Satanic Panic: The Creation of a Contemporary Legend

by Jeffrey S. Victor

"Sociologist Victor began his involvement with satanic-cult phenomena by investigating a local panic centered in southwestern New York state. After an introductory section, his book begins with a description of this research, then proceeds with an excellent general review of recent fear about satanic cults in the U.S. He concludes that there is no evidence for the actual existence of organized satanic cults". -- Choice

Genres: Nonfiction, Religion, History, Psychology, True Crime, Sociology, Satanism

418 pages, Paperback

First published April 19, 1993

Reviews

[Cwn_annwn_13 · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was good that the Satanic Cult hysteria of the 1980s was brought to light in book form but he fills this book with boring and in my opinion incorrect sociological explanations for the "devil worshipper" witchhunts of the 80s. He loves to point fingers "white", "blue collar", and "uneducated" types. In other words he's a typical academic ivory tower type that blames everything on working class white peoples intolerence and stupidity. He fails to mention, or doesn't realize that this whole pathology is caused by Christianity. Even if all the claims about underground Satanic cults murdering people and sexually abusing children were true it would be a drop in the bucket compared to the pedophilia that is rampant in all Christian churches. A young boy would be safer at a Nambla meeting than a Christian church.

[Kirsten · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent discussion of the anxiety about Satanism that surfaced in the 80s and caused many rumor-panics throughout the United States during the 80s and 90s. Victor looks at the issue from a sociological point of view. What could cause otherwise level-headed individuals to believe that there are secret cabals of Satanists infiltrating all of the institutions we hold dear? What causes people to become so worried about rumors of the projected ritual sacrifice of a blond, blue-eyed virgin that they keep their children home from school?

Victor discusses the anatomy of a specific rumor-panic in rural Pennsylvania, demonstrating how the various events, rumors, and prejudices combined to create a panic that culminated in harassment of local youth and property damage in the realm of $4,000. He also devotes several chapters to the allegations of Satanic ritual abuse in daycare facilities that made national headlines and destroyed many people's lives. Victor demonstrates that these are not new phenomenon; not only are they familiar to anyone who has read "The Crucible," they also tie into "Blood Libel" rumors that have most often been anti-Semitic in tone, but have also been attached to many other groups throughout history.

This is a must-read for anyone who is interested in how damaging rumors start and how they take on a life of their own.

[Sonia · Rating 4 out of 5]

So a lot of the writing was awkward, a lot of the analysis was shallow but the research was GOOD. And I have that good just read a nonfiction book and I need to talk to everyone about the subject feeling.

[Kressel Housman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was a teenager in the 1980’s, and though I played D&D and actually dated a guy who called himself a pagan and seems to have ascribed to LaVeyan Satanism, the Satanic panic didn’t really touch my life. Perhaps that’s because I was a secular Jew from Queens, New York, and the phenomenon was more widespread amongst Protestants in rural areas, though one of the worst scares seems to have been not terribly far from my university town, which was a weird coincidence, especially since that was where I met my pagan ex-boyfriend.

I read this book mostly as research into what might have motivated that guy, and although the focus of the book was more on the church leaders and psychotherapists who were accusing people of Satan worship, I did learn some things. The most important were the terms “ostension” and “legend trips,” in which teenagers act out the claims being made about the group in question. In other words, the media reports Satanic rituals involving animal slaughter, and some kids, hearing it, leave some bloody animal carcasses around. The believers take it as evidence, and the kids get a thrill. That is part of what I believe my ex-boyfriend was doing in his claim of being a Satanist.

The overall lesson of the book, however, was a rather negative one. Each chapter opens with a quote from another writer, and I kept thinking of one I was familiar with even before I found it in this book. It’s from Eric Hoffer: “A mass movement can exist without G-d, but never without a devil.” In other words, people have a deep-seated need to scapegoat others. Before the Satanic Panic, it was the Red Scare. In medieval Europe, it was witch hunts and blood libels against Jews. The Jungian term for it, which I also learned from this book, is “projecting one’s shadow.” It’s a pretty pessimistic view of human nature, but it seems to me the flip side, if someone wanted to avoid scapegoating, would then be to think more about G-d and less about the devil, or, to transpose it to more secular terms, focus on self-perfection and less on berating others.

