This movie doesn't contain much that's really exciting, much less surprising, about the early Church of Satan, but it does show LaVey and his cronies at a time when he was still optimistic and not cynical about the future of his organization. There are also great shots of the Black House during its heyday (before the "androids" took over) and some interesting footage of Togare the lion. The filmmakers seem to have decided that Satanism wasn't as shocking as they'd hoped, so they went for humor where possible, and that wears thin after a while. The interviews where LaVey speaks for himself are fairly good, but the interviews with other Church members are annoying and at times you can see the embarrassment on Anton's face when someone else speaks – nobody in this film, aside from LaVey and his family, went on to become any kind of leader in the tiny marginalized world of the Left Hand Path, and that should tell you something about the quality of membership in SF at the time. I still find it an interesting piece, but I think about 40 minutes could be shaved off without losing anything.

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.

For those of us who were turned on to Satanism after LaVey's death and never got a chance to see the infamous "black house" (now demolished) this is as close to it and its magic that we're going to get. The ritual sequences in this film are fantastic, the occasional infared camera work really adds to the diabolical mood. LaVey presents himself in this film as a sensitive soft spoken gentleman with a great sense of humor and a philosopher's mind, much to the dismay of many an armchair Christian. By contrast, the Christians interviewed in this film are stark, boring and dull. LaVey's flock are equally charming in this film and appear as a group of fun loving freaks who, with their arcane sense of individuality, have formed an elite think tank to be reckoned with. Each of them are truly a star in Crowley's sense of the word, as each of their colorful personalities demonstrate, (the adorable elderly woman reminds me of my grandmother). For those who want an introduction to Satanism this was/is the real deal. Shemhamforash! I give it a 9/10.