plainly a myth that usurped elements from other myths/religions and revamped them for new generations/millenia.) That being said, this documentary gives you everything you'd ever need to know about the Church of Satan. Check the opening sequence when Sweet Anton enters his ritual chamber with hyper-pompous solemnity. It cracks me up everytime I see it. How could anybody think he was for real? The funny thing is I found more compassion and acceptance in the faces of the Satanic church members on this DVD than I found in the faces of people I knew when I went to a Christian church (before the Devil opened my eyes) or the "straights" interviewed in this documentary. Better a warm hearted sinner than a saint whose heart is hardened with piety. The only reason I didn't give this DVD 5 stars is because this is a dated documentary, reflecting more the attitudes and mores of the early 70s than wholly speaking to modern times, as today people are familiar with anarchy and are more narcissistic than they were back then. Or so it seems. If you got this far and looked for this DVD here, then you'll probably get a kick out of it. Diabolus Bless. : ) I mean : (

The film "Satanis" was the first documentary made on Anton LaVey and the Church of Satan, and remains a vital document to all those who may be interested in the philosophy and rituals of LaVey's group. Everybody gets a look-in here in this production: Anton LaVey himself, his beautiful blonde wife Dianne, the family pet, "Togare", (a fully grown Lion), some of LaVey's neighbours, plus other members of the Satanic Church. Sections from a number of Satanic Rituals are covered in this documentary, including an interview with the female, nude Altar: centrepiece of the LaVey Ritual procedure. (Unfortunately, people buying this disc in the hope of bearing witness to human and animal sacrifices will be disappointed). The documentary encapsulates a straightforward, explanatory insight into The Church of Satan and the man who founded it. "Satanis" is joined on this disc by an extremely odd,totally avant-garde cinematic schlock-horror offering called "Sinthia", but this itself is upstaged completely by the DVD's (unintentionally) hilarious extras. Chief amongst these is the footage of an alleged "Witchcraft rite" in England, narrated by stereotypical English "cad" (and famous Hollywood Suicide)George Sanders.

[NOTE: review of Satanis only so far.]

Satanis: The Devil's Mass (Ray Laurent, 1970)

Amusing, if biased and exploitive, documentary about the (then-)newly-formed First Church of Satan.Interview footage with the late Anton LaVey is intercut with clips of Satanic masses (replete with women in various stages of undress, probably as much to lure the paying rubes to the cinema as for any sense of veracity) and interview footage with people who live in the Church's neighborhood. The latter provide the truly amusing moments, as they range from the thoughtfully inquisitive to the knee-jerk "they're gonna burn in hell!" types. (The two Mormon door-to-door evangelists are especially fun. Watch out for them.) These days, with The Satanic Bible in its umpty-ninth printing, little of this is going to be new to anyone who has even a passing familiarity with Anton LaVey's credos, but it's certainly great for drinking games and the occasional nostalgic fling--in the seventies, this was exploitation cinema, folks. ***

The best documentary on the Church of Satan. Anton Lavey the High Priest of the COS tells the background, of his beliefs. We also get a good look at the rituals that is perform, as well as a group of satanist talking about sex. Great tour of the black house, and nude females. Once viewing this movie, you'll see just how cool satanists really are.

I have been studying The Church of Satan and decided that I wanted an inside look at Anton LaVey and company. It's actually quite entertaining but some of the parts are a little strange. Not something I would show at a family get together or anything. Worth the price and offered some good interviews with LaVey and members of the church.