Other reviewers found this book boring. I disagree, though I will concede that parts of it were repetitive and could have been left out. But aside from all the psychology lessons, it was also interesting to compare the pre-Internet 1980’s to today. The description of the people who fell for the Satanic rumors perfectly matches the typical characterization of today’s Trump voters. So I can only conclude that after the Cold War, the perceived internal threat of Satanists amongst us became the “shadow,” but since 9/11, people are back to othering foreigners. Like I said, it’s a pessimistic view of human nature, but still a thorough treatment of recent American history and culture. Perhaps it’s a niche interest, but it was good source of research for me, so I’m grateful.

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a well-researched, but poorly-written account of the satanic cult rumor panics that hit certain regions of the United States and Britain in the 80s and 90s, written as the phenomenon was taking place. The book examines the origins of the rumors as well as the social and religious forces that hone and sustained it, told within the broader context of similar rumor- and fear-based phenomena, particularly heretic and witch hunts. The topic of spreading fear of a non-existent threat is timeless. I read the book thinking "This is so current, just with a different set of scapegoats," but I'm certain there has never been a time where something like this hasn't been happening somewhere.

The book starts of fairly weak, but it gets better later on. There is a serious amount of repetition throughout, and this could have been refined to about half the length with a little bit of editing work. Chapters 3 and 4 are so similar -- quoting the same statistics, making the same points, and using the same examples -- that I thought I had literally lost my page and accidentally backtracked.

It straightens out halfway through and is stronger through the end, but it suffered structurally throughout. The repetitiveness got frustrating.

Another issue I kept seeing is that although the premise of the book is exposing how people submit to believing falsehoods based on their feelings and not evidence, he made a lot of assertions that were not properly supported. If you're going to criticize others for this, you need to make sure your own arguments are airtight. I don't think he was wrong in any case -- the support very probably exists -- but things could have been better fleshed out.

And he clearly has a disdain for his subjects. It's subtle, but it's there. I mean, I hate the emotionally-charged bullshit of a religious mob as much as anyone, but if you're writing a piece trying to understand it, you need bottle your impatience with it. It's like if your boyfriend breaks up with you for good reasons. You have to take the high road, but as your best friend, I can hate him on behalf of both of us. I got you, Jeff.

[Wolf · Rating 4 out of 5]

A complete, if a little dry compilation of the period in the 90's when the news and talk shows and Bob Larson were all talking about a secret Satanic, nationwide conspiracy where victims were chosen, impregnated and birthed babies for ritual sacrifices. Lots of innocent people, mostly in the school or daycare business, were harassed and only one couple was found guilty and that conviction was reversed fifteen years later. It was a hard time to be a Satanist and the Church of Satan did its part to help, to include helping the FBI. The FBI eventually did release a report on so called "Satanic Ritual Abuse" that is even more dry and boring than this book and basically leads to the same answer, "doesn't exist, you people are crazy."

[Jean Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jeffrey Victor’s exhaustive, massively researched volume is a case study from a psychological and sociological standpoint in the creation of a modern-day “urban legend”—which is what the “Satanic ritual abuse” scare of the 80’s and 90’s really was, since no concrete, provable evidence of any of the bizarre alleged misdeeds of “Satanists” (cannibalism, child sacrifice, drinking of blood, animal mutilation, etc. etc. ad ridiculum!) was ever found. It is an appalling example of the gullibility of the public and the tendency in the public mind to “go with the flow” (a sort of “mindless herd” mentality) rather than carefully and rationally think things through. It is also a stunning indictment of psychotherapists, prosecutors, district attorneys, conference speakers and self-styled “experts” who took advantage of the public preoccupation with this issue to profit financially at the expense of innocent children, day care operators and others who had done nothing wrong.

