Horror and Fascism
October 1st, 2025Horror is often praised as a subversive and inclusive genre, a place where marginalized identities and taboo ideas can be explored. But one group consistently remains an exception: Satanists. Despite being a legitimate religious identity with codified beliefs, Satanism is routinely reduced to cartoonish evil, ritual murder, and cult violence in horror media. It perpetuates a religiously fueled moral panic that traces back to the Satanic Panic and it continues to harm real people today. The pervasiveness of anti-Satanism in media, especially the horror genre, is something that is both disappointing and frustrating. The theme is well-established: satanic cults who perform blood rites/human sacrifice/ritual murder. This stereotype is over-represented and it shows a glaring double standard that lurks in the public consciousness.
Fascism
It is difficult to argue against the notion that much of the cultural landscape is dominated by Western values which are inherently Judeo-Christian. “The West” is dominated by Christian culture, so it can be easy to accidentally interface with Christian thought as it rears its head in government, familial relations, and media (to name a few). Its influence on not just what stories are about, but the values they carry between the lines, is especially difficult to ignore due to the religion’s pervasiveness in the culture we are forced to live with. The stereotype in question is very vivid: hooded figures dressed in black or red; a virgin woman, a child, or an animal strapped a stone slab; a wicked dagger plunges into the being and kills it; the cult tortures people, murders, rapes; they are vying for control and infiltrating/taking over local institutions. This stereotype is everywhere and it shows a glaring double standard that lurks in the public consciousness. It functions as a coded defense of Christian hegemony. It demonizes non-Christian spiritualities and frames deviation from Christian norms as dangerous, depraved, and violent.
Briefly, I think it is important to discuss the origins of this blatant lie. There is an umbrella term that describes a major piece of the stereotype: Satanic Ritual Abuse (SRA). SRA and other variations on the theme of sacrificial murder stems partly from the work of a quack psychologist, Lawrence Pazder. He wrote a book with a patient (whom he later married) detailing "lost memories" that he had "recovered" for her which detailed abuse by a satanic cult. Recovered-memory therapy is not a valid practice in therapy and has no scientific standing. The publication of this book kickstarted what we call the "Satanic Panic" in the US and Canada, where Christians began to clutch their pearls and call nearly everything outside of their comfort zone "satanic." While ritual murder has been part of many religions, including Christianity (ESPECIALLY CHRISTIANITY), the evolution of the idea as a strictly “satanic” practice got much of its momentum during the 60s amid the Satanic Panic. It's easy to find pamphlets and police videos detailing signs to look out for regarding "satanic cult activity" and while we can laugh at them today for their foolishness, it was very much an integral piece of a modern witch hunt. The truth is, the Satanic Panic never really ended, and secular folk are taking part in it.
I think it is interesting to note a part of a passage from an essay by Jeffrey S. Victor in The Satanism Scare:
“Satanic cult rumors are best understood as a cultural metaphor. They do indeed have truth in them, but not a literal truth. Bizarre stories of animal sacrifice, child kidnapping, ritual torture, infanticide, blood drinking, and cannibalism must be interpreted symbolically, in terms of culturally inherited symbolic meanings. The origin of these stories can be found in the collectively shared anxieties from which they arise. Although they may not be deliberately created by any group, certain groups are more likely to believe the stories and actively disseminate them.
Satanic cult stories arise as a response to widespread socioeconomic stresses, particularly those affecting parenting and family relationships. These social stresses are products of the rapid social change and social disorganization that began during the 1960s, and that caused a deep cultural crisis of values and authority. The satanic cult legend says, in symbolic form, that our moral values are threatened by evil forces beyond our control, and that we have lost faith in our authorities to deal with the threat.”
It is important to call these stereotypes and myths precisely what they are: Christian propaganda. Amid great social upheaval and progressive growth in the 60s, one can imagine that dominant Christian forces (not as a cabal or coordinated effort, but rather as a collection of similar thoughts from various, disconnected individuals and fronts) invented a bogeyman to keep their flock in line; they crafted a non-existent, snarling shepherd dog with lies for bones and deception for teeth to dissuade lambs from leaving the pasture and finding greener grass. SRA was a means of defending conservative Christian dominance by portraying dissent or alternative belief as demonic.
