History Main / SatanicPanic

* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'': In [[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS3E11Gingerbread "Gingerbread"]], a demon takes the form of two seemingly sacrificed children and uses that disguise to trick the parents of Sunnydale into turning on the witches in town (such as Buffy's best friend Willow and side characters Amy and Michael). Until the demon is defeated, Sunnydale was in a full-on panic complete with an attempted [[BurnTheWitch witch burning]].

* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'': In [[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS3E11Gingerbread "Gingerbread"]], a demon takes the form of two children and uses that disguise to trick the parents of Sunnydale to turn on the witches in town (such as Buffy's best friend Willow and side characters Amy and Michael). Until the demon is defeated, Sunnydale was in a full-on panic complete with an attempted [[BurnTheWitch witch burning]].

* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'': In [[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS3E11Gingerbread "Gingerbread"]], a demon takes the form of two children and uses that disguise to trick the parents of Sunnyvale to turn on the witches in town. Until the demon is defeated, Sunnyvale was in a full-on panic complete with a witch burning.

* Music/{{Ghost}} {{lampshade|Hanging}} the concept in the title of their 2019 EP ''Seven Inches of Satanic Panic'', although in the band's lore it's a re-release of their first EP from 1969 and its first song, "Kiss the Go-Goat", has obvious Satanic references.

* ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'' - "Hilloween". An [[Literature/{{Misery}} Annie Wilkes]] {{Expy}} wanted to ban Halloween in Arlen because she claimed Satanists use it to corrupt children. After accidentally running over her own dog, she presents the corpse as "proof" of animal sacrifices.

* In ''Film/SatanicPanic2019'', rich people who obtain their power and wealth through the worship of Satan and offerings of human sacrifices.

** He also wrote a film literally titled ''Film/{{Satanic Panic|2019}}'' (no relation to the film listed under Live-Action Film), though it has little to do with this trope, instead being a HorrorComedy about {{Hollywood Satanis|m}}t {{Rich Bitch}}es in StepfordSuburbia who try to sacrifice a pizza delivery girl.

It finally died out in mass culture after being largely discredited by the TurnOfTheMillennium, though it still features heavily throughout media, especially for a GenreThrowback or RippedFromTheHeadlines storylines. Certain elements of the Panic -- namely, ''literally'' unbelievably widespread child abuse[[note]]-- that children are abused is, sadly, undeniably true; but if children were being abused and murdered on the scale alleged, it would be impossible to conceal[[/note]]; allegations made against celebrities and other prominent public figures; and the notion that a vast shadowy "them" is simultaneously concealing all evidence of these crimes, and also publicly confessing to them via coded messages -- have surfaced again recently in the [=QAnon=] conspiracy theory. It is likely that both are influenced by the far older anti-semitic [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_libel Blood Libel]], and Satanic Panic accusations often resembled historical WitchHunt claims as well. Indeed, some promoters of [=QAnon=] have explicitly described it as being a Satanic conspiracy, setting it up to be a case of [[HistoryRepeats history repeating]] - though others have [[ConspiracyKitchenSink a wide variety of alternative explanations]]. And, as with the Panic, people can be drawn in by the reasonable-sounding premise that ''if'' [[ThinkOfTheChildren something bad is happening to children]], we should surely investigate it, a premise that experiences some problems in light of, for example, [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McMartin_preschool_trial the [=McMartin=] Preschool case]], or the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pizzagate_conspiracy_theory#Criminal_responses Comet Ping Pong shooting incident]].

It finally died out in mass culture after being largely discredited by the TurnOfTheMillennium, though it still features heavily throughout media, especially for a GenreThrowback or RippedFromTheHeadlines storylines. Certain elements of the Panic -- namely, ''literally'' unbelievably widespread child abuse[[note]]-- that children are abused is, sadly, undeniably true; but if children were being abused and murdered on the scale alleged, it would be impossible to conceal[[/note]]; allegations made against celebrities and other prominent public figures; and the notion that a vast shadowy "them" is simultaneously concealing all evidence of these crimes, and also publicly confessing to them via coded messages -- have surfaced again recently in the [=QAnon=] conspiracy theory. It is likely that both are influenced by the far older anti-semitic [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_libel Blood Libel]], and Satanic Panic accusations resembled historical WitchHunt claims as well quite often too.

* ''[[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117293/ Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills]]'' was an Creator/{{HBO}} documetnary about how {{Goth}} teens were railroaded into being sentenced for murder because they were nonconformist, accused of Satanic worship.

It finally died out in mass culture after being largely discredited by the TurnOfTheMillennium, though it still features heavily throughout media, especially for a GenreThrowback or RippedFromTheHeadlines storylines. Certain elements of the Panic - namely, ''literally'' unbelievably widespread child abuse[[note]]- that children are abused is, sadly, undeniably true; but if children were being abused and murdered on the scale alleged, it would be impossible to conceal[[/note]]; allegations made against celebrities and other prominent public figures; and the notion that a vast shadowy "them" is simultaneously concealing all evidence of these crimes, and also publicly confessing to them via coded messages -- have surfaced again recently in the [=QAnon=] conspiracy theory. It is likely that both are influenced by the far older anti-semitic [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_libel Blood Libel]], and Satanic Panic accusations resembled historical WitchHunt claims as well quite often too.