Perhaps the most fascinating part of the work is the tracing of the phenomenon’s origin back to the middle ages and the “witch hunts” and persecutions of such groups as the Albigensians and the Knights Templar—often (then and now!) for political purposes or financial gain, and how the techniques of psychological/religious manipulation (especially effective in times of rapid change which create a sense of fear and uncertainty in the public mind, along with the need to find a scapegoat to blame for it all) have not changed, except that today rumors, lies and misinformation can be spread, and panic created, far more rapidly through the mass media, and, since the book’s writing in 1993, the internet.

One area that was perhaps overlooked was the role of the entertainment industry in creating an obsession with the occult in the 1970’s along with the growing conviction that “Satanists” had infiltrated every level of society and were lurking under every rock and around every corner; witness the popularity of “The Exorcist” and such network TV shows as “Night Gallery”, “The Sixth Sense”, and “Ghost Story/Circle of Fear”. Even the comic book industry did its part with such titles as “Ghost Rider”, “The Witching Hour”, “Chamber of Darkness” and others, plus the unforgettable character of Mephisto in “The Silver Surfer”!

The most tragic part of this phenomenon is how many perfectly innocent people had their reputations tarnished and livelihoods destroyed through false accusations and innuendo, since a “not guilty” verdict (because of total lack of evidence) failed to erase an impression in the public mind (as in the McMartin preschool case). It is comforting to know that in some cases (such as that of Dale Akiki in San Diego) those unjustly accused were able to win countersuits against prosecutors and therapists by showing how they had asked leading questions, coached witnesses (usually children) and implanted false memories of supposed “abuse” and bizarre “Satanic rites” in order to win convictions.

Sadly, the “Satanic Panic” scenario has reared its ugly head again today as part of the “Q-Anon” conspiracy theory, which shows that it never entirely went away. The “perpetrators” and scapegoats may change, but the scenario remains the same. What next?!

**** review by Chuck Graham ****

[Steven H · Rating 5 out of 5]

A SOCIOLOGICAL/PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE ON SO-CALLED ‘SATANIC CULTS’

Retired sociology professor Jeffrey Victor wrote in the first chapter of this 1993 book, “This is… a sociological and psychological investigation… There have been a lot of allegations of bizarre and vicious crimes, but little hard evidence to follow… where hard evidence is lacking, it is best to be a bit suspicious of the claims… This book is… not an investigation of Satanism… This is a study of the rumors, claims, and allegations about Satanic cult crime and widely held beliefs about dangerous Satanic influences in society. It is a study of the underlying causes and significance of these bizarre collective phenomena…

“In brief, these claims assert that there exists a secret organization, or network, of criminals who worship Satan and who are engaged in the pornography business, forced prostitution, and drug dealing… In their Devil-worshipping rituals, these criminals ... sacrifice infants, and … commit cannibalism with the body parts… They actively try to recruit … teenagers who dabble in occult magic. Many… assert that Satanists have infiltrated all the institutions of society… [some] even suggest that this Satanic cult conspiracy can be traced back many centuries.

“None of these claims are supported by reliable evidence. My research suggests that they are baseless and misleading… These claims are being made by many prominent people, not merely uneducated rubes. The claims-makers include some police officers, child protection social workers, psychotherapists, and clergymen. Almost all of them are quite sincere about their claims they are making…

“The present investigation is guided by several basic questions. 1) What are the origins of these rumors… and how are they being disseminated? 2) Why do so many people believe these … allegations, in the absence of scientific or legal evidence to confirm them? 3) What do these rumors, claims, and allegations indicate about underlying conditions in American society? What do they indicate about underlying anxieties and fears[?]” (Pg. 3-5)

He says of ‘cattle mutilation’ rumors, “Several careful scientific studies came to the conclusion that the overwhelming majority of these incidents were due to purely natural causes… the cattle died from diseases, poison plants, rattlesnakes, and other ordinary hazards. Microscopic examinations of the cuts revealed the uneven marks of razor-sharp teeth… Veterinarians testified that the blood of the cattle only appeared to have been drained away because it had coagulated in the animal after the animal’s death. In a very few cases, knife cuts were found, indicating that … the mutilations may have been carried out by copycat pranksters after the animals’ deaths.” (Pg. 11-12)

