‘You ain’t no witch, witches are girls!’: Satanic panic, homophobia and the ‘warlock film’

Key Points

• The study investigates the relationship between the AIDS crisis, the Satanic Panic, and depictions of warlocks in film, analyzing their societal implications.
• Explores historical connections between the AIDS epidemic and cultural phenomena through case studies.
• Builds on existing literature, particularly the work of Christina Knopf, to analyze filmic representations of warlocks.
• Examines the portrayal of warlocks as reflections of societal fears and moral panic.
• Identifies the warlock figure as a microcosm of 1980s moral hysteria, embodying conservative fears of social change.
• Argues that warlock films served as both absurd and terrifying examples of entertainment reflecting underlying homophobia.
• Illustrates how such films contributed to a narrative of conservative morale-boosting during the AIDS crisis.