If you want to see Anton LaVey at his best,then this is it.It was filmed at Anton's peak,as a sinister religious curiosity,at the crossroads of changing American beliefs,values and social mores.Anton Lavey was a self-taught and a serious scholar of history.Yet,his ecletic library of literary hodge-podge,could not compete with the massive volumes of a university's bibliose shelves.Anton presents some credible points about the fallicies and hypocriticies of modern christian societies.Anton makes clearly the point that you have to be a valid 'christian' to be a valid 'satanist'.There is something primal tucked away in the deep recesses of modern people's brain,that there is a need for 'bloodlust'.LaVey's rituals symbolically recreate the primitive virgin sacrifices of our developing proto-pagan ancestors.Today,we live in a modern judeo-christian western world,where we channel our bloodlust through other means.Contact sports,cable pay-per-view,the internet tube,video games and rock concerts are some examples.I think part of the trouble Lavey ran into was the finality of his christain/satanist linear thinking.He believed one is born,one lives and one dies,either going to Heaven or to the Devil,forever.
Neo-pagans believe in a circular life,where the eternal universe is cycling and we are born,spiritually tune in (or tuning out),and then carnally passed on,to be reborn by Nature once again.Was LaVey a serious occultist?I think in the beginning he was,it filled a spiritual void within him.Yet,LaVey was a skilled theatrical showman,who enjoyed playing up the 'negative energy' to get attention from his audience.The lacking of a serious academic foundation caused his satanic parsonage to crumble into a freaky vaudeville novelity act.Christian people who were ignorant about their pagan past,seemed most prone to the sinister spells of Anton LaVey,and gravitated to his black masses.A later documentary,filmed ten years later,shows a worn-out LaVey recalling his younger days and his satanic life.The name of the flick is,'Speak of the Devil'.Also a must see.The last part of this DVD is pure schlock,churning out grade-B Hollywood gristmill classics,take it or leave it.

This DVD contains 2 full length films about the devil. One is a devil related "horror" film while the main feature on this disc is a documentary that was shot in the late 60's/early 70's of Anton Levay, the owner of the black church in California (heard about in the Eagles hit, "Hotel California").

The documentary is really a highlight piece on Anton Levay and his followers. It definitely was shot to "shock" audiences back in the early 70's and it's been used in a lot of Christian videos decrying the "evils" of the devil. Geraldo has even taken pieces of it for some of his reporting on Satanism and Kids. A lot of the footage was used during the 80's when the devil movement was apparently taking kids and sacrificing them to the devil, though none of this was actually proven.

The footage in this day and age really doesn't shock anymore but it's a nice look back at the beliefs at the time of the "church of satan." The documentary is very slow so don't expect great filmmaking and the scenes in this movie are obviously staged to scare the people watching this.

Overall it's an entertaining pseudo-documentary to make parents scared.

The feature length movie on this disc is really not worth talking about but there are tons of extras that are entertaining. If you pick up the disc for about $5 you will have a good time, if you pay more than that, it probably wouldn't be worth it. An interesting curiosity piece, nothing more.

Before Speak of the Devil, which shows a look into the Black House today, that has long since been closed for public display of Satanic rites, there was Satanis. For many of us who were not yet incarnate upon this Black Earth, Satanis provides us with an intimate look inside the early Church of Satan, when this revolutionary organization gained its initial notoriety. We get to see L'Air Epais, in which a cardinal receives a flogging, then is reborn unto Satan & his own fleshly desires, as he enters a coffin containing the manifestation of Lilith. The "lord's prayer" is said backwards, a witch urinates blasphemously, as she represents a nun gaining liberation. We also get to see a curse, employing a beautiful serpant, & a fetish doll is impaled, as the congregation swoons in an hypnotic state of morbidity. A compassion ritual is also encated, as well as a lust spell.

Throughout the video, interviews are conducted with Dr. LaVey, & other Satanic Witches & Warlocks, & also with neighbors, who have varying opinions on the Satanic Church, its Black Pope, & its practices. Also here, are interviews with little Karla LaVey, & Diane LaVey, the second first lady, who repeatedly quotes the Doctor, verbatum. Baby Zeena is only briefly seen at the zoo, being held by Diane.

Satanis is the definitive, official documentary of The Church Of Satan, during its media-manipulation period of emergence, & subsequent development. With all of the emotions this video will inspire in you, you will feel as if you were there, partaking in the diabolic rites yourself.