He observes, “The Satanic cult legend exists because it has provided an easily available explanation for several disturbing and ambiguous phenomena… The label … can be flexibly applied to many entirely different types of social deviants: child molesters, violent teenage gangs, psychopathic serial murders, teenagers involved in makeshift occult ritualism, and harmless practitioners of unconventional religion.” (Pg. 21)

He suggests, “The Satanic cult metaphor …. Is meaningful primarily in the cultural context of American society … because of the widespread American concern about new religious ‘cults’ which symbolically ‘kidnap’ children away from their parents’ influence and because belief in a supernatural Satan is more common among Americans than … in most other modern societies.” (Pg. 53)

He recounts, “I found 62 locations where rumor-panics have taken place… In none of these cases was any group found which resembled the stereotype of a Satanic cult, that is, a well-organized group committing crimes and justifying their actions with a ‘Satanic’ ideology. In a few cases, authorities found groups of juvenile delinquents who had engaged in vandalism and proclaimed themselves ‘Satanists’ but even that was unusual.” (Pg. 60-61)

He notes, “I found that fundamentalist churches were an important part of a communication network for the dissemination of the Satanic cult rumor stories. The ministers … gave sermons condemning occult practice and Satanism. Some churches held meetings about the Satanic cult rumors and some held special prayer sessions. A few churches invited out-of-town religious ‘experts’ on Satanism to speak to their congregations.” (Pg. 69)

He points out, “Most of the women who claim to be survivors of Satan cults have been diagnosed by psychotherapists as suffering from Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD). The problem is that it is not clear whether these women are reporting the actual underlying trauma (childhood torture) which caused their mental disorder, or whether their claims are simply another manifestation of their disorder.” (Pg. 89)

He explains, “There have been few attempts to thoroughly investigate the claims of a Satanic cult ‘survivor.’ The only detailed investigation on record is one carried out by reporters for the evangelical Christian magazine ‘Cornerstone,’ who investigated the claims of … ‘Lauren Stratford’ [a pen name]… in the book ‘Satan’s Underground.’ She has been featured on several national TV talk shows… Her book is frequently cited … [by] eminent therapists as evidence… The [Cornerstone] reporters found her story to be riddled with contradictions of fact and to be, essentially, a hoax.” (Pg. 99-100)

He recounts that psychiatrist Lee Coleman and attorney Patrick Claney “point out that child protection workers are not expected to be impartial investigators searching for evidence of wrongdoing. Instead, they are advocates for children and commonly act on the presumption that children have been victimized in some way… Once they are drawn into the child protection system, children are caught in a contradictory Catch-22 situation. If the child denies being involved in sexual acts, that is taken as evidence that the child is repressing his or her memories … If the child expresses anxiety, the anxiety is regarded as evidence of repressed memories, rather than anxiety due to being repeatedly interrogated by unfamiliar child protection workers and police.” (Pg. 112-113)

He reports that “it is easy to find exaggerated reports about Satanic cult crime from the ranks of local law enforcement authorities, many of whom share conservative religious ideology and us it, rather than scientific criminology, as a basis for their assertions about crime.” (Pg. 124)

He explains, “Some behavioral science research has investigated the claims about aggression-producing influences in popular music. Two social psychologists conducted an elaborate series of experiments to test listeners’ abilities to perceive messages with the words recorded backwards and embedded in popular music… They found no evidence that various embedded messages served to prompt any actions suggested by the messages.” (Pg. 170)

He suggests, “The fundamentalist crusade against Satanism can be seen as one aspect of the larger fundamentalist moral protest movement against perceived threats to traditional ‘family values’… In the fundamentalist framing … ‘ritual’ abuse is simply one more example of the growing moral corruption … in American society by evil people who reject God and true Christianity.” (Pg. 219-220)

He concludes, “This study has provided abundant evidence that the Satanic cult scare is not the product of ignorance and superstition… The rumors, claims, and allegations about dangerous, criminal Satanists arise from people’s attempts to grasp meaning our of the mist of ambiguous experience and uncertainty… Hopefully, this study… will deepen our understanding of the social conditions which lead to witch hunts and mass persecutions, when societies construct imaginary scapegoat deviants as a way of dealing with rapid change and social stress.” (Pg. 310)

This book is an excellent perspective on the ‘Satanic cult’ hysteria of the late 20th century.

