American Satan

Trigger Warning: religion, loud music, flashing lights and strobes, needles, drug abuse, drug overdose, drug withdrawal, alcohol abuse, gaslighting, coerced consent, on screen suicide, a lot lot lot of sex, infidelity, relationship abuse, medical trauma and hospitals, murder, mental illness, addiction, flashing/trippy visuals, rehab, bullying, statutory rape

Good versus evil. Music and media versus society. Desire and addiction versus self-control. Above versus below. Self-preservation versus the greater good. All packaged up in a rock fuelled adrenaline rush.

This movie is exactly what I was looking for! It’s witty and clever, gritty and gross. The whole band is also incredibly attractive, which never hurts a flick in my list hahaha! Malcolm McDowell shreds his role whenever he’s onscreen, even if he’s more of a supporting character than anything else.

I love that this is a great thriller and dark horror story, but also mixed with a smart commentary on the desire for fame, recognition, fortune, and success of celebrity. I also love the very obvious rip into how we weaponize religion and transform celebrities into false godlike icons. I also like the conversation of consumption of media versus societal trends in violence (suicide, bullying, murder, etc). Sure some of that is heavy handed, but it’s really well done!

It’s smartly written, the cinematography is fantastic (more neon and glitz plz) and the soundtrack is utterly perfect (wire this directly into my brain because I crave). There’s fantastic original music as well as cover songs, and all of it begins to feel a little more like a rock opera of sorts. It’s all cleverly woven together with neon lit stage lights and concert clips and drama mixed with humor and suspense. There’s also interspersed quotes from rock musicians over the ages on their experience with music and performance which further drive the point and focus home.

10/10 would watch again and the soundtrack is already in my Spotify rotation! Also, it's rekindled my desire to hit up a live show once all of this pandemic nonsense is better handled. (But maybe perhaps a show with a little less murder and death? Maybe.)

Update: The story has been continued with a television series on Amazon with an update to the movie’s ending! I completed the entire series as a binge watch and it’s just as much fun and equally engrossing as the movie. 10/10 for that, too.