At the opening night of 'The Devil Probably: A Century of Satanic Panic' series at the Anthology Film Archives

Text and photos by Stacie Joy

There’s a line forming when I arrive early this past Friday for the opening night of "The Devil Probably: A Century of Satanic Panic" series at Anthology Film Archives.



I’m at this East Village treasure, 32 Second Ave. at Second Street, where I meet guest curator, Genevieve HK, media preservation coordinator at the New York Public Library, Kolbe Resnick, head theater manager, and Jed Rapfogel, programmer at the Anthology.


[Genevieve HK]


[Resnick]


[Rapfogel]

Tonight, Lucien Greaves, cofounder of The Satanic Temple, as well as some members of the Satanic Temple of NYC, are leading what’s billed as a black mass ritual but may, in fact, be a destruction invocation ritual before the sold-out screening of "HÄXAN." I'm there as everyone is setting up for the screening...











There's also a slideshow by Greaves that touches on pseudoscience and the history of satanic panic and hysteria in the media. Before his arrival, Temple chair of events and rituals Stryder Crown urges the enthusiastic audience to chant “Hail Satan” as part of the call-and-response to the ritual.



The evening included an appearance by several protestors, who prayed and demonstrated on the sidewalk outside the theater...



The series runs through Feb. 20 with notable visits from filmmaker Jacqueline Castel and occult historian Mitch Horowitz, who'll provide an intro to horror classic "Rosemary's Baby" this coming Saturday night.



You can see the schedule and learn more about the series at this link.





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The Anthology Film Archives will celebrate its 50th anniversary later this year. Visit this link to learn more about their expansion project.