[Jaden Fuqua · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 I thought this book discussed interesting points about moral panics and crises. i liked the examples and case studies that he included. I wish the book would have discussed “pseudo-Satanists” more and discussed how they fit into his thesis. The book was way long, and i feel like i read the same things so many times.

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

The definitive work on the era known as the Satanic Panic. You will learn what happened to the just a handful of the INNOCENT people whose lives were destroyed by nothing more than an accusation. In a repeat of the witch hunts, the only thing missing was the torture and public executions. The children that were convinced to lie are the victims as well, and you will read about their lives in this excellent read.

[Crotillus]

Right-wingers generally have more hysterias, panics and "anti" fervor in their lives than the rest of us. Satanic cults are entirely without foundation. Legend and fear continues to pit "us" vs. "them", even in America today. A must read. Absolutely fascinating.

[Brad keil · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great sociology book. And has a cool cover.

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book provides an in depth overview of the psychology and sociology of witch hunts and moral crusades, both religious and political.

[Darnell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not quite the tour de force I expected, but if you need to research this obscure phenomenon, this is still the best resource I've found.

[Rena Sherwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

Imagine one day everyone suddenly despises you, spits on you, vandalizes your car or other property, and you lose your job. You go home to find the police there to search your home and take you in for questioning. They also take your children away and you are not allowed to see them or even know where they are. You get sued.

How did this happen so suddenly? Because someone (you don't know who) started a rumor that you are a Satan worshipping baby killer.

This happens to you even though you go to church. Problem is -- you don't go to the church that your accuser does.

This isn't something that happened during the Middle Ages. This happened in America, Canada and England in the 1980s and 1990s. It was the Satanic Panic, a conspiracy theory that still has hold of thousands, perhaps even millions of believers today. It was the fuel to the fire that sprouted QAnon.

This book was published in 1993, long before Q made his first "drop", but the author did accurately predict that if nothing substantial was done, something like QAnon would spring up.

Although a bit dry and repetative at times, this is a good summary of the main incidents and players in the Satanic Panic. There is a look at trials resulting from accusations, accusations against heavy metal music, the attack on Dungeons & Dragons (although I think the game had long changed it's name to Advanced Dungeons & Dragons by 1993) and the people who profited through spreading the Satanic Panic.

Soon before this book was published, one of the men who made millions off of the Satanic Panic, Mike Warnke, had been exposed as a fraud by a Protestant Christian magazine. His downfall and downfall of a few other "experts" on Satanism and what would be known as "ritual child abuse" is also sketched out. Anyone remember the 1980 best selling Michelle Remembers? You probably don't because that book turned out to be a total lie, fabricated by a severely mentally ill patient suffering hallucinations to a quack therapist who put her under hypnosis.

Which leads us to the recovered memory bruhaha, also described here. The author also accurately stated that this was an issue that needed to be dealt with in the mental health field, as it was hurting hundreds of innocent people.

Sadly, there are also folks who made millions off of the Satanic Panic who never got their comeuppance, such as Dr. James Dobson of the Religious Right and the sick folks over at Chick Publications (you know -- the makers of those little black tracts you find in public bathrooms, under your car windshield or stuck inside of library books?)

And Geraldo really has a lot to answer for.

There is also a now out of date list of resources for those falsely accused of being a blood-drinking Satanist, the history of accusing groups of folks (especially Jews) of worshipping Satan, a suggested plan of action for dealing with the Satanic Panic in your community, and a summary list of the main points in the Panic up to 1992. There are also nine plates of illustrations, including a page or two from a Chick Tract.

As the author points out, there has never been a widespread secret society of blood-drinking, baby killing, sex-obsessed Satanists. There hasn't even been proof of a small coven doing any such crimes. Any crimes done were usually by loners who said, "The Devil made me do it," and was believed.

