Scott LeBrun Although absolutely nothing special, this documentary by Ray Laurent takes us inside the Church of Satan, founded in California in the 1960s by Anton Szandor LaVey, a former circus lion tamer. It has no narrator, and isn't really attempting to tell a story. It's more a series of interviews - with subjects either standing and talking or sitting down and talking - and therefore, it may be rather boring to some viewers. But the material does have a certain fascination and interest level going for it. At least, that was the case for this viewer. Laurent films the perspectives of various witnesses to this phenomenon: neighbors, flock members, opponents, etc., as well as the man himself.It's not overwhelmingly cinematic, but there are some decent camera angles and movements throughout; the lighting is also noteworthy. The main reason to watch is to see this vintage footage of Mr. LaVey, who comes across as a fairly charismatic, fairly easygoing individual. He based his "religion", if one can call it that, on the idea that humans are basically flawed anyway, and that these flaws could be celebrated and even encouraged. He felt that most organized religion spent too much time condemning people and insisting that they do / not do certain things.If nothing else, "Satanis: The Devil's Mass" is an amusing enough look at an alternative lifestyle, no matter what one may think of Mr. Lavey's personal beliefs. We are witness to some entertaining decadence: nude women on altars, ass whippings, the expected incantations and rituals, etc. Among the major topics covered are public reactions to the goings-on at LaVey's "Black House" in San Francisco in the 60s, the hassles with the law due to Mr. LaVey having a pet lion at his residence, and his response when confronted with the notion that he may be nothing more than a big phony.This is worth a look for curiosity seekers, provided they don't get their hopes up too high about it.Six out of 10.

Roman James Hoffman In 1966, a one-time circus lion-tamer Anton Szandor LaVey founded The Church of Satan in San Francisco and grandiosely announced the age of Satan had begun, an age that would celebrate the carnal instincts in man, and would be characterized by the mantra of "indulgence instead of abstinence". Although a media non-entity since the early nineties, at the time, the fledging Church shocked and scandalized as much as it bemused and confused…and this was in no small part to LaVey's charisma, showmanship, and effective mixing of blasphemy (compounded in 1968 with the publication of 'The Satanic Bible') and of horror B-movie imagery which left many asking if it was just a racket, a reason to get naked for it's largely well-to-do white middle-class membership, or indeed had darker aspirations.However, this documentary in choosing to sacrifice the weightier aspects of the Church to the titillating nude alters and B-movie lighting offers such a superficial treatment that for those for whom "Satanis" is their introduction to LaVey and the Church, the reaction of snide dismissal is totally understandable. The documentary is basically composed of three strands: talking heads of neighbours (both sympathetic and antagonistic) and Church members; extended scenes of Satanic rituals; and interviews with LaVey. The ritual scenes begin as interesting but quickly become stale and interminable and (most boringly) designed to titillate…a theme which re-emerges when members of the Church discuss sex and masturbation and, despite supposedly being advocates of the flesh liberated from Judeo-Christian conceptions of shame, giggle like pathetic teenagers (something which visibly irks LaVey as he tries to talk). In the end the only interesting pieces of the documentary (few and far between) are the interviews with LaVey himself as he waxes lyrical on the tenets of his Church with an energy and enthusiasm he would lose in later years, something evident in the still-patchy-but-much-better later documentary "Speak of the Devil" (www.imdb.com/title/tt0183811/reviews-4).All in all, I would only recommend "Satanis" to people who are already acquainted with the Church of Satan and want to get a feel of what the first few years must have been like as to those coming to the Church for the first time would be forgiven for not seeing the nuances and complexities inherent in the organization. I recommend the documentary "Speak of the Devil" for its more mature approach and focus on LaVey himself but for those really seeking knowledge on the Church I recommend the authoritative and comprehensive book "The Church of Satan" by Michael Aquino available to download for free. Shemhamforash indeed.

zeeboe82 "Satanis: The Devil's Mass" is a United States account concerning the "Church of Satan". It was released in 1970 and is directed and produced by Ray Laurent. It shows various clips of interviews of "Church of Satan" founder Anton LaVey's family, neighbors and "Church of Satan" members.I screened this picture for the first time ever tonight and I thought it was boring and a cure for insomnia. I've seen a lot of scary films and things in my personal life, so perhaps that's why the documentary didn't disturb me. I suppose if you've never viewed the kind of eccentric activities Mr. LaVey and his followers do, you may find the movie entertaining. I felt however that the only good part of the flick was when Anton LaVey talked about what he believes, but that's it.I realize in it's day, this might have been a scary and shocking flick since Satanism was a taboo subject. Be that as it may, standards have changed greatly in society, so anyone living today will most likely not be affected by it because it's tame compared to other projects.This motion picture is most likely not intended to be frightening, but to educate. However, I think most viewers who are not familiar with the topic mostly are going in for shocks and scares and it does not have that in my view. In any case, if you're needing to seriously study this subject, it makes for a good movie and will teach you what you need to know.

haildevilman Anton LaVey was one of the most intelligent men that ever walked this earth.Satanism got a bad rap because everyone thought they were mutants that only lived to kill babies and listen to bad heavy metal. La Vey sets the record straight by pointing out it's 'natural' inclinations.La Vey came off as the showman that he is. One gets the feeling he loves putting people on.I thought seeing the other (Unknown) people that joined him was interesting. The fact that folks from all walks of life joined his movement.This really should be seen by those who truly believe in freedom of religion. This shows a side of one of the most misrepresented religions that ever existed.