From Jeff Nelson

The media frequently concocts its own notions surrounding the Church of Satan, collecting Satanists under a single image primarily under the fictional horror umbrella’s definition. Director Scott Cummings seeks the humanity within the religious group in his experimental documentary titled Realm of Satan. However, its offbeat approach does a disservice to the subject.

Realm of Satan marks Cummings’ feature-length directorial debut, utilizing video portraits to unveil the personal and spiritual lives of individual Satanists. The images captured seek to connect the participants with their magical environments that preserve their lifestyle.

“A glow of new light is borne out of the night and Lucifer is risen, once more to proclaim: ‘This is the age of Satan! Satan Rules the Earth!,’” reads Anton Lavey’s The Satanic Bible. A baby goat’s birth opens the film, which holds symbolic meaning for both their religion and their personal journeys. 

The opening credits introduce each Satanist, but we never learn much of anything particularly substantial over the course of the film’s 80-minute runtime. There are short vignettes of sorts in the form of video portraits, which weave magical rituals and chanting with mundane tasks, such as hanging laundry and watering the garden. 

Space and setting are critical themes in Realm of Satan, holding much of the documentary’s intrigue. We’re given small peeks into certain living areas filled with peculiar decorations, and the longer the camera lingers on these shots, the more our eyes pick up on small details that speak volumes on the subject. 

Cummings steers clear of the spoken word apart from the occasional ritualistic ceremony, leveraging imagery and symbolism over verbal conversations. However, we’re never given any insight into the Church of Satan, its members, or how the community’s morals and values translate into their lives. Rather, these vignettes only offer a static snapshot, failing to dive deeper into their world. The closest we get to actually learning anything is watching a member watch a video on a television screen slanted from our view, offering us a second-hand viewing of its content.

Realm of Satan’s experimental methods limit an otherwise fascinating subject matter. It desperately screams for greater inquiry into the community and the members’ lifestyles. Cummings contrasts mysticism with mundanity, presenting a rather one-note documentary that leaves us with an unaffecting experience.

Rating: 2/5

Realm of Satan played at Sundance 2024 on January 21st, 2024.

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