Joel Best writes in an essay included in that same book:
“Claims that satanists prey on children are central to contemporary antisatanist rhetoric. Critics charge satanists with kidnapping, molesting, and murdering children, and implicate satanism in child pornography, teenage suicide, and drug abuse. The child threatened by satanists is a powerful image, capable of arousing widespread concern. Antisatanists rely on such images of threatened children, both because general concern for children's well-being makes this imagery effective in mobilizing support for the antisatanist cause, and because defining the satanic threat as criminal helps obscure the religious basis of antisatanism
The contemporary concern over satanism is notable because it extends to people outside religious groups that have been traditional audiences for such beliefs. The antisatanist movement's success in attracting a broad audience has come through redefining the issue in nonreligious terms. The movement's public claims focus on satanists as criminal, rather than spiritual or religious threats. This is a secular age, when a large proportion of the population doubts that demons and witches exist. However, the American public clearly believes in criminals, and satanism, when presented as a criminal problem, can become a frightening specter.
It is no accident, then, that antisatanists concentrate on linking satanism to serial murders, teen suicides, child abductions, sexual abuse, and child pornography. These seem to be real-world threats, the subjects of news reports, televised docudramas, and 60 Minutes segments. We know that there are serial murderers, that some teens kill themselves, and so on. If satanism is somehow linked to these crimes, then this justifies concern about satanism.”
SRA myths are primarily Christo-fascist propaganda, and to swallow it wholesale and reproduce it in one’s art is both foolish and harmful. During the Satanic Panic, many parents feared for the soul of their child and started severely limiting what they could and could not do. Older folks are likely full of stories about how they were unable to listen to rock music or play Dungeons & Dragons; maybe younger folks could speak of how they were unable to enjoy Pokemon or Harry Potter. Whatever the case may be, the myth of SRA and "satanic cults" in general has been used to suppress others, especially during the Satanic Panic's height where it was used as an instrument to prevent changes/challenges to the conservative status quo. Anything liberal or challenging was the doings of "those evil devil worshipers." Religion has constantly been a source of control, and the fear of satanic murder only made it more intense (especially in the American "bible belt" where the ripples are still felt today). Let us not forget how SRA was used to take attention away from sexual abuse scandals popping up in churches across the nation.
So intense was the "us vs. them" feeling engendered by the myth of SRA, that it led to a teenage boy being put on death row for a murder he did not commit (see: West Memphis Three). Why was he put on death row and his friends arrested? They looked and acted different. They challenged the status quo, they were outsiders in their home town, and they were struck down for it. Thankfully, the teen got taken off of death row, but this should have never been allowed to happen. Take a wild guess who was responsible for the murder of a young girl in their little town. The preacher. See, how the fearmongering around satanists, real or fake, is used to keep the establishment safe and sound, unchallenged. Negative Satanic stereotypes persist to this day; ask any conservative conspiracy theorist about Bohemian Grove, adrenochrome, or Qanon. They are likely to spout garbage about “satanic cannibals controlling the US government and harvesting fear chemicals from children to live longer” or something equally deranged and easily disproved.
In horror media, the stereotype is alive and well. FAITH: THE UNHOLY TRINITY, The Fear Business, Satanic, Longlegs, The Babysitter, The House of the Devil, Hereditary, The Witch, Hell’s Event are just a few examples of video games, movies, and stories that perpetuate disgusting stereotypes about a harmless religion. Whether it's the ominous coven plotting to sacrifice a child, the cloaked figures performing blood rituals in candlelit basements, or the twist ending revealing that “it was Satanists all along,” these stories use Satanism as shorthand for ultimate evil. They do so without nuance, without research, and without care for the people who identify with that label in real life. To see the same tropes of the Satanic Panic revived in the 21st century under the guise of “entertainment” is disturbing.
