Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

Anton LaVey and his followers in the Church of Satan(..lovingly called "the Black House") are the focus of this rambling, flatly photographed documentary featuring interviews from them and neighbors who live nearby in San Francisco. We listen to them explain their philosophy in detail, how they feel about Christianity(..and Christians themselves) and how it relates to Satanism, performing various ceremonial rituals, not to mention the documentary visualizes the decor and lifestyle of those who are a part of this church. The interviews range from interesting and informative, to tedious and long-winded. The ceremonies they perform are rather unflattering(..mainly because those involved in the church, the women often nude, aren't exactly beauty queens)and vulgar, LaVey reading from texts, wardrobed in a black cap, wearing horns. Neighbors offer their tales regarding the church, the documentarian Ray Laurent getting points of view besides the Satanists. This is the kind of documentary which allows those interviewed a platform to speak their minds. The sound isn't the best in the world, and it's quite a free exercise in a lack of restraint, not polished, in need of some work regarding voices overlapping(..it's bad enough that the sound is poor, but to not hear what the subjects are saying because they are talking over each other makes matters more difficult). This is quite an obscure relic, a peek into a very different way of life, where those interviewed consider themselves not the abnormal sect of society, but right the opposite. An opinion well established and repeated time and again, particularly by LaVey, is the idea of embracing your carnal thoughts and feelings, despite how others as a whole might react to engaging in such lusts and activity. Laurent, to his credit, doesn't judge either side, and merely films those interviewed, allowing us to hear from different people. The situation with the lion is rather amusing, but I had grown intolerant(..an emotional feeling LaVey wasn't fond of)with the repulsive nakedness after a while.

Having spoken a well-read LaVey satanist in a Gothic pub one time, I figured I somehow understood what LaVey satanism was all about. It's just an expression of your hedonistic self. "Satan" is just a reference to self-indulgence and symbolic for the counter-cultural nature of this philosophy. It is just a way to separate the really enlightened individuals, who come to realize that self-indulgence is the highest form of existence. Or so he told me.Yet when I saw this video, I felt like LaVey was nothing but an adult with the mind of an adolescent, screwing around and inventing all sorts of generic rituals to incorporate into his "religion" just to shock the WASP environment and just to get off as his exhibitionist self with his friends and associates. This was not how I imagined LaVey to be and it really made me lose the last respect I still have for this guy.Considering this film is just a "shockumentary" filmed in the most boring way possible, it's hard to give any rating higher than a 2. The only reason I still give it a 2 instead of a 1 is the somewhat entertaining value of seeing a bunch of adults involved in the most ridiculous of rituals.

"Satanis: The Devil's Mass" is a United States account concerning the "Church of Satan". It was released in 1970 and is directed and produced by Ray Laurent. It shows various clips of interviews of "Church of Satan" founder Anton LaVey's family, neighbors and "Church of Satan" members.I screened this picture for the first time ever tonight and I thought it was boring and a cure for insomnia. I've seen a lot of scary films and things in my personal life, so perhaps that's why the documentary didn't disturb me. I suppose if you've never viewed the kind of eccentric activities Mr. LaVey and his followers do, you may find the movie entertaining. I felt however that the only good part of the flick was when Anton LaVey talked about what he believes, but that's it.I realize in it's day, this might have been a scary and shocking flick since Satanism was a taboo subject. Be that as it may, standards have changed greatly in society, so anyone living today will most likely not be affected by it because it's tame compared to other projects.This motion picture is most likely not intended to be frightening, but to educate. However, I think most viewers who are not familiar with the topic mostly are going in for shocks and scares and it does not have that in my view. In any case, if you're needing to seriously study this subject, it makes for a good movie and will teach you what you need to know.

Anton LaVey was one of the most intelligent men that ever walked this earth.Satanism got a bad rap because everyone thought they were mutants that only lived to kill babies and listen to bad heavy metal. La Vey sets the record straight by pointing out it's 'natural' inclinations.La Vey came off as the showman that he is. One gets the feeling he loves putting people on.I thought seeing the other (Unknown) people that joined him was interesting. The fact that folks from all walks of life joined his movement.This really should be seen by those who truly believe in freedom of religion. This shows a side of one of the most misrepresented religions that ever existed.