Hunting Warhead

Hunting Warhead Introduces: The Devil You Know with Sarah Marshall

Oct 28, 2025
Diane, a photographer and arts educator, shares her harrowing experience in rural Kentucky during the satanic panic of 1988, where unfounded rumors led to her abrupt departure from a teaching residency. Patrick Balch, a local, adds depth with his memories of the panic and the filming of Next of Kin. They discuss how media amplified fear, the chilling impact of false accusations, and how normal events were twisted into sinister narratives. Their insights reveal the societal anxieties that fueled this moral panic, highlighting the strain it placed on innocent lives.
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ANECDOTE

Photographer Driven Out By Rumors

  • Diane, a Cincinnati photographer, taught photography in rural Kentucky and was warmly received at first.
  • She fled after local teachers and townspeople warned her she might be abducted or accused of satanic motives.
INSIGHT

Panic Rooted In Social Anxiety

  • Mary DeYoung links the satanic panic to social change, economic stress, and shifting family structures.
  • Experts amplified fears by creating new diagnostic categories like "ritual abuse."
INSIGHT

Experts Propagated The Moral Panic

  • Professionals and self-styled experts trained others to find Satanic evidence, priming communities to believe allegations.
  • That institutional cascade made communities ready to act on flimsy or misread signs.
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