Scream Greats, Vol. 2: Satanism and Witchcraft

It's been claimed that Fangoria magazine's Scream Greats Vol. 2 killed the series, but that is absolute nonsense. What ended it was not anger at and rejection of this installment by Fangoria readers and horror fans in general, but instead the company's own disinterest in continuing it. My pride in this is not just the fact that it features me and my then fledgling (one month old) Church of Satanic Liberation. Rather it is a valuable expose of factions on both ends of the spectrum - including mine, warts and all. That and the film clips are priceless.

In its initial release, the truly disturbing parts of this production were the obvious psychopaths claiming to have been witness to child sacrifice; acts which NEVER took place. According to an FBI report several years later, the whole "Satanic child abuse" hysteria was groundless, including reports by women claiming they'd been raised to be "breeders for Satan".

There are indeed comedic aspects. I believe the Warrens and Lady Rhea steal the show here, surpassing even my all too obvious drug induced (Comtrex and beer) ramblings. Why? They took their nonsense and themselves seriously. That was a trap I never allowed myself to fall into.

Overall, Scream Greats Vol. 2 is an interesting, important, and comical look into a major social issue of its time. Watch it with an open mind.