Hail Satan?

In August of last year, a statue of Baphomet – a goat-headed, winged creature – was placed alongside a monument depicting the Ten Commandments at the Capitol Building in America. A lighthearted protest by The Satanic Temple: against religious intolerance and for the separation of church and state. The Temple was co-founded by social activist Lucien Greaves and over the course of six years evolved from a small-scale media stunt into an internationally recognised religion with hundreds of thousands of devotees. At the same time, it is one of the most controversial religious movements in American history – or is it really a religion? Or a sect? Performance art? What is The Satanic Temple in fact?

Filmmaker Penny Lane, who has been making innovative non-fiction films for ten years now, was given exclusive access to this mysterious group. She follows the preparations for the Baphomet stunt, witnesses strange rituals and has candid discussions with charming members and former members of the Temple in this entertaining documentary, which also tackles serious issues.