"IN NOMINE NOSTRI SATANAS DEI! HAIL SATAN!"

__________________

Sinthea: The Devil's Doll

I recently had the opportunity to view the second feature on the Satanis DVD entitled "Sinthea: The Devil's Doll", and is easilt probably the worst movie I have ever seen, even with the nudity included! Adding more skin and sex would have been its saving grace, but alas...

A young girl with a serious father-fixation comes upon her father and mother engaged in their marital affairs, and proceeds to stab them both and stab them both and burn the house down afterwards, and is subsequently committed to an asylum until an evaluation can be held upon reaching legal age to determine whether or not she should be released into society. At the evaluation, a psychotherapist regresses her launching her into a Jungian dream-world of orgies, a Luciferian sex cults' Bachannal, various mother-father projections, as well as a sweet lesbian scene. The Lucifer character proclaims that "no matter where she goes, the servants of Lucifer will always follow." That she would eventually return and join the cult. Her "initiation" consists of a flogging while all present laugh at her pain, torment, and misery. It seems that she squeals "mommy, daddy!" at least once or twice every ten minutes, which does become rather tedious, thus losing its fetishistic appeal. On a couple of occasions, she materializes upon a beach where she must choose her path, and is pursued by a red-faced mime, losing her clothing in the process.

The Psychotherapist eventually snaps her out of her hypnogogic trance as her self-projection is on the verge of a breakdown, and informs her that the only way to be rid of all of her frustration, confusion, and guilt, is to essentially relive the event of origin but change the outcome - that she would have to kill herself instead of her parents. So she enters the dark subconscious once again committing suicide in that crucial moment, thus altering her memories. She awakens relieved and seeming balanced. She thanks the Doctor and proceeds to step outside and driven by an automobile driven by none other than her father! As she plants a deep kiss on him. {I presume this was done for shock effect, for he of course was murdered}.

Rating: 1/5. Despite the pretty nude girl frolicking in the forest. Overall, this way out the street for mine!

Supernatural Trailers

The Devil's Hand, House of Exorcism, Mark of The Devil: Part II, Meat Cleaver Massacre, Witchcraft '70.

With the obvious exception of Witchcraft '70, which contains actual Satanic Rites conducted at The Black House along with an interview segment with Dr. LaVey, these consist of various previews of horror-themed presentations.

* Satanic Shorts

British Black Mass: In Britain, a film crew is supposedly "allowed" to witness a "Black Magic ceremony" through the window, because the "evil forces" conjured therein would strike the crew dead were they to set foot within the unhallowed grounds. Ring around the rosy commences, coupled with a supposed slaughtered chicken whose 'blood' is dripped upon the naked flesh of a nubile acolyte. Obviously, this is completely staged made for grimly piquant entertainment.

My Tale Is Hot: A fella gets paid a visit from Old Scratch as he sits down in his living room easy chair to watch some innocuous program, which is "interrupted" by a salacious performance from a sexy young stripper, which is much more preferable in this writer's estimation!

Sex Ritual of The Occult

Beginning as a three-part documentary-style film about "Witchcraft", a troupe of play actors "re-create" various traditions:

1. Lapsing into ceremonial orgiastic practices under the guise of a "Black Mass", including a girl in a coffin with surrounding undulating naked bodies.

2. Two homosexuals encounter each other in a misty dream-like setting {apparently on a park bench} - what this has to do with the Occult is rather unclear except that at the time this was released, homosexuality was still relatively "taboo" in mainstream society - probably included here for shock value.

3. A supposed "Voodoo fertility rite" to regain the fecundity of a young warrior, which predictably erupts into an orgy. The most gratuitously amusing part of it all is probably "The End"...

* Gallery of Sexploitation Ad Art with Exploitation Audio

An extensive and priceless slideshow of magazine covers and stills from various multimedia sinemaerotic productions. Quite an amusing perusal overall.