This only scratches the surface, however, as horror media loves to paint even “pagan religions” as sinister. It should be obvious as to how this, in itself, is problematic; to label all non-Christian religions, and using (or misusing) their symbols in the process, is far from inclusive. To demonize non-Christian beliefs and hijack their symbols is an authoritarian impulse. It casts entire faiths as enemies and justifies controlling them through fear, which is an echo of fascist tactics that target “the other.” These narratives often enshrine members of Christian institutions as paragons and heroes that vanquish the “evil heretics.” They reinforce the idea that Christian orthodoxy is synonymous with goodness, and anything outside it is dangerous, decadent, or subhuman. They frame Christianity (even implicitly) as the natural moral center; the good priest, the holy water, the triumphant cross—these symbols are portrayed as the only defense against chaos, perversion, and doom. It's a cultural message that is often seen coexisting with authoritarianism.
Modern Christianity is not the virtuous, gnostic philosophy it used to be. Many modern Christian institutions—especially those tied to power and politics—have strayed far from their philosophical roots and are often complicit in the kinds of fear-based control we now see embedded in media narratives. After rewrites, revisions, string-pulling of major kingdoms, and hundreds of years on the “throne of the world,” it has become an instrument of fascism that should not be given any more power than it currently has. When Christianity is used to legitimize violent or repressive narratives, especially in horror, it becomes a tool of social control more than spiritual enlightenment.
The discrimination and vilification that Satanism has had thrown its way is unacceptable. Jewish people should not have to endure the rampant antisemitism that grows on the surface-web like a throbbing tumor, Muslims should not have been subjected to the substantial violence and alienation that occurred after the attack on the Twin Towers in NYC, and Satanists should not have to endure baseless accusations of rape and murder. Jews do not steal money from “goyim” from behind government cabals, Muslims do not chuck bombs from behind sand dunes and fuck their goats, Satanists do not sacrifice babies and animals for their blood in the dark of night. No religion, especially one historically aligned with power, should be allowed to use fear to protect its cultural dominance.
I shall now dedicate some space to an excerpt from the FBI’s investigation on SRA:
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For those who know anything about criminology, one of the oldest theories of crime is demonology: The devil makes you do it. This makes it even easier to deal with the child molester who is the "pillar of the community." It is not his fault, it is not our fault. There is no way we could have known, the devil made him do it. This explanation has tremendous appeal because, like "stranger danger," it presents the clear-cut, black-and-white struggle between good and evil as the explanation for child abduction, exploitation, and abuse.
During the conferences, these nine areas are linked together through the liberal use of the word "satanism" and some common symbolism (pentagrams, 666, demons, etc.). The implication often is that all are part of a continuum of behavior, a single problem or some common conspiracy. The distinctions among the different areas are blurred even if occasionally a presenter tries to make them. The information presented is a mixture of fact, theory, opinion, fantasy, and paranoia, and because some of it can be proven or corroborated (symbols on rock albums, graffiti on walls, desecration of cemeteries, vandalism, etc.), the implication is that it is all true and documented. Material produced by religious organizations, photocopies and slides of newspaper articles, and videotapes of tabloid television programs are used to supplement the training and are presented as "evidence" of the existence and nature of the problem.
All of this is complicated by the fact that almost any discussion of satanism and the occult is interpreted in the light of the religious beliefs of those in the audience. Faith, not logic and reason, governs the religious beliefs of most people. As a result, some normally skeptical law enforcement officers accept the information disseminated at these conferences without critically evaluating it or questioning the sources.
Many individuals define satanism from a totally Christian perspective, using this word to describe the power of evil in the world. With this definition, any crimes, especially those which are particularly bizarre, repulsive, or cruel, can be viewed as satanic in nature. Yet, it is just as difficult to precisely define satanism as it is to precisely define Christianity or any complex spiritual belief system.
To make this more confusing, cultural, religious, sexual, and psychological ritual can overlap. Some psychotic people are preoccupied with religious delusions and hear the voice of God or Satan telling them to do things of a religious nature. Offenders who feel little, if any, guilt over their crimes may need little justification for their antisocial behavior. As human beings, however, they may have fears, concerns and anxiety over getting away with their criminal acts. It is difficult to pray to God for success in doing things that are against His Commandments.
