"YEAH! LETS ALL GANG UP ON THE KID WHO THINKS ITS BORING!" *Throws lunch box at mb_goatis*

Haha, anyway, I enjoyed it but I can see where mb_goatis is coming from. I never really enjoy much of the "old" style of documentary. (I swear the same guy narrated them all). I guess I liked "Satanis: The Devil's Mass" better because of the more friendly, humanizing way it showed LaVey sitting around with his friends, laughing, etc. (The part with Togare walking around the store in SotD was priceless though.)

I think one of the things I noticed, and I quite liked about Speak of the Devil, is that Dr. LaVey is the singular subject of the doco. In Satanis: The Devil's Mass, you have a lot of other people around him who seem, and I don't mean to be rude at all, like they're getting off on the fact they're associated with Dr. LaVey.

In SotD, I appreciate what I perceive to be Dr. LaVey's choice to be on his lonesome, discussing subjects without these people on the fringes of him. Seeing Magistra Barton posing questions about AHCs was nice, but for the most part the only person speaking is Dr. LaVey and I find that enjoyable.

"I'm wondering how many others have seen this and what are your views on it?"

I often feel as if I am viewing something that I am not supposed to be seeing. A rare treat inside of the world of a private man. The film is unique in every sense of the word. A return to understanding.

I enjoy the scene when Doktor LaVey dons his cape and stands before the sigil of Baphomet. With a simple approach and showmanship the vicarious viewer is quickly confronted with what they tuned in for! I also enjoy how Doktor LaVey touches on his affection for practical jokes and the Johnson, Smith and Company Catalogue. I enjoy Speak of the Devil from start to finish.

The CD "Satan Takes a Holiday" does not do justice to Dr. LaVey's abilities and talents. It was recorded at The Black House rather than a studio, at Doktors insistence. Yet it is also an important piece of Satanic history.

For those privileged enough to have seen and heard Herr Doktor at the key boards, especially at the organ housed in the Ritual Chamber, nothing compares. You would have wanted an entire night of film and sound capturing his unique performance. Try to imagine a personal organ rendition of "Hymn to the Satanic Empire" by Herr Doktor, with you sitting ten feet away...

The segment of Doktor playing in "Speak of the Devil" is far too short.

I have often imagined just that.

I envy you, Magister Phineas!

I must admit I loved it. There's something special about it. It ensures that his immortal spirit lives on in those who he won the respect of.

I can see why some find it hard to watch, but I believe that it stands the test of time. And his playing, well, I was definately moving along with the music. It must have been magic (of many sorts) to see him perform live.

It seems most people in this thread disagrees with my opinions. I stand by them too. Satanis was a much better documentary, and that is what I was comparing Speak of the Devil to. It was just not up to par with Satanis in my opinion.

I am not saying Anton LaVey was not a unique and amazing individual. I love reading stories about him just as most people here would. I am also not bashing Anton LaVey's amazing keyboard talent, it's just the quality (I am a bit of a audiophile) totally ruined the experience for me. I just didn't like how the documentary was put together. Maybe that is because I am of a younger generation; regardless, there is no need to gang up on me.


Thank you.

Although I disagree strongly with you, I thought I'd chime in to point out something besides the point.

Using the fact that you have stated an opinion as a defense not to be ragged on...well, what did you expect? If I told everyone here that, "In my opinion, the sky is black and dogs can't look up," what do you think the reaction would be? "Oh, that's just his opinion, so it's alright."? When you decide to share your opinion, an unfavorable one at that, towards a piece of art dearly loved by the majority of people who you are sharing it with, don't expect everyone to pat you on the back and hand you a snickers bar. The folks here are highly discerning and judgemental. And if you have learned anything about Satanism so far, you'd see that this is not considered a bad thing; it is in fact necessary in order to categorize things properly, including people.

Any "audophile"'s I have ever met would not be complaining about the low sound quality presented in the video. In fact, this kind of unpolished sound would be cherished among any whom I know. Just because something is clear and clean sounding does not necessarily make it superior, in my opinion. The hisses and cracks are what lend a lot of these things such personality.

You are free to have an opinion. You are free to like or hate anything you want. But the second you open your mouth about it, you are also free to be judged accordingly because of it. If you don't like this idea, look to the thousands of cry-baby whiners around you who are constantly bitching to and about each-other, or hell, even killing one another, because of a simple difference of opinion.

I don't see any Satanists among them.

I'll chime in.

I love this film (and anything with Doktor LaVey in it) and never find it "boring" for a multitude of reasons, but I'll share one I don't recall has been mentioned yet.

I do not find it boring, or have any objections to the technical quality aspects, for exactly the same reason I never get bored with or have problems with the quality of old 8mm home movies, taken before I was born, of close family members I will never get to meet or know.

This is aside from my interest in gleaning every possible shred of insight into Satanism straight from Doktor LaVey's mouth and learning everything I can about the history of my religion.

In a way, I consider Anton Szandor LaVey a kind of family member, the original scion of my clan, albeit one I did not and can never meet; so this is kind of an old family movie with everything that goes with that.

It really is quite a sentimentally evocative thing for me; and having been lucky enough to have met and talked to quite a few of those who were close personal friends of his, I never tire of hearing stories first hand from them either.

A wonderful film!

I enjoy being able to listen to Dr. LaVey speak because he kind of reminds me of my late grandpa, a sweet yet bold old man, and I would listen to him tell stories for hours if I could. What fascinates me the most is LaVey's manner of speaking. It's almost as though he is communicating at both the conscious and unconscious level, much in the same way an experienced hypnotist would communicate. I don't know if he did this knowingly or unconsciously, but he certainly did it, and in a way that is quite captivating: “Speak into the speaker, and your voice will come back to you."

The manner in which an opinion is given contributes greatly to the manner of response it receives.

Lets take a close look at yours.

You began with the following words: "You enjoyed that?".

This connotes disdain, a "what kind of a moron are you if you actually liked this" attitude on your part.

The same sentence ends with "it lasted much too long!. Couple that with the beginning of the sentence and you have a "was too long for that kind of crap" moment.

You end with a sentence that includes these words: "but if you're bored enough watch it" and "I don't plan on watching it again." This tells us the only way anyone should watch this is if they are totally bored and have nothing else to do, and that it is a total waste of time to do so in the first place.

Can you see why you raised some eyebrows? Had you said something to the effect as: "I had trouble getting into this because of the format and sound quality, I wish it had been done in a different way" perhaps the response would have been a little less aggressive.

Always remember - tread carefully amongst wolves.

Sure, the film quality of "Speak of the Devil" is dated, but I found it fascinating nonetheless. I noticed that "Satanis" was also mentioned in this thread. You can purchase it from Amazon for the low price of $4.99!

Wow, that's quite a bargain! I don't remember how much I paid but it was certainly more than that!

I suppose I didn't think my response would of been seen as that negative. Now that I have re-read my comment based on the view that you just described I can see why people may of seemed a bit put off by my comment. I apologize if that was how people were reading my comment. It does come off a bit rude.

I admit I just quickly wrote my responce with out very much thought going into it. Lesson learned.