Satanic Panic
Rating: 2.5/5
Duration: 1 hr 28 mins
Director: Chelsea Stardust
Genre: Horror, Comedy
Release Date: 06.09.2019 (US)
Star Cast: AJ Bowen, Arden Myrin, Clarke Wolfe, Hannah Stocking, Hayley Griffith, Ruby Modine, Jerry O'Connell, Rebecca Romijn, Jeffrey Daniel Philips, Jordan Ladd, Michael Polish, Mike E. Winfield, Whitney Moore
Plot: Sam has been appointed as a driver for pizza delivery, but her very first day of the job isn’t going as per her plans. She has had a long working day with insatiable tips. Her final delivery of the day happens to be at the place of a Satanist group, who are looking for a virgin woman for sacrificing. Now, Sam is left with no choice, but to fight to save her life. She has to fend off the demonic creatures, evil spells, and witches while struggling to have her soul and body intact.
Review: Either unintentionally or intentionally, horror movies have always manifested the society wherein they were created, tackling the themes essential for all the generations of film enthusiasts. How explicit a horror film is regarding its broader themes majorly depends upon the creators of the movie.
Written by Grady Hendrix and directed by Chelsea Stardust, Satanic Panic hits the audience over their head due to its themes. The overarching ideas of the film get chaotic due to all the demonic horror rituals. Ultimately, Satanic Panic happens to be a schlocky, gory, and entertaining horror film, though the message it tries to give regarding generational divides evaporates in the chaos.
The movie showcases the skills of Stardust with the low-capital horror films, often veering into schlocky bloodshed, which is blatant than scary. That being said, however, the talent of the director shines like a star in one specific tense scene where Gypsy makes use of a peculiar ritual in an attempt to murder Judi and Sam hurriedly starts scribbling symbols on the skin of her friend to protect her. The emotional monologue of Sam, in which she shares her back-story with Judi, compels the audience to think how Satanic Panic would have been if it had decided on playing the witchy demonic ritual less campy and more straight. The script of Hendrix is more aimed at fitting into the horror, comedy genre and it is quite serviceable.
The most powerful aspect of Satanic Panic is the performances of its characters. Actress Hayley Griffith portrays the underlying strengths of Sam brilliantly all through the film. Rebecca Romijn has all the fun on her plate as the gracefully evil Danica. Arden Myrin is also delightfully devious, carrying out her role quite well. Actress Ruby Modine looks endearingly confident, playing the role of the arrogant Judi. Actor Jerry O’ Connell also renders an appealing performance as Samuel Ross, the husband of Danica. Coming to the supporting actors, a lot of overacting can be witnessed, which cheapens the film to some extent, majorly as it becomes uncertain if all that was actually intended or was accidental. Overall, the cast does a good job for most of the parts, especially the duos of Romijn and Myrin and Griffith and Modine.
All in all, the horror film Satanic Panic is somewhat messy and struggles hard with its messages and themes. Although the unarranged messages can be quite distracting and confusing, the movie is considerably entertaining and well-paced. Satanic Panic may not be a good-watch for all and would most likely be entertaining for those viewers who are fans of this genre. The movie can take the audience for an enjoyable ride, but it does not have sufficient substance to really stand out.
