You're Wrong About Introducing: The Devil You Know with Sarah Marshall
Oct 28, 2025
Join Sarah Marshall as she chats with Patrick Balch, a local of Hazard, Kentucky, who shares firsthand experiences of the weird rumors surrounding the community during a film production. Mary DeYoung, a Professor Emeritus of Sociology, dives deep into how social dynamics fueled the satanic panic, revealing why children became central to the fears. Together, they explore the impact of media sensationalism and small-town gossip, shedding light on a moral panic that turned mundane events into terrifying accusations. A fascinating look at a bizarre chapter in history!
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Photographer Chased Out By Satan Rumors
- Diane, a Cincinnati photographer, drove into rural Kentucky in 1988 to teach photography under an arts grant.
- She was asked to leave abruptly after locals suspected her of targeting blonde, blue-eyed girls for satanic sacrifice.
How Panics Multiply Locally
- The satanic panic combined rumor, media, and professional authority into a self-reinforcing moral panic.
- Individuals experienced wildly different versions, showing how a national story fragmented into many local crises.
Social Change Fueled Fear Of Children
- Social change and family stress amplified fears about children being endangered in the 1980s.
- Experts and commentators framed these anxieties as evidence that moral decline invited evil influences.
