User Reviews

This documentary looks at the "Church of Satan" (aka "The Black House"), founded by Anton LaVey in San Francisco in the 1960s. There are interviews with LaVey, his wife, Diane, his teenage daughter, Karla, people in the neighborhood, members of his "church", a couple of Christian priests, and two Mormons as well as clips from several ceremonies/rituals at the CoS. Be prepared for lots of casual, non-Hollywood nudity.

LaVey explains that satanism is "a selfish religion," that believes in indulging in greed and lust. No wonder so many people in the entertainment industry and politics are drawn to it! He says that the carnal is more important than the soul and that everyone should be free to indulge in fetishes, if it doesn't hurt anyone. "If you're gonna be a sinner, be the best sinner on the block," he quips. It sometimes seems like LaVey is trying not to burst out in giggles as he spouts this stuff. He looks and sounds a bit like Howie Mandel and it would be hilarious if Mandel were to play him in a comedy version of the goings-on at the Black House. He stresses that they don't do any actual human or animal sacrifices, just, "human sacrifices by proxy," putting hexes and curses on people they don't like.

Diane says that the LaVeys are a normal family (because they eat regular meals and try to get enough sleep) who are involved with, "some topics that are abnormal." When asked about the CoS members, Karla responds, "They're nuts!" The attitudes of their neighbors range from tolerant to slightly amused to annoyed.

If the idea was to make the priests and Mormons look intolerant or uncool, it fails miserably because they all come across as quite reasonable. One priest states that the CoS is "...just a means of personal aggrandizement and enhancement..." One of the Mormons says that, although he thinks satanism is morally wrong, he believes in freedom of speech and thinks that, "Each person should have the ability to express their views." He also states his concern about the way the female members of the CoS are treated, adding that he wouldn't want someone using his sister that way.

No one seems to find LaVey or the CoS a real threat. The most irate of the neighbors is more annoyed at having to clean up shingles that fall from LaVey's roof than at anything going on in the house. Some of the interviews would've benefitted from the use of a tripod as the hand-held camera work can be shaky.

The word "satanist" conjures up a menacing image but LaVey's flock come across like a bunch of kids LARPing. It's as if they got bored with their usual cocktail parties so first, they tried LSD, then they tried key parties, then they thought, "Hmm...what can we do now? Ooh, I know, Let's try satanism!"

A couple of the women say that they came to the CoS through an interest in witchcraft. One admits that she wasn't really interested in satanism but met LaVey at a class where she was learning to make love potions and cast spells to attract men. Another woman is interviewed while she sits, stark naked, on the altar. There's an episode of "Seinfeld" where Jerry explains that there's "good naked and bad naked." Well, the nudity here is bad naked. Imagine, a 53 year-old (as in 50+ years ago, not today) woman sitting spread-eagle on a mantel with a skull placed strategically in front of her vajayjay, as she casually chats, for an uncomfortably long time, about her life and involvement in the church. When asked about how being on the altar, during a ceremony, makes her feel, she gushes about adrenaline, "satanic ecstasy," and the "completely exhilarating" charge it gives her.

And then there's those ceremonies...

The goofy costumes, grainy, washed-out film stock, reddish lighting, camera angles, and organ music give them the air of a cheesy '60s horror flick. The goateed LaVey wears a black robe, hood, devil horns and a medallion. He looks about as scary as the Underwood ham devil.

It seems that there has to be a naked woman on the altar of the CoS at all times. Other women are nude or strip during the rituals. It's kinda funny that this group, that espouses equality, makes the women disrobe completely but not the men. LaVey's wife never undresses either.

In one ceremony, a guy in a mask has his pants and shorts pulled down and is whipped (looks like it hurts) while LaVey recites a rhyming incantation. Then, congregants open a coffin to reveal a naked woman inside. The whippee climbs in, on top of her, she embraces him, and the lid is closed over them. I can see the guys at Hammer Films crying, "Why didn't WE think of that?!"

Another ritual, where everyone sways to slow drum music as nude women handle live snakes and rub them on their privates, seems to go on forever. During the last ceremony, a guy recites the Our Father and other prayers backwards. Not very original. Can't they write their own stuff? Then, a guy in a mask and robe goes over the knees of the naked woman on the altar and she bares his bottom and fondles it as LaVey calls congregants forward to ask him for help.

"What is your desire?," he asks a milquetoast-looking guy. The man replies, "I would like Satan to arouse insatiable desire in the heart of that lovely, young bank teller who just moved into my neighborhood. He said his name was Roger." So LaVey recites a spell designed to enflame Roger's passions. Then a young, nerdy, bespectacled type says, "I desire that the powers of darkness should bestow upon a certain section of my anatomy attributes that will enable it to perform it's duties better to my satisfaction and it's own..." The kid seems to be trying not to laugh as LaVey holds a sword to his head and recites an incantation including phrases like, "...the scourge of flesh, the rod of bone, the shaft of sin..." Everyone affects a stentorious tone, like they're in a school play.

With the requests out of the way, LaVey turns his attention to the bare bum on the altar. He waves his hand over it, waves a sword over it, has his wife kiss it, recites an incantation, blesses it, rings a bell, passes the bell over it, then blows out a candle to conclude the service. A young guy watching this all go down looks absolutely terrified.