Not all spiritually motivated ritualistic activity is satanic. Santeria, witchcraft, voodoo, and most religious cults are not satanism. In fact, most spiritually or religiously based abuse of children has nothing to do with satanism.
The ritualistic activity and the child abuse may be integral parts of some spiritual belief system. In that case, the greatest risk is to the children of the practitioners. But this is true of all cults and religions, not just satanic cults.
A few might even answer that it is the fact that the crime was committed on a date with satanic or occult significance (Halloween, May Eve, etc.) or the fact that the perpetrator claims that Satan told him to commit the crime. What does this mean for crimes committed on Thanksgiving or Christmas? What does this say about crimes committed by perpetrators who claim that God or Jesus told them to do it?
Most, however, would probably answer that what makes a crime satanic, occult, or ritualistic is the motivation for the crime. It is a crime that is spiritually motivated by a religious belief system. How then do we label the following true crimes?
Some people would argue that the Christians who committed the above crimes misunderstood and distorted their religion while satanists who commit crimes are following theirs. But who decides what constitutes a misinterpretation of a religious belief system? The individuals who committed the above-described crimes, however misguided, believed that they were following their religion as they understood it. Religion was and is used to justify such social behavior as the Crusades, the Inquisition, Apartheid, segregation, and recent violence in Northern Ireland, India, Lebanon and Nigeria.
Who decides exactly what "salanists" believe? In this country, we cannot even agree on what Christians believe. At many law enforcement conferences The Satanic Bible is used for this, and it is often contrasted or compared with the Judeo-Christian Bible. The Satanic Bible is, in essence, a short paperback book written by one man, Anton LaVey, in 1969. To compare it to a book written by multiple authors over a period of thousands of years is ridiculous, even ignoring the possibility of Divine revelation in the Bible. What satanists believe certainly isn't limited to other people's interpretation of a few books. More importantly, it is subject to some degree of interpretation by individual believers just as Christianity is. Many admitted "satanists" claim they do not even believe in God, the devil, or any supreme deity. The criminal behavior of one person claiming belief in a religion, does not necessarily imply guilt or blame to others sharing that belief. In addition, simply claiming membership in a religion does not necessarily make you a member.
The fact is that far more crime and child abuse has been committed by zealots in the name of God, Jesus, Mohammed, and other mainstream religion than has ever been committed in the name of Satan. Many people, including myself, don't like that statement, but the truth of it is undeniable.
Real Satanists
I shall now take the time to explain some major sects or splinters in the overall Satanic movement and, specifically, describe how they do not perform SRA.
The Church of Satan does not practice ritual murder. Read The Satanic Bible or the Satanic Rituals if needed, they are readily available for free on LibraryGenesis. It does not believe in a literal Satan or engage in animal or human sacrifice. Its rituals are theatrical and often cathartic, but never violent. In The Satanic Bible, LaVey explicitly condemns the idea of ritual murder, saying: “Under NO circumstances would a Satanist sacrifice any animal or baby!” He further explains that “man, the animal, is the godhead to the Satanist,” emphasizing a human-centered philosophy that honors life and indulgence, not destruction. Even symbolic “sacrifices” in LaVeyan rituals serve as metaphors for channeling anger or enacting psychological release rather than literal harm.
Orgasm and anger are suggested as more potent and ethical sources of ritual energy than bloodletting. The group also condemns rape and non-consensual sex; all sexual rituals are to be consensual. I will quote a piece of The Satanic Bible to prove my point:
ON THE CHOICE OF HUMAN SACRIFICE
"Under NO circumstances would a Satanist sacrifice any animal or baby! For centuries, propagandists of the right-hand path have been prattling over the supposed sacrifices of small children and voluptuous maidens at the hands of diabolists...""There are sound and logical reasons why the Satanists could not perform such sacrifices. Man, the animal, is the godhead to the Satanist. The purest form of carnal existence reposes in the bodies of animals and human children who have not grown old enough to deny themselves their natural desires. They can perceive things that the average adult human can never hope to. Therefore, the Satanist holds these beings in a sacred regard..."
