Podcast Summary: American History Hit
Episode: "What Was the Satanic Panic?"
Date: November 20, 2025
Host: Don Wildman
Guest: Dr. Joseph Laycock, Associate Professor of Religious Studies, Texas State University
Episode Overview
This episode explores the origins, escalation, and long-lasting effects of the "Satanic Panic" in America—a period between the 1960s and 1980s when fears of occult conspiracies, ritual abuse, and devil worship spread through media, politics, and daily life. Host Don Wildman is joined by Dr. Joseph Laycock, whose scholarship on new religious movements provides depth on the panic’s roots and why these conspiracies persist even today.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Historical Roots and Pop Culture Impact (04:52–08:02)
- Origins Long Before the 1980s:
Dr. Laycock traces early seeds of Satanic conspiracy to pulp fiction of the 1920s (H.P. Lovecraft), but points to a turning point with Roman Polanski's 1968 film "Rosemary’s Baby."- Quote: "Most historians would say this really begins with the film Rosemary’s Baby in 1968... The Satanists in that film do not wear black cloaks...they’re literally your neighbors." — Dr. Laycock, 05:01
- Sensational events like the Manson Family murders and the founding of the Church of Satan (Anton LaVey, 1966) fueled public imagination.
- Celebrities like Sammy Davis Jr. participated for the social scene, not out of true occult ties.
- By 1970, groups like the John Birch Society began linking Polanski, LaVey, and Manson as part of a supposed vast conspiracy.
2. Shift from Commercialization to Moral Panic (08:02–09:01)
- Through the '60s and '70s, Satan and occultism were often treated as pop culture—Black Sabbath, Coven, and "The Exorcist."
- Escalating cultural anxieties (women’s liberation, changing family structures, economic recession) set fertile ground for a shift from ironic Satan chic into mass paranoia.
3. "Michelle Remembers" and the Birth of Ritual Abuse Fears (09:01–14:44)
- In 1980, the book Michelle Remembers jumps from dubious therapy sessions to popularizing the idea of “satanic ritual abuse.”
- Quote: "There are these Satanists living among us. They hide in plain sight and they torture children..." — Dr. Laycock, 10:58
- The book's claims—including portals to hell opening and miraculous rescues—were fact-checked and quickly fell apart, but not before igniting a new diagnostic industry and law enforcement crusade.
- Real-life evidence (yearbook photos, testimony of the subject's sisters, lack of missing persons with claimed injuries) contradicted the book.
- Quote: "This story completely falls apart, and almost nothing from it could be verified." — Dr. Laycock, 13:04
4. The McMartin Preschool Trial and Absurd Allegations (16:00–19:46)
- The McMartin Preschool case (Manhattan Beach, CA, 1983) exemplified the hysteria:
- An accusation based on a toddler’s rash escalated into hundreds of child abuse charges, claims of underground tunnels, and allegations of satanic ritual, all unsupported by evidence.
- Quote: "They end up arresting the entire McMartin family with something like three hundred and fifty counts of child abuse...eventually the case completely collapses." — Dr. Laycock, 18:05
- The family was exonerated after seven years, but their lives and business destroyed; vigilantes burned down the preschool.
5. The Media’s Role, Loss of Objectivity, and "Satanic Panic" Defined (22:32–25:44)
- The term “Satanic Panic” arose only after the hysteria was revealed to be baseless.
- Removal of the Fairness Doctrine in the 1980s fueled one-sided, sensational media treatments (Geraldo Rivera, 1988; 20/20’s Hugh Downs).
- Quote: "It’s really a masterclass in...using music and collages of images to really make people feel like we are a nation under Siege." — Dr. Laycock, 23:35
6. Societal Factors and Unlikely Alliances (25:44–28:09)
- Sociologists argue the panic was about anxieties over growing reliance on childcare, new awareness of child abuse, and shifting authority away from the traditional family.
- An “unholy alliance” formed: fundamentalist Christians, helping professionals, and feminists—all, for different reasons, promoted absolute belief in victim testimony and hysteria over the occult as threat.
7. Political Exploitation and Enduring Power of "Cosmic Evil" (28:09–31:49)
- The growth of the new Christian right and Moral Majority merged demonology with political rhetoric.
