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.
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 review
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.
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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
- Runtime1 hour 36 minutes
- Color
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Top Gap
By what name was The Occult Experience (1985) officially released in Canada in English?
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