"The inhibitive and asinine absurdity in the need to kill an innocent living creature at the high- point of a ritual, as practiced by erstwhile 'wizards', is obviously their lesser of the evils' when a discharge of energy is called for...the only way these mystical cowards can ritualistically release themselves is through the agony of another's death (actually their own, by proxy) rather than the indulgent force which produces life! The treaders of the path of white light are truly the cold and the dead!"
"The use of a human sacrifice in a Satanic ritual does not imply that the sacrifice is slaughtered to appease the gods'. Symbolically, the victim is destroyed through the working of a hex or curse, which in turn leads to the physical, mental or emotional destruction of the 'sacrifice' in ways and means not attributable to the magician."
"Contrary to all established magical theory, the release of this force is NOT effected in the actual spilling of blood, but in the death throes of the living creature! This discharge of bioelectrical energy is the very same phenomenon which occurs during any profound heightening of the emotions, such as: sexual orgasm, blind anger, mortal terror, consuming grief, etc. Of these emotions, the easiest entered into of one's own volition are sexual orgasm and anger, with grief running a close third."
The Satanic Temple does not practice ritual murder. None of its tenets extol murder or the slaughter of animals/people (in fact, one of them states to "strive to act with compassion and empathy toward all creatures in accordance with reason"). The only case one could make for TST condoning ritual murder is if one is "pro-life," as the TST circumvents religiously-motivated anti-abortion laws by saying the act of abortion is a ritual, thus allowing patients to exploit religious freedom laws and uphold bodily autonomy. They also do not believe in a real Satan, the organization is atheistic.
The Temple of Set, despite being a group in the theistic satanism camp (meaning they believe in a real Satan), does not practice ritual murder. The Temple of Set is a splinter of the Church of Satan, having broken off because Aquino believed the CoS was practicing simony and was nothing more than a group you could flash a zany card for. Temple of Set focuses more on ceremonial magic and none of their rituals contain ritual slaughter of animals or people.
More educated readers may be asking, what about the Order of Nine Angles? They explicitly support ritual murder. Good question. They are self-described Satanists, but I do not believe that they are Satanists in the first place (go ahead and say No True Scotsman fallacy, I’m waiting). At its core, the Order of Nine Angles is a neo-nazi organization and is aligned with accelerationist philosophy. What does this mean? The O9A believes in ritual murder against those who are considered to be of poor character, basically giving a religiously-dressed excuse to carry out and justify racist, anti-semitic, or otherwise Nazi/white supremacist activities. Additionally, the fact it is accelerationist should give some clues as to why it would try to identify as Satanist: it is trying to be the exact opposite of the societal majority in order to directly rattle the foundation, speed up its collapse, and allow them to fill in the power vacuum with an authoritarian, Aryan empire. This is not real Satanism, just a terrorist group trying to pull attention. I think it is also important to note that O9A was founded after Satanism was already codified by LaVey, and this group is actively reject by all major sects.
Occasionally, individuals who commit murder or abuse claim Satanism as their motive. However, claiming the label does not make one a representative. These cases are typically outliers, often involving people who misunderstand or completely ignore Satanic principles*. This kind of scapegoating echoes Islamophobia or antisemitism. We would not judge all Muslims based on bin Laden, or all Jews by Netanyahu’s actions. Similarly, judging Satanism by violent fringe cases is disingenuous. If we don’t conflate Christianity with Jonestown, why do we apply this standard to Satanists? We should question whether someone can authentically belong to a religion or philosophy they do not practice. A person who eats meat is not a vegan. Someone who has never heard a K-pop song cannot call themselves a K-pop fan. Why then are we so quick to believe that every criminal who invokes Satan is actually a Satanist?
