Despite its admittedly provocative title, the documentary Hail, Satan? is not an endorsement of devil worship. It is, however, a funny, nuanced, sympathetic look at the people behind the Satanic Temple, an organization that may have originally started out as trolling, but has evolved into a grassroots movement advocating for the separation of church and state in the United States.
Directed by Penny Lane, Hail, Satan? follows the lives of people in the Satanic Temple, a group committed to freedom of expression and secular values. In this clip, a man in a Baphomet headpiece (Baphomet is the goat-like demon associated with the temple) arrives at a rally at the state capitol for then-Florida Gov. Rick Scott, announcing, “We’re here to spread a message of good will and benevolence and open-mindedness and free expression.” The rally was held in support of Gov. Scott for signing a bill that allows for prayer in schools, which the Satanists “supported” due to the belief that it would encourage the expression of Satanic principles.
“We honor Gov. Rick Scott — hail Satan, Rick! — for providing us the opportunity to make the Satanic cause clear and make our presence known,” the spokesperson for the Satanic Temple says in the speech.