Makes no mistake -- there is no such thing as Satan. Even The Church of Satan doesn't believe in Satan or God. There are only human beings, which are the ultimate evil.

[Zach Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting look at the Satanism scare of the 1980s. Loved learning about the sketchy figureheads of the movement, who more often than not were out to make a dollar moreso than save the kids from Satan. It's repetitively written and I found myself skimming a lot of the second half of the book as it repeated too many talking points from the first half, but comparing this to the contemporary QAnon movement was very interesting, showing that history just continues to repeat itself and we never actually learn from any of our past mistakes.

[Dian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was prepared to find this book interesting because of the subject matter, but I wasn't prepared to find it so relevant to what is happening in our country and in some ways, the world today. Yes, some of the players have changed and we aren't looking for Satanists in every day care, but there are still people being persecuted because they are considered "devient". Well researched and it reads pretty well, even though it comes across as a thesis type work. I quite enjoyed this and am happy to have it in my library.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

I hate how hard it is for me to separate my rating of a nonfiction book from my level of interest in its subject. I have to admit this one would be painful to trudge through if I weren't perpetually fascinated with the Satanic Panic of the '80s to '90s. I know there are more recent books on the phenomena, but I appreciated how comprehensive this one was and the work Victor puts into putting the events into the context of similar moral panics.

[Mary Katherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't really write reviews but I wanted to be sure to add one for this. I really enjoyed this book and how it was written. Most importantly, I appreciated that the author took a step further than just focusing on the people whose lives were affected by this scare by including resources in the appendix for readers to contact if they were affected in any of the numerous ways he'd listed. I'd never seen that before in a book like this, and I admired that.

[Jo Besser · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a little ashamed of how long this took me. It wasn't that the subject matter wasn't interesting to me. It was just very dense.

I found it informative, but I guess I was really hoping for more case studies.

[MGLVNA · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating sociological case study about how moral panics happen.

[Camila · Rating 3 out of 5]

a bit dry and repetitive, which is to be expected for an academic text, but still enjoyable read

[Ozzlem "Ozzy" · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just so absolutely boring. Weird format to the sections - didn't make sense to me.

[Dave Byrnes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun and informative analysis of the myth of Satanic infiltration in 80-90s America. Great sociological investigation of rumor panics, moral crusading, and the politics of mental health.

[Martyna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great amount of knowledge. I love how it was structured.
The topic is very interesting from a sociological and psychological perspective.

[Andy Nieradko · Rating 5 out of 5]

This scholarly study by a sociologist was written right before the end of the weird scene that was known as the Satanic Panic. Fascinating because the author was studying the phenomena from within, attending workshops and collecting statistics from several rumor panics while they were occurring. This book came out about a year before the case of the "West Memphis 3." If you've followed that tragedy over the years, you may be interested to read what this book reveals about the "expert" in that case, as well as all the other self-proclaimed experts, ex-satanist priests, breeders, and exploiters. The Satanic Panic was an interesting, curious event that effected, mostly, the Bible Belt region in the 1980's - early 1990's. It's almost unfathomable, looking back on it, that this type of medieval hysteria could've reared its ugly head and destroyed so many careers and lives toward the end of the 20th century.

[David Corleto-Bales · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting and rather frightening book by sociologist Jeffrey Victor about the "satanic panic" phenomenon present in North America and Britain since the 1960s. No evidence was ever discovered for any real, cohesive so-called "satanic underground" despite huge belief in this among the general public, an irrational fear that has spawned terrible abuses of justice. Part urban legend and wishful-thinking used to explain away typical rebellious behavior of teenagers and a few anecdotal crimes, the satanic cult myth has been one of the most pervasive and untrue tales in American history. Victor draws parallels between satanic panic and the fear of communism, anti-Semitism and fear of integration.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this while in college. Ended up having victor as my internship advisor. Very interesting look at rumors that swirl around talks of cults. If you are interested in the history of salem witch trials this is a more modern look at 'panic'

[Brandon · Rating 4 out of 5]

great book, a good insight into the satanism scare

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hes very repetitive throughout. Good info,though.