It finally died out in mass culture after being largely discredited by the TurnOfTheMillennium, though it still features heavily throughout media, especially for a GenreThrowback or RippedFromTheHeadlines storylines. Certain elements of the Panic - namely, ''literally'' unbelievably widespread child abuse[[note]]- that children are abused is, sadly, undeniably true; but if children were being abused and murdered on the scale alleged, it would be impossible to conceal[[/note]]; allegations made against celebrities and other prominent public figures; and the notion that a vast shadowy "them" is simultaneously concealing all evidence of these crimes, and also publicly confessing to them via coded messages - have surfaced again recently in the [=QAnon=] conspiracy theory. It is likely that both are influenced by the far older anti-semitic [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_libel Blood Libel]], and Satanic Panic accusations resembled historical WitchHunt claims as well quite often too.

* Music/LilNasX reignited the Satanic Panic in mainstream media in 2021 with the music video for his single "Montero (Call Me By Your Name)", an allegorical video about his sexuality rich in Biblical and Greco-Roman imagery, which ends with him descending to hell and giving Satan a lap dance.

In * ''Film/SatanicPanic2019'', rich people who obtain their power and wealth through the worship of Satan and offerings of human sacrifices.

* Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer - in [[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS3E11Gingerbread "Gingerbread"]], a demon takes the form of two children and uses that disguise to trick the parents of Sunnyvale to turn on the witches in town. Until the demon is defeated, Sunnyvale was in a full-on panic complete with a witch burning.

It finally died out in mass culture after being largely discredited the TurnOfTheMillennium, though it still features heavily throughout media, especially for a GenreThrowback or RippedFromTheHeadlines storylines. Certain elements of the Panic - namely, ''literally'' unbelievably widespread child abuse[[note]]- that children are abused is, sadly, undeniably true; but if children were being abused and murdered on the scale alleged, it would be impossible to conceal[[/note]]; allegations made against celebrities and other prominent public figures; and the notion that a vast shadowy "them" is simultaneously concealing all evidence of these crimes, and also publicly confessing to them via coded messages - have surfaced again recently in the [=QAnon=] conspiracy theory. It is likely that both are influenced by the far older anti-semitic [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_libel Blood Libel]], and Satanic Panic accusations resembled historical WitchHunt claims as well quite often too.

* ''Series/Dark2017:''' In the 1980s storyline of the series, Egon Tiedemann, a rather conservative and incompetent policeman, believes that the mysterious death of an entire flock of sheep is connected to a satanic ritual, with local teenage ruffian Ulrich Nielsen, who listens to heavy metal music with violent lyrics, as his prime suspect. However, this is presented as Egon's personal quirk rather than a widespread panic, as none of the other characters seem to share his concerns about Satanism.

It finally died out in mass culture after being largely discredited the TurnOfTheMillennium, though it still features heavily throughout media, especially for a GenreThrowback or RippedFromTheHeadlines storylines. Certain elements of the Panic - namely, ''literally'' unbelievably widespread child abuse[[note]]- that children are abused is, sadly, undeniably true; but if children were being abused and murdered on the scale alleged, it would be impossible to conceal[[/note]]; allegations made against celebrities and other prominent public figures; and the notion that a vast shadowy "them" is simultaneously concealing all evidence of these crimes, and also publicly confessing to them via coded messages - have surfaced again recently in the [=QAnon=] conspiracy theory. It is likely that both are influenced by the far older anti-semitic [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_libel Blood Libel]].

* Creator/GradyHendrix frequently references the Satanic Panic in his work:

* Tipper Gore, wife of UsefulNotes/AlGore, organized the Filthy Fifteen. Although most of the songs were placed on the list for sexual explicitness or drug use, Music/{{Venom}}'s "Possessed" and [[Music/KingDiamond MercifulFate]]'s "Into the Coven" were put on for encouraging "the occult".

* Tipper Gore, wife of UsefulNotes/AlGore, organized the Filthy Fifteen. Although some music was placed on the list for sexual explicitness or drug use, others were put on for encouraging "the occult", such as Music/BlackSabbath and Music/JudasPriest.

It finally died out in mass culture after being largely discredited the TurnOfTheMillennium, though it still features heavily throughout media, especially for a GenreThrowback or RippedFromTheHeadlines storylines.

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* ''ComicBook/ChickTracts'' exploited every example of the Satanic Panic imaginable, describing the Vatican as a huge child-sacrifice cult, there are HumanSacrifice cults everywhere, and ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' is a front for Satanism.

* Invoked in ''Film/TheLastExorcism''. Cotton is a firm believer that any so-called possessions are evidence of this, and that Ashley is acting out because she has been [[RapeLeadsToInsanity raped]] potentially by her [[VillainousIncest father or brother]] and the supposed supernatural activity is simply her doing. [[spoiler:But it's ultimately a straight example, as there really is a Satanic cult around that impregnated Ashley, including Ashley's own brother.]]

* ''Film/SatanicPanic'' opens with a narration insisting that the 1980s' panic was in fact based on real events and unsolved crimes, before telling the story of a camp being hunted by insane Satanists.
* ''Film/TheSisterhoodOfNight'': Emily accuses the girls of sexual molestation and witchcraft because Mary wouldn't let her into the group. It unleashes a panic that gets on the news, and [[spoiler:Lavinia]] is forced to confess then commits suicide.

* ''Literature/SecretsNotMeantToBeKept'': Subverted. Although VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory of Satanic ritual abuse, the book actually omits any mention of Satan. Actions that were believed in real life to be Satanic are discussed as just being forms of terrorizing the victims fo abuse.

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