Satanic Panic: Pop-Cultural Paranoia in the 1980s

"An electrifying descent into '80s-era cultural terror." — Mike McPadden, Heavy Metal Movies

Satanic Panic features new essays and interviews by 20 writers addressing the ways widespread fear of a Satanic conspiracy was illuminated and propagated through almost every pop culture pathway in the 1980s — from heavy metal music to Dungeons & Dragons, Christian comics, direct-to-VHS scare films, pulp paperbacks, Saturday morning cartoons, TV talk shows, and home computers.

The book also features case studies on Thee Temple ov Psychick Youth and Long Island "acid king" killer Ricky Kasso. From con artists to pranksters and moralists to martyrs, it captures the untold story of how the Satanic Panic was fought on the pop culture frontlines — and the serious consequences it had for many involved.

DETAILS

• 260 B&W illustrations
• 24 color illustrations