Anyone Remember The Satanic Cult Conspiracies In The 80's?

[debrand]

I was watching a documentary with my daughters about the disappearance of children from Staten Island. The documentary mentioned that the detectives threw around the idea of devil worshippers as the culprits. Being logical, my daughters wondered where such a bizarre theory would have come from. I tried to explain the fact that in the eighties people were afraid of Satanic worshippers but it is hard to explain why. Or why some lives like those involved in the McMartin Daycare were ruined by that fear.

Do any of you remember the fear that existed during those years? Remember how Geraldo kept interviewing women who swore that they were repeatedly impregnated by Satanic cultists?

How did that particular boogey man go away?

[Anny Nym]

I remember a stack of BRAVO magazines (teen magazines) from the 80ies, which belonged to my older sister, that had a lot of the german/middle european version of fear about sudden satanic sects popping up at virtually every village cementary and diggin up bodies/sacrificing various kidnapped cats and kids as a topic. There was even a "Bravo picture story" about a girl dragged in a supposed satan cult - but in the end it turned out to be just a bunch of imposters and "Grufties"/Goth kids ... :lol:

Didn´t the Satans sects hysterie have alot to do with the rising of the goth subculture and the scams of Anton LaVey? I always had that impression.

[debrand]

There were interviews from young women who claimed that they were forced to have baby after baby for use in Satanic rituals yet bodies were never found. Amazing how many people just accepted those stories without question. The Satanic fear would have been funny if lives like the McMartins hadn't been destroyed by that particular conspiracy theory

[Anny Nym]

I just looked up that McMartins story - still need to read into it though.

That topic about young women who were forced to have babies for "satanic rituals" also showed up in a french pedophile scandal about apparently pedophile satanists (?!?) - this was in the nineties although and closely knitted to the Dutroux scandal.

[hoipolloi]

Yes. Don't remember the actual sources but this was well embedded in urban legend to the point of implying that thousands of people went missing every year due to being kidnapped, tortured, then killed by these cults.

[Irishy]

We even had this in Ireland. There were always urban myths about horses and pets being sacrificed in strange places and someone would alway *know* someone who's sister's friend's cousin was actually there.

There was one disturbing case in the 70s of a little boy being murdered by his very disturbed occult dabbling teenaged neighbour. The scene (as described) was quite shocking.

[danvillebelle]

I remember Mike Warnke...he was an odd combination of Christian comedian with former Satanic cult membership thrown in. I think he wrote a book. I seem to remember several years later him admitting that it was all completely made up.

[Loveday]

Didn't all this satanic stuff kind of coincide with the rise of the 'New Age' movement in the 80s? I seem to remember a lot of books warning about the 'dangers' of the New Age, and there was some sort of tie-in with Satanism and satanic cults according to the Pat Robertson/Jerry Falwell etc crowd. :think:

[AlexIsAwake]

I grew up in an IFB church during the 80's, and I remember week long conferences at church where they told us about all the satanic lyrics that came out in "rock" music when it was played backwards, how satanic rituals were practiced at rock concerts, and how you opened yourself up to demonic possession by listening to those beats. There was a book that got passed around my Christian school among students about a supposed former witch who was "whistle blowing" on what happened within the cults she was part of. I was only about 12 when I read it, but there were parts where she talked about having sex with satan himself. She also described werewolves bounding through a cornfield after her. Scared the shit out of me back then.

[laura oz]

I saw that documentary last year about the Staten Island Boogie Man (cant remember what he was called now) and the I think I remember a part about an asylum and the derelict grounds with grafiti and indications of transient habitation. It creeped me out, and I don't remember if they ever found the person responsible. It seems I remember someone being arrested that worked at the hospital/asylum that was abandoned, but I just can't remember. I had a little one who wasn't sleeping through the night, and the whole time period is a blur. And I totally remember the witch hunt McMartin trial, and how messed up the whole sad situation was. It was an outrage that that was allowed to happen. I saw an interview with the lead detective not too long ago, and I wanted to slap his smug and arrogant smirk off of his face. He has no regret or shame about the lives he ruined due to his inexperience and being over his head and all too hot to lead the hunt for the supposed child rapists. After hearing the truly fantastic and bizarre stories those kids were telling - one supposedly flew in the air and several had a vocabulary that could have only been taught by coaching- a good and responsible investigator would have had warning bells blaring. As far as the Satanic cults, I went to a private Christian fundie school, so they scared the hell out of me. I had a black kitty, and wanted to keep her inside the whole month of October. We watched the movie Hell's Bells and it scared me the first time I heard a Guns and Roses song. I thought I was going straight to hell and the demon that was going to drag me there was going to jump out of the speaker at any moment. :lol: :lol:

