An examination of occultism as practiced in different parts of the world.An examination of occultism as practiced in different parts of the world.An examination of occultism as practiced in different parts of the world.
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Anton LaVey
- Self
- (archive footage)
- (as Anton La Vey)
Dean Shilton
- Self - Anglican Church
- (as Rev. Dean Shilton)
Rosaleen Norton
- Self - Witch
- (archive footage)
Joan Halifax
- Self - Anthropologist
- (as Dr. Joan Halifax)
Michael Harner
- Self - Shaman
- (as Dr. Michael Harner)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Featured reviews
This documentary is non-biased and non-judgmental look at the occult today. Featuring interviews with the people who started the neo-pagan/Wicca movement like Selena Fox, Z. Budapest and the Ferrows, along with various other pagan-Goddess worshipping or "White Magic" sects from around the world. There is also an extremely interesting segment of the documentary that explores the shrouded history of Satanism and talks to members including he famed Anton LaVey, about Satanism today and its future. Other fascinating segments of the documentary talk about how the occult inspired the art of H.R. Giger and it discusses spirit channeling with Alex Sanders among other things. If this documentary were readily available I would highly recommend The Occult Experience to anyone who is interested in understanding the Occult without having any opinions (be it positive or negative) about the subject matter. It's well done, thoroughly researched and very entertaining. But unfortunately it is no where to be found.
Wonderful historic document on early 1980s Wicca and neo paganism. A little dated and the narrator has a voice more appropriate for a horror movie than a documentary. Highly recommended.
This was a spectacular look at the occult scene in the 80s. There were great shots of individuals going through different practices and rituals. Seeing the obvious revolt against the societal norms that preceded this time frame, along with being able to see how current counter culture is possibly revolting against the norms that came about through the generation being documented, is truly enlightening. Would be awesome to see a follow up of what happened to all the people in the documentary.
Overall a great documentary. Wish it could have been a series with a more in depth look at some of the individuals. Highly recommended.
Overall a great documentary. Wish it could have been a series with a more in depth look at some of the individuals. Highly recommended.
I don't share marchain_ca's views about this film. At no point did they mention that wiccan covens "pour blood on people, deflower virgins, sacrifice animals, or torture prostitutes" nor did every scene have "torture, nudity, or satanism" in it. This movie interviewed many key people in the witchcraft community and they presented the religion very well. There are many different sects of witchcraft, some of which DO practice in the nude because naturally, that's how you came into this world and witchcraft is a nature based religion. This movie was about exploring the occult, not just witchcraft. Although, it did seem to concentrate on Wicca and Satanism, I don't believe it was because the person who created it was a devout Catholic. If that were true, I don't think they could've secured the interviews that they did nor do I think they would've included the exorcism scene. However, I think the Anton Lavey interview may have been taken from another documentary about Satanism, but I'm not sure. I do agree that the film was shot in a somewhat dark and creepy fashion and might be better off if it was a bit "lighter". I think the director probably made this film as a documentary for TV and therefore needed some sort of theatrical element to keep the general populace interested. The movie is kinda creepy. I study all different types of religions and do not adhere to one path because I think they all have good ideas. Because of this, I also know that many people have many different misconceptions about the religions presented in this documentary. I think this movie does a good job of clearing up some of those misconceptions up and would recommend it to anyone who's interested in seeing these religions from a different point of view. I actually found this movie used on VHS and try to show it to everyone I can who I know (hope) won't be freaked out by it. I do think they could've included more religions in this film, but maybe there's another one out there that could do that.
10buddha32
This is a fantastic, yet somewhat herd to find documentary on the Occult in America. Running the gamut to include Wicca and Pagan religions (Alex Sanders makes an appearance as do Janet and Stewart Ferrar), Satanism in various forms (Anton LaVey, founder of the Church of Satan, and Michael Acquino, founder of the Temple of Set), and the occult-influenced art of H.R. Gieger (best known for creating the Alien from "Alien"), this film is informative, entertaining, and a must see for anyone with an interest in magic and the occult.
Did you know
- TriviaThis film is mentioned in The Blair Witch Project tie-in book of the same name. Heather's journal notes she rented it from Blockbuster just days before she went into the Black Hills.
- ConnectionsFeatures Satanis: The Devil's Mass (1970)
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Frank Heimans and Nevill Drury's the Occult Experience
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime
- 1h 36m(96 min)
- Color
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