- Quote: "We are actually in a war against the forces of cosmic evil." — Dr. Laycock, 28:41
- Wildman and Laycock agree that assigning blame to "evil" offers a crude but emotionally satisfying scapegoat, obscuring complex social problems and inviting witch hunts.
8. Historical Parallels: Witch Hunts and The Accusation of Child Abuse (31:49–34:15)
- Accusations of ritual child murder recur throughout Western history—ancient anti-Christian tropes, medieval blood libel, and modern Satanic panic.
- Quote: "It seems that in some ways, we are kind of hardwired to tell the same story over and over again for thousands of years..." — Dr. Laycock, 32:01
- Such stories tacitly reassure in-group members of their goodness by demonizing perceived outsiders.
9. Enduring Belief in the Devil and Contemporary Manifestations (34:15–39:56)
- Belief in the literal devil, demonic possession, and the Antichrist is still widespread—stronger among those with less social and economic power.
- Quote: "People who have been kind of left behind by society are the ones who are going to be more likely to see their problems...as a battle against the cosmic forces of evil." — Dr. Laycock, 34:54
- Dungeons & Dragons and role-playing games came under fire, blamed for suicides and creating new avenues for "tempting youth" (reference to "Mazes and Monsters" and press campaigns).
- Ironically, the game’s creators were devout Christians; panic was fueled by moral entrepreneurs exploiting kids with no platform to defend their hobby.
10. Lingering Echoes and the New Satanic Panics (39:56–42:15)
- Law enforcement and courts may be more skeptical, but jurors and public imagination are still deeply susceptible to the rhetoric of satanic threat.
- Political actors have weaponized these fears; conspiracy movements like QAnon and even Russian wartime propaganda echo the tropes and techniques of Satanic Panic.
- Quote: "QAnon as a direct continuation of the Satanic panic. The difference is that it is weaponized politically...We can affect the outcome of elections with this." — Dr. Laycock, 41:16_
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- 05:01: "Most historians would say this really begins with the film Rosemary’s Baby in 1968...the Satanists in that film...are literally your neighbors."
- 10:58: "There are these Satanists living among us. They hide in plain sight and they torture children...this alternate personality becomes an agent of the cult."
- 13:04: "...this story completely falls apart, and almost nothing from it could be verified."
- 18:05: "...they end up arresting the entire McMartin family with something like three hundred and fifty counts of child abuse...eventually the case completely collapses."
- 23:35: "...a masterclass in...using music and collages...to make people feel like we are a nation under Siege."
- 28:41: "We are actually in a war against the forces of cosmic evil."
- 32:01: "We are kind of hardwired to tell the same story...for thousands of years...these people walking amongst us...are doing the most horrible things..."
- 34:54: "People...left behind by society are...more likely to see...a battle against the cosmic forces of evil."
- 41:16: "QAnon as a direct continuation of the Satanic Panic...it is weaponized politically...we can affect the outcome of elections with this."
Timestamps for Major Segments
- 04:52: Laycock introduces the historical and cultural origins of Satanic Panic.
- 09:01: The emergence of “satanic ritual abuse”—Michelle Remembers and its fallout.
- 16:00: McMartin Preschool case: the peak of the panic and its destructive impact.
- 22:32: Media’s role and how the “Satanic Panic” label emerges.
- 25:44: Societal, economic, and political drivers of the panic.
- 31:49: Historical cycles of child abuse accusations and patterns of moral panics.
- 34:15: Belief in Satan’s literal existence and its social correlates.
- 35:50: Dungeons & Dragons scapegoated; moral panic around youth hobbies.
- 39:56: Contemporary echoes: QAnon, Russian propaganda, and why panic persists.
Concluding Note
Dr. Laycock and Don Wildman articulate that while American society may be less likely to convict on mere allegations of Satanism than in the past, the psychological and societal factors that drove the Satanic Panic have not disappeared. Contemporary conspiracy theories and political rhetoric continue to harness these primal fears.
Where to find more:
Dr. Joseph Laycock’s books and research are accessible online; he encourages listeners to simply search his name for his academic and public work.
Tone and Style: The episode veers between chilling historical detail, clear-eyed skepticism, and an empathetic exploration of why societies invent and revisit such specters. Wildman’s conversational approach encourages both critical analysis and reflection on ongoing social anxieties.