[FloraDoraDolly]

I was in high school when all that satanic scare stuff was going on. I had a few friends whose parents took away all their heavy metal albums/magazines/posters because they were convinced that these bands were out to steal their children's souls. Someone in my sister's class owned a copy of a supposed witches' bible and if you read it, it meant you'd automatically sold your soul to the devil. I also had some friends who were terrified of ouija boards-- it had been over ten years since "The Exorcist" came out, but between cable TV and VCRs everyone had seen that movie several times.

On a related note, this was also the era of the Parents Music Resource Center (or PMRC), which pioneered putting warning labels on records. They came up with a list of Filthy 15 songs, most of which are tame by today's standards.

[AlexIsAwake]

Here is a list of the Filthy 15, and their perceived content. LMAO

1 Prince - Darling Nikki (sex, masturbation)

2 Sheena Easton - Sugar Walls (sex)

3 Judas Priest - Eat Me Alive (sex)

4 Vanity - Strap on Robbie Baby (sex)

5 Mötley Crüe - Bastard (violence)

6 AC/DC - Let Me Put My Love Into You (sex)

7 Twisted Sister - We're Not Gonna Take It (violence)

8 Madonna - Dress You Up (sex)

9 W.A.S.P. - Animal (Fuck Like A Beast) (sex)

10 Def Leppard - High 'n Dry (drug and alcohol use)

11 Mercyful Fate - Into The Coven (occult)

12 Black Sabbath - Trashed (drug and alcohol use)

13 Mary Jane Girls - In My House (sex)

14 Venom - Possessed (occult)

15 Cyndi Lauper - She-Bop (sex, masturbation)

[Rarity65]

I saw that documentary last year about the Staten Island Boogie Man (cant remember what he was called now) and the I think I remember a part about an asylum and the derelict grounds with grafiti and indications of transient habitation. It creeped me out, and I don't remember if they ever found the person responsible. It seems I remember someone being arrested that worked at the hospital/asylum that was abandoned, but I just can't remember. I had a little one who wasn't sleeping through the night, and the whole time period is a blur. And I totally remember the witch hunt McMartin trial, and how messed up the whole sad situation was. It was an outrage that that was allowed to happen. I saw an interview with the lead detective not too long ago, and I wanted to slap his smug and arrogant smirk off of his face. He has no regret or shame about the lives he ruined due to his inexperience and being over his head and all too hot to lead the hunt for the supposed child rapists. After hearing the truly fantastic and bizarre stories those kids were telling - one supposedly flew in the air and several had a vocabulary that could have only been taught by coaching- a good and responsible investigator would have had warning bells blaring. As far as the Satanic cults, I went to a private Christian fundie school, so they scared the hell out of me. I had a black kitty, and wanted to keep her inside the whole month of October. We watched the movie Hell's Bells and it scared me the first time I heard a Guns and Roses song. I thought I was going straight to hell and the demon that was going to drag me there was going to jump out of the speaker at any moment. :lol: :lol:

Was the documentary and the Staten Island Boogie Man called Cropsey?

[tuckerphez]

Speaking of the PMRC, how about the moment when Dee Snider made the best speech ever? :character-beavisbutthead:

S0Vyr1TylTE

[EmmieJ]

Yes, I do, because I was in college in the mid to late 80's when that seemed to be a huge concern for some people.