*By principles, I mean that it is readily agreed between all splinters/camps that the goal is self-deification and self-improvement (very Left Hand path stuff, referencing the god from within rather than from without). Anton LaVey practically defined Satanism as an actual religion in the early 60s, so it is important to note that whether or not something is “satanic” should be defined by how close it stays between the lines of LaVey’s invention.
Then Why Satan?
A point I often hear is then why use satanic imagery or call yourself a satanist if there is this stigma around it? Oh, how I hate this question. Not because it lacks sincerity, but because it misunderstands the purpose behind Satanic symbolism.
First, for the Church of Satan, Satan is not a literal being but a symbol of opposition to Christian moralism. Where Christianity demands abstinence, self-denial, and fear of eternal punishment, Satanism celebrates indulgence (in the Epicurean sense), self-affirmation, and living fully in the present. Rather than bowing to a distant, divine ideal, it honors human nature: imperfect, passionate, and real.
Second, The Satanic Temple embraces Satan as portrayed in Paradise Lost: Lucifer, the first rebel. In Romantic literature, Satan is a tragic, defiant figure who refuses to kneel before tyranny. This image resonates with those who fight for bodily autonomy, personal liberty, and resistance to religious domination. Satan becomes a metaphor for civil disobedience.
Third, atheism, by itself, lacks symbolic language and shared imagery. It’s often defined by what it isn’t. In contrast, Satanism provides a rich visual, philosophical, and emotional framework that atheists can rally around. It communicates defiance and coherence in a way that sterile atom symbols and Reddit memes never could. Think about how often religious folks will dismiss atheists because it is explicitly defined as a lack of belief. The banner of Satanism puts us on a level playing field and, as demonstrated by The Satanic Temple, allows atheists to gain equal treatment in the face of religious protection laws. The negative stereotype actively hurts this cause.
Fourth, why should someone have to hide who they are simply because society finds it uncomfortable? A Buddhist should not be afraid to wear their prayer beads, a Muslim should not fear displaying their faith after 9/11, and a Satanist should not have to conceal their beliefs either. The logic of “You should expect backlash if you call yourself that” is victim-blaming disguised as pragmatism. No one should have to apologize for exploring who they are, especially if they do no harm to others. I won’t feel ashamed of calling myself a Satanist. But I am tired of being told that I should. Every time I see horror media flash a goat-headed statue or a blood-stained altar, it sends the same tired message: Be afraid of these people. They are evil. I reject that message. I won’t let it define me, but the fact that it’s everywhere shows just how much work still needs to be done.
My Experience
Skeptical readers may be thinking: this information is all well and good, but it's 2025. Didn't the Satanic Panic end a few decades ago? In spirit, it did not. When I chose to identify as a Satanist in 2019, it marked a turning point in my life that led to positive personal growth. In particular, I reconnected with some old friends I broke off with at the end of high school (it was due to an argument and some long term stuff, won't get into that here). I still remember it clearly, we had reconnected over text and, with Christmas break coming up, we arranged to eat at a restaurant and catch up. The day came and we were seated at the restaurant, my two friends looked at me questioningly. They asked about the Satanic Temple shirt I was wearing, and the sulfur cross necklace. When I told them I converted to Satanism, they were scared. Longtime friends who once accepted me without question now looked frightened, as if I’d become someone else. They saw me as dangerous.
Why were they afraid? Because the media has made Satanists into monsters. Horror films show us sacrificing virgins on stone altars; video games cast us as cultists summoning demons to serve some dark overlord; books depict us as architects of pure evil. If that’s the only image someone has of Satanism, no wonder they panic when they meet someone who identifies with it. Fuck off. I'm tired of being made into monster because of who I am. Satanists have done nothing wrong, I have done nothing wrong, and yet we are still treated with suspicion and fear by the average person.
Despite all the social progress made toward understanding different creeds, Satanism is still excluded. We’re shoved into a box labeled “evil,” and climbing out of it is exhausting. Every conversation with a new acquaintance turns into a defensive exercise, where I have to justify my existence and clear away decades of misinformation. I had to argue with a good friend about how fascist and religist horror media tends to be for months before they understood and acknowledged what I was even saying. Despite the fact that those two close friends eventually accepted my religion and even became Satanists themselves, I dislike that the burden of explanation always falls on us. I have to spoon-feed information to people who could easily look it up themselves. It's a repetitive, frustrating task I know many Satanists share.
