With unprecedented access, HAIL SATAN traces the rise of The Satanic Temple: only six years old and already one of the most controversial religious movements in American history. The Temple and its enigmatic leader Lucien Greaves are calling for a Satanic revolution to save the nation's soul. But are they for real?... (Full plot summary below)
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With unprecedented access, HAIL SATAN traces the rise of The Satanic Temple: only six years old and already one of the most controversial religious movements in American history. The Temple and its enigmatic leader Lucien Greaves are calling for a Satanic revolution to save the nation's soul. But are they for real?
Leave your thoughts about Hail Satan?.
| TheWrapCarlos AguilarAlthough fascinatingly hilarious, Hail Satan? is a conventional non-fiction effort on the technical front, but Lane does spike her frames with an offbeat score by Brian McOmber (“Little Woods”) that reaffirms the quirky tone of the piece with circus-like melodies. |
| The PlaylistCharles BarfieldWhat the doc proves is that a talented filmmaker, combined with a thought-provoking subject and intensely fascinating characters can truly make some fun black magick pop off the screen. |
| VarietyAmy NicholsonThe Satanic Temple’s combination of shock tactics and anti-discrimination lawsuits is check-and-mate against America creeping towards a Christian theocracy. |
| The VergeTasha RobinsonThe sharp editing turns the film into a comedy about how wickedly successful the Temple’s trolling is, and how humorless and easily riled their opponents are. |
| Austin ChronicleRichard WhittakerWhat Hail Satan? really achieves is to show this new brand of Satanism as part of the same tradition as the Dadaists and the Church of the SubGenius, fighting for actual liberty and debunking falsehoods. As one activist so adroitly explains, the devil’s work is never done. |
| Entertainment WeeklyLeah GreenblattWhy end a rallying cry with a question mark? The devil is in the details, or at least in the punctuation of Hail Satan?, a movie that often seems to teeter on the line between doc- and mockumentary — a sincere examination of a social and political movement delivered with just a soupçon of Christopher Guest. |
| Time OutJoshua RothkopfAs dark spells go, Lane’s is complex, one that will lead viewers down a surprisingly benevolent path. |
| EmpireBen TravisA devilishly funny documentary that blends improbable imagery, self-awareness and religious provocation with a genuine sense of political purpose. |
| The Globe and Mail (Toronto)John SemleyIf there’s a glaring oversight in Hail Satan?, it’s in the film’s singular devotion to the Temple of Satan. There’s little-to-no mention of other Satanic cults. |
| Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsThe musical score, and some of director Lane’s editing strategies, have a way of playing into the more comic aspects. Yet it’s not a mean-spirited affair. In fact, it’s a sly primer in homegrown grassroots activism. |
