NYFF 2019: DEMONIC: A Legacy Of Fear

In the last couple of years (not so strangely coinciding with Trump’s rise to the presidency), Satanism has seen a resurgence of utilization within film and television, in both narratives and documentaries alike. Yet, this is not the first time satanism has taken a hold of our country. Back in the late 1970s and early 1980s, a book called “Michelle Remembers” by Dr. Lawrence Pazder was published, throwing the country into an obsession with hypnosis, false memories, the occult and Satan worship. Throw in a presumed daycare scandal and you have the Satanic panic of the 1980s.

Demonic, a short documentary by Pia Borg, captures this panic through the recordings of Michelle’s hypnosis recordings, news broadcasts and the presumed scandal lead by the testimony of our smallest citizens. And what a punch it packs.

Demonic

Beginning with Michelle, the short recreates a time period through the recreation of the psychiatrist’s office – later recreating living rooms of the time period. It is a time capsule frozen in time, lead only by the sound of Michelle’s voice recalling when she was 5 and she was left at a cult, witnessed animal sacrifice and satanic rituals. What was once “blocked” was released through the power of hypnosis, her memories rushing back to her as she pushed through her block, revealing a horrific and demonic childhood. My initial response – where were your parents?

In today’s society, we are no longer in the same exploration stage of psychology as we were then. We have come to understand the power of suggestion, how the formulation of a question, the raise of an eyebrow, even a sigh can influence the words people choose relay. “Do you see people wearing black cloaks?” for example opens the door for our mind to fill in the gaps with knowledge we have or images we have seen in the past. We fill in the blanks.We come to believe it is real. Now add a professional confirming, encouraging and disallowing you to question your own “memories”, and you have a recipe for disaster. Enter the daycare “scandal” of the 1980s.

Hysteria Ensues

Demonic shows the far reaching effects of Michelle and “Michelle Remembers”, as the narrative shifts to daycares across the country, men arrested as children tell puppets that their male preschool teachers and daycare professionals locked them in cages, took them from school to participate in satanic rituals and witness animal sacrifice (even baby sacrifice for a few). With the help of Mr. T and dolls, the children begin to reveal the molestation they also experienced, taken to underground tunnels below the schools where no one could hear or see them (tunnels that were never discovered – and people looked).

Ever seen those memes or heard stories of the violent images children have drawn or said? Yup, much like in those moments, as the lack of validity in the children’s statements began to surface, many found themselves asking, “Where did they get this information from?” There is no way something so graphic could have been just been… made up. But much like Michelle, the power of suggestion in an environment of hysteria is all you need to light the fire – to create false memories. Each of these men would eventually found their charges dropped, returned to freedom, though marred for life.

Demonic: Conclusion

As is with life, only time can give the space to breath and reexamine the situations. Demonic gives us a moment to look at this period of time, why it happened and to understand the danger of suggestion. Capturing a legacy of fear, Demonic is the perfect depiction of a time when the depths of the mind, imagination and fear gripped a nation.