Do You Know the Muffin Man?

Being a victim myself, every parent should be aware of the signs. This might be a good example. Maybe watch this one with your child, talk with them about the movie and look for the signs.

This is actually a really good movie with stellar performances by all involved.

The subject matter is convincing and uncomfortable.

Pam Dawber is great in her role, as is the rest of the cast.

Yet again, the legal system is put under the microscope, and makes you root for the kids in a big way.

But the premise is overplayed and tired.

Other than that, it is well written, well acted and deals with important matter.

But there is an infuriating ending which gives no answers, just leaves the viewer hanging.

I enjoyed the movie, but kept asking myself at the end: "Ummm.... Is this IT????????"

Back in the 80's, a wave of fear spread through North America with the belief that underground satanic cults were infiltrating all parts of society, including day-care centers. A rash of charges were brought against day-care workers all over the U. S., as well as Canada and other parts of the world on suspicion of sexually abusing children as part of organized satanic rituals. Despite children reporting fantastical and in some cases physically impossible occurrences, there were trials and many people did go to prison. Those who weren't found guilty, had their lives ruined. The satanic panic was all made possible by overzealous prosecutors, therapists, mental health workers, law enforcement, religious fundamentalists, and fearful parents. The media accepted it without any skepticism. However, there was little or no evidence ever found in any cases. No blood, no dead babies, no nothing. It was all mass hysteria. The idea of satanic ritual abuse was a hoax. Children were asked leading and suggestive questions, and often interviewed dozens of times. Children who said nothing happened, we're not believed. They were only believed after giving investigators the answers they wanted to hear. It was a modern day witch hunt.

Sadly this film is just one more example of how the media played a role in the satanic panic. When people abandon reason in favor of emotion and superstition, it can have terrible consequences. This movie creates a narrative that plays into the fears of the time and passes the story off as being based on facts. Besides wrongful convictions, one of the biggest tragedies of the satanic ritual abuse panic is that so many children in these cases may now as adults still believe that they were victims of SRA. How traumatic must that be? Finally, while police and prosecutors were chasing and charging people in imaginary satanic cults with horrific crimes, real cases of child abuse, often perpetrated by family members, went unpunished. I guess it's easier for people to accept that bad things happen in the world because of "the Devil", than to have to face and try to solve complex societal problems like poverty, income inequality, social justice, racism, and sexism.

A phoned-in cash-in of tabloid stories at the time, this film offers few crumbs of truth and little insight, not to mention no muffin man. Rather, it portrays an endevour recklessly persued by the film's supposed protagonists; children are woken from their sleep to answer traumatizing questions by their parents, and therapists ask more disturbing questions nonchalantly with dolls as props. Overall, this is just as entertaining as it is credible, and the so-bad-it's-good trope doesn't apply here. In fact, even Pam Dawber (Mork & Mindy) looks bored. The X-Files did something similar to this a few years after which was more interesting.

This is the worst film I have ever seen. The reason I disapprove of this film is because it automatically assumes that the characters who were accused of ritual abuse, (in that case), were guilty. It is based on the McMartin trial, although the makers of this film (CBS), do want to admit it. The only purpose of making this film was to destroy any chance of fair trial for the McMartin family.