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The Satanic Panic


I am currently working on a play that takes place during the "Satanic Panic" that troubled the United States throughout the 1980s and into the early 1990s.  My working title is "The Devil's Hour;" a tribute to Lillian Hellman and her classic play, "The Children's Hour."

According to Aja Romano, who writes for Vox Media, most people attribute the "Satanic Panic" to the false claims made against daycare centers during the 1980s.  Allegations of this nature involved reports of children being abducted and bred for sacrifices, pornography and prostitution.  While my play doesn't deal with the abuse of children, it does deal with the allegations made against a counselor at a shelter for homeless male teens.  According to a resident of the shelter, the counselor requests he take part in a satanic ritual in exchange for being allowed to stay at the shelter after breaking the rules.  As part of these allegations, the troubled teen insists that the counselor not only has the ability to possess the other young men at the shelter, he also has been seen by many of the boys flying through the air at night.  When the chief counselor at the shelter refuses to believe the young man's tale, the teen goes to the media with his story.

The work is still in its infancy, but I'd be more than happy to get feedback from anyone willing to read what I've got!  Just let me know where to send you a copy of the script!

Comments

  1. DramadivaApril 7, 2019 at 11:47 AM

    I’m from Childress (originally from Paducah), and in the late 80’s there was a big “Satanic scare.” I think a man was killed and, and the case supposedly had ties to a satanic cult. I’m pretty sure Texas Monthly even wrote an article on it because I remember my friends and I passing it around. People were really afraid and got themselves pretty worked up for a time.

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    Replies
    1. Bradley NiesApril 21, 2019 at 7:42 AM

      I know exactly what you're talking about. I'm originally from Fritch, and I remember hearing that story. If I'm not mistaken, didn't it involve a man being hung, as well as a couple of teenaged occultists who were behind the hanging?

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