In fact, my first truly fundie encounter was when my older sister converted from Catholicism to some sort of reformed Baptist in college. She would ask us if we were "saved" yet and I would just look at her in puzzlement. Uh, saved from what? That's how she met her future husband - they were "saved" while students.

After they got married and started having kids, she didn't want them going to public school, because supposedly there were Satanic influences all through the public school system, just lying in wait to get precious innocent children and make them devil worshippers. That was also around the time when homeschooling was gaining initial momentum and more public recognition. She attended some seminar at my college on homeschooling, and her children were all home schooled.

So I definitely remember that taking hold briefly, and then just fading away.

[sadie673]

I think that documentary was called Cropsey. I remember being totally creeped out by the stories.

[alchemy]

I'm not sure where it came from or why it went away. Maybe other fears took over? I remember Satanism was a common theme in the Chick tracts I used to get when I was a kid. I went looking for the titles I remember but they don't seem to be in print anymore.

OT, but I did find this one (chick.com/reading/tracts/1111/1111_01.asp) which is just hilarious. Let's change "hi there" from the original to "wassup" and it'll be totally perfect for the African American audience.

ETA: Satanism was under very rock according to my parents. We got pulled from public school because my sister's teacher started teaching yoga in the phys ed classes, because yoga is a gateway to Satan, dontcha know? :roll:

[tropaka]

There was a book called "Michelle Remembers" which I think turned out to be a total crock. I think psychiatrists/psychologists either planted or misinterpreted a lot of stuff in their over enthusiasm, along with the prevalence of multiple personality disorder.

There was Anton LeVey (sp) too.

Why am I thinking of Graveyard Dirt/Naked Roast Sitter lady...

[danvillebelle]

Now I'm reliving my heavy metal glory days. I was in 9th grade when Shout at the Devil came out and I LOVED Motley Crue. Saw them open for Ozzy in spring of '84. I had to look up Bastard on YouTube because I couldn't remember it, but once it started I was singing along. :character-beavisbutthead:

I met Nikki Sixx outside the auditorium on the Girls, Girls, Girls tour. He was sitting in his limo with the door open. My friend and I got his autograph, and leaned in and got a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Of course I learned later that he was probably high as a kite on heroin at the time, but it's still a great teenage memory.

::::sigh:::: Those were the days. Carry on.

[RosyDaisy]

They still exist in my neck of the woods.

[ShadowyOne]

I believe that the West Memphis Three case from the early 90s was also a satanic cult conspiracy theory. There is a fairly recent documentary about it on my Netflix cue that I've been meaning to watch; maybe I'll get around to it soon (can't remember the name right now, either, unfortunately, and I am not at home).

[laura oz]

Was the documentary and the Staten Island Boogie Man called Cropsey?

YES! Thank you, it was driving me nuts. It was on the tip of my tongue :doh:

[yetanothermeg]

I believe that the West Memphis Three case from the early 90s was also a satanic cult conspiracy theory. There is a fairly recent documentary about it on my Netflix cue that I've been meaning to watch; maybe I'll get around to it soon (can't remember the name right now, either, unfortunately, and I am not at home).

I saw it. It was very good.

[laura oz]

Ahhh, the West Memphis Three....another system fuck up. I'm glad they're free now, but it is so messed up they still have recorded convictions for something those kids didn't do. One of the pitfalls of being a Goth in a small town. There is new DNA evidence that links the stepfather of one of the boys to the murders. His DNA was found in the ropes that were used to bind the children.

[RandomTrivia]

ETA: Satanism was under very rock according to my parents. We got pulled from public school because my sister's teacher started teaching yoga in the phys ed classes, because yoga is a gateway to Satan, dontcha know? :roll:

Dungeons & Dragons was supposedly a big Satanic recruitment deal too, as I recall, in the 70s or 80s. I didn't know anyone into D&D back then, but one of the earlier things I remember reading online in the early 90s was a big long mess written by a woman whose son was supposedly recruited & committed suicide (I think) because of D&D.

Someone donated some Beatrice Sparks books to the charity group I work with recently, and I read Jay's Journal, which is about a teenager who gets into Satanism. Written in the mid-70s, so most of it is pretty laughable today.