The documentary doesn't really have a POV (although the last line spoken hints that maybe it's not all to be taken too seriously). It meanders. It was obviously shot on a low budget and the camera work could've been a lot better. It's interesting in an, "Oh, so that's what satanists do in their masses," kinda way. The "church" comes across as an alternative to a swingers or BDSM club (I would guess that the trappings of a church made it feel like a safer environment). The "religion" seems like a way for it's followers to indulge in kinky behavior without feeling guilty.

Imagine being the child or grandchild of one of the CoS members shown here and watching this. Naked altar lady would be over 100 today!

If you are looking for insight, wisdom or a serious review of the teachings of Anton LaVey, it would be best look elsewhere. This film is an uneven, rambling attempt to juxtapose LaVey's Church of Satan followers with outsiders who live in the neighborhood. The result is at its best, comical and at its worst, boring.

The film suffers from an apparent lack of budget, or perhaps a lack of quality film equipment. It certainly has the look and feel of late 60s/early 70s "B" movies. The filmmakers do attempt to show both "pro" and "con" opinions of the controversial Church, but without a coherent vision, the film ends up being unfocused and largely unrevealing.

The most entertaining segments (at least at first) are scenes depicting Church rituals, replete with hamfisted incantations, paper mâché Halloween costumes and the spanking of bottoms. However, after several repetitions, these scenes simply become tedious and tiresome.

Despite his reputation for being evil and dangerous, LaVey comes across more as a P.T. Barnum for narcissists than a dastardly agent of Lucifer. He may have done evil in his time, but it isn't shown in this movie. His greatest trangressions here are hypocrisy (equal to what he accuses Christians of being) and cruelty to an animal (keeping an adult lion in a tiny cage for his own pleasure). In the film, the Church is portrayed not so much as a church, but rather as a place for folks to indulge in their preferred sexual perversions under the "blessings" of Anton LaVey.

It all sounds titillating at first, but it really isn't, unless unprepossessing nudes filmed under a red light are your thing. Best to watch this with plenty of beer, pizza and like-minded friends.

This 1970 documentary about Anton LaVey and the Church of Satan that was directed and produced by Ray Laurent, whose only other credits involve editing some films, including one of the Lemon Grove Kids films that Ray Dennis Steckler directed. Within this movie, there's plenty of ritual footage, as well as interviews with LaVey, his family, church members and then his somewhat annoying neighbors and some priests and Mormon missionaries.

It's really interesting to see how the people living next to LaVey saw things, less concerned about the people coming in and out than the upkeep and shingles of the Black House. This is a rare opportunity to see actual rituals of the early Church and hear from its members.

Also, the Church is very ahead of the cultural mores of the time - and even today - commenting on how they don't tolerate homosexuality in the Church of Satan. Instead, they go further: "To tolerate is to infer they are different or less than, we just accept them as normal people because that's exactly what they are." Keep in mind this was made in 1970.

Anton LaVey and his followers in the Church of Satan(..lovingly called "the Black House") are the focus of this rambling, flatly photographed documentary featuring interviews from them and neighbors who live nearby in San Francisco. We listen to them explain their philosophy in detail, how they feel about Christianity(..and Christians themselves) and how it relates to Satanism, performing various ceremonial rituals, not to mention the documentary visualizes the decor and lifestyle of those who are a part of this church. The interviews range from interesting and informative, to tedious and long-winded. The ceremonies they perform are rather unflattering(..mainly because those involved in the church, the women often nude, aren't exactly beauty queens)and vulgar, LaVey reading from texts, wardrobed in a black cap, wearing horns. Neighbors offer their tales regarding the church, the documentarian Ray Laurent getting points of view besides the Satanists. This is the kind of documentary which allows those interviewed a platform to speak their minds. The sound isn't the best in the world, and it's quite a free exercise in a lack of restraint, not polished, in need of some work regarding voices overlapping(..it's bad enough that the sound is poor, but to not hear what the subjects are saying because they are talking over each other makes matters more difficult). This is quite an obscure relic, a peek into a very different way of life, where those interviewed consider themselves not the abnormal sect of society, but right the opposite. An opinion well established and repeated time and again, particularly by LaVey, is the idea of embracing your carnal thoughts and feelings, despite how others as a whole might react to engaging in such lusts and activity. Laurent, to his credit, doesn't judge either side, and merely films those interviewed, allowing us to hear from different people. The situation with the lion is rather amusing, but I had grown intolerant(..an emotional feeling LaVey wasn't fond of)with the repulsive nakedness after a while.

SATANIS: THE DEVIL'S MASS is a documentary about the San Francisco Church of Satan from 1969-70. Going into it without expectations, it's informative, humorous, and quite entertaining.

High Priest Anton "Tony" LaVey was / is an interesting guy. His philosophy is that humans, unfettered by fear, should just live naturally for themselves. LaVey proudly admits that true Satanism is "selfish", loaded with hedonism and self-indulgence. It's also honest, in that it doesn't hide what it's really all about. LaVey views other religions -especially Christianity- as hypocritical, guilt-driven, and devoid of any real enjoyment.

Interviews with LaVey, his followers, as well as detractors, make for intriguing discussions. If nothing else, this documentary helps to dispel the Hollywood-generated portrayal of Satanism as a "murdering cult". The titular Mass is full of pomp and circumstance, though the costumes are merely symbolic. It's not as though LaVey runs around all day with horns on his head! Is there sadism? Yes. Masochism? Yes. Sex in a coffin? Indeed. After all, these people aren't Pentecostals! Watch and judge for yourself...