Attempts to engage directly with creators of harmful content often lead nowhere. A developer named Selewi has a game that perpetuates the SRA myth and the conspiracy that the US government is satanic, titled The Fear Business. These are narratives that are historically linked to real-world violence and moral panic. When I reached out to discuss the issue respectfully, I was initially met with silence, only to later learn that his friends had advised him to ignore me outright. When I persisted, hoping for dialogue rather than dismissal, he responded by claiming I had caused him so much stress that he temporarily lost his vision. Rather than reflect on the concerns raised, he made a meme mocking me, using the “cheems” dog format to ridicule my faith and trivialize my protest.
Seeking a more constructive approach, I created a graphic and an early version of this essay in hopes of correcting the spread of misinformation that runs rampant in the horror genre. A friend offered to share it with a horror community through its manager, Hurc. Despite acknowledging its merit, Hurc declined to share it. Not because it was inaccurate, but because he feared it might be “too controversial.” These interactions have shown me that, to the average person, correcting lies about Satanism is more offensive than promoting them and creators regard the harm they cause with a frustrating amount of nonchalance. This is the position we’re left in: creators can profit off vilifying Satanists, but we are denied the dignity of responding. We are excluded from public discourse, from community spaces, and from the protections other religious minorities often receive.
It fucking sucks to feel alienated all the time. Even with the understanding that Satanism is a religion about yourself and not others, it just gets so tiring. Belonging is a basic psychological need, and being constantly misrepresented takes its toll. Never before have we had so much access to information, and yet nobody uses it. I’ve learned to see Satanic imagery as a kind of litmus test: it reveals who’s willing to learn and who clings to ignorance. But even knowing that doesn’t stop the frustration. Conspiracy theorists still shout about Satanists controlling governments, churches, secret societies, etc. None of it is true, and it’s so easily disproved. Yet the media keeps feeding the stereotype, reinforcing a lie that we have to battle every single day.
Think about the backlash if a film portrayed a Jewish character with a grotesque nose and obsession with money, or if a game used sacred Vodou symbols as props for a demonic cult. A book that depicted Muslims as violent caricatures would rightly face condemnation. So why is it still acceptable to vilify Satanists with impunity? It’s a blatant double standard. We condemn antisemitic and Islamophobic tropes in media, but when Satanists are used as shorthand for evil no one bats an eye. Real belief systems, fringe or not, deserve the same baseline of fairness and accuracy. If your story needs a dark cult, don’t co-opt a real religion. Invent one, like Lovecraft did. You might even make something scarier. Falling back on Satanism as your villain isn’t edgy, it’s lazy and it only frightens people who already think the devil’s behind every rock.
The Verdict
In short, to fall back on stereotypes of murderous Satanists is fascist and disgusting. Using stereotypes of murderous Satanists reinforces an authoritarian worldview: one that divides society into “pure” insiders and “corrupt” outsiders, and justifies social repression under the guise of righteousness. This dynamic echoes the core mechanics of fascism: demonize, isolate, control. To use it is to devalue your art, cheapen, force it to lie in bed with Christo-fascists and embolden their cause. It hands fuel to extremists who see no difference between fantasy and faith, and it signals to the broader culture that some beliefs are fair game for mockery, distortion, or erasure. Creators who traffic in these tired tropes should reflect on the ethical implications of their work. Why, in a world with endless creative possibilities, would you choose to recycle propaganda from an authoritarian religious majority? Satanism, as a modern, legitimate belief system, has harmed no one, yet it continues to be cast as the scapegoat for society’s fears. That is cowardly. The excuse of keeping in-line with Christian myth is inexcusable; misogyny, rape, slavery, and nearly sacrificing your son are also aligned with the writings/values of the Bible and those are not accepted in a modern, civilized society.