Episode 340: In the early 1980s, a wave of fear with its origins in Canada, swept across North America, igniting what would become known as the Satanic Panic. This moral hysteria, fueled by sensationalized media reports and dubious claims of widespread satanic ritual abuse, had its roots in a controversial book published in 1980 titled “Michelle Remembers.”

As the panic spread, it manifested in several high-profile cases across Canada. One of the most notorious incidents occurred in Martensville, Saskatchewan, where unfounded allegations of ritual abuse at a local daycare center led to multiple arrests and a community torn apart by suspicion and fear. Other cases emerged in various provinces, each feeding into the growing narrative of a vast, underground network of satanic cults preying on innocent children.

Sources:

Michelle Remembers by Smith, Michelle | Internet Archive

Michelle Remembers — fiction disguised as fact

Devil Worship Exposing Satan's Underground [Geraldo Rivera] [1988] [VHS] | YouTube

[VHS] Law Enforcement Guide to Satanic Cults - (1994) | YouTube

Parents From McMartin Preschool Scandal Discuss Aftermath Of Child Sex Abuse Case | Oxygen Official Site

UNCOVER SEASON 6- SATANIC PANIC: Transcripts | Listen | CBC Radio

Hell to pay: Revisiting the Martensville satanic sex scandal (2003) - The Fifth Estate | YouTube

1995 CanLII 4037 (SK CA) | R. v. Sterling | CanLII

2003 SKQB 559 (CanLII) | K. v. Miazga | CanLII

2007 SKCA 57 (CanLII) | Kvello v. Miazga | CanLII

Aug 12, 1990, page 8 - The Independent at Newspapers.com

Did Satanic Panic Influence The West Memphis Three Case? | Oxygen Official Site

West Memphis Three: What You Should Know About Their Wrongful Conviction

High Magick

Satan Wants You | Film

Satan Wants You | JustWatch

The Strange Origins of the Satanic Panic | CBC Arts

Believe the Children: Re-Reading the Satanic Panic Through Michelle Remembers

How a doctor and his patient sparked a global ‘Satanic Panic’

It’s Time to Revisit the Satanic Panic | NYT

Satanic panic: Documentary takes a new look at Michelle Remembers book

America's Satanic Panic Returns — This Time Through QAnon

We Believe the Children: A Moral Panic in the 1980s | Amazon

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