'Nearly 300 titles extend to underground movies, pornography and unclassifiable exploitation trash. Wonderful stuff.' - The Sunday Times

'Meticulously researched and lavishly illustrated, The Satanic Screen is a detailed exploration of Beelzebub's celluloid century. A cut above the usual desiccated genre studies.' - Hot Dog

'From the dark lord's silent presence in early horror movies, through classics like The Devil Rides Out, The Omen...to more recent devilish doings like Angel Heart or The Ninth Gate, this is the perfect film buff's companion.'- Loaded

The Satanic Screen represents a pioneering effort to document the manifestation of the devil in cinema. Schreck, a widely accepted occultist authority, lends credibility and a palpable enthusiasm to the release, boasting both sound scholarly approach and aficionado's flare.' - Foreword

'Schreck's The Satanic Screen provides the ideal, heavily illustrated guide to the Devil's numerous incarnations throughout the past century of film-making, referencing not just the obvious Hollywood mainstream (The Exorcist, Devil's Advocate), but Kenneth Anger, Twenties German expressionists and even hardcore 70s porn (eg Gerard Damiano's The Devil and Miss Jones). The scope of Schreck's cinematic research aside, his broader knowledge of the occult and the significant influence of Aleister Crowley makes for a highly informed study.' - Uncut

He was present at the very birth of cinema assuming the lead role in George Melies’ La Manoir du Diable (1896). He has been personified by such luminaries as Robert De Niro and Jack Nicholson, and he has just made his presence known again in a remake of sixties classic Bedazzled starring Elizabeth Hurley. Satan - it would appear - likes the big screen.

Interesting then that his haunting on-screen presence and influence has never been fully documented, until now. Creating and defining a new cinematic genre, author Nikolas Schreck:

* presents a fascinating journey into the depths of cinema’s dark side

* covers over a century of film from the mainstream to the marginal, from Disney flicks to horror classics such as The Exorcist

* reveals how Satan has travelled into the unexpected genres of sci-fi, mondo documentaries, porn, blaxploitation, and even westerns

* explores how many films were directly inspired by the exploits of Aleister Crowley and other real-life occultists; a tradition which peaked during the occult-crazed 60s and 70s as the demi-monde satanists and the voracious egos of show business bizarrely joined forces...

Visually loaded with numerous scaaary images, The Satanic Screen is an indispensable guide to the Devil in Film, of interest to both film-aficionados and anyone interested in the Black Arts and their continuing representation in populist culture. You may not like him, but it’s safe to say that cinema would certainly be a far less inspiring, alarming and fantastical place without him.

Author Biography:

Nikolas Schreck is an American living in Berlin. An accomplished writer, musician and film-maker, he has appeared on television and radio shows around the world as a noted authority on occultism, true crime, and other mysterious phenomena. He has lectured extensively on the history and practice of the Black Arts. His previous publications include The Manson File (Amok Press, 1988), and Flowers from Hell: A Satanic Screen (Creation Books).

Excerpt: The following excerpt complements the film screenings which accompanied publication, click here to read more.

The Satanic Screen was featured in an AMERICAN MOVIE CHANNEL (AMC) documentary accompanying the broadcast of the OMEN series. To read excerpts from the AMC interview with Nikolas Schreck see:

http://www.amctv.com/article/0,,1103-1--0-3-EST,00.html


The Satanic Screen has been used as a textbook for several film school and university classes studying the history of Satanic cinema.

To contact Nikolas Schreck:
SchreckInfo@yahoo.co.uk