Patreon  //  Merch  //  Website  //  YouTube  //  Instagram  //  X.com  //  

If you like the show, please leave us a 5 star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you think we deserve it. (It helps new listeners find the show.) Easy steps to review the show are listed below at the bottom of these show notes for you. Thank you.

This is Renegade Files Episode 85, The Satanic Panic.

In this episode we'll put on our Wizards cloaks, roll the 20 sided die, and explore the worlds of dungeons and Dragons, and the way this creative game spawned a nationwide moral panic.

Then we'll dive into some of the popular culture movies and books which fueled the nation's fears with stories of the devil and all of his sinful works.

Finally we'll see how this culminated in one of the longest and most expensive trials in American history, the McMartin preschool trial, where hundreds of children accused dayschool workers of being Satanic Witches who could fly, of kidnapping zoo animals, and of flushing kids down toilets into underground chambers of Satanic Ritual Abuse.

So join me my fellow lover of all things weird, as we dive into the hard to believe facts of the American satanic panic.

Before we jump in I’d like to say Thank You to the You’re Wrong About podcast and their episode: Dungeons & Dragons & The Satanic Panic, plus their work on some of the books we mention in this episode as well. I’ll put a link to their website in the show notes so you can check out their show… it’s good.

Help Crowdfund RF on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/renegadefiles

Get cool RF Merch https://therenegadefiles.com/shop/

Visit and Share the Website http://therenegadefiles.com

Dig us on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@renegadefiles

Follow RF on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/renegadefiles/

Thank you to the You’re Wrong About podcast, and their episode: Dungeons & Dragons & The Satanic Panic, plus their work on some of the books we mention in this episode as well. Check out their show; it’s good.

--------------------

If you like the Renegade Files show, please leave us a 5 star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you think we deserve it. (It helps the show find new listeners.) I have listed the steps below so you can find the rating sections quickly and easily.

How to Review on Spotify:

*Tap the name Renegade Files on any episode

*Click “back to top”

*Tap the 3-dots next to the bell and gear icons

*Tap the “Rate the Show” tab

How to Review on Apple:

*Go to the podcast page (Tap the name Renegade Files on any episode.)

*Scroll all the way down past the episodes

*At the bottom is the rating box

And that’s how you can post your 5-star rating and review of Renegade Files if you think we deserve it, and doing that helps the show find new listeners.

Thank you.

--------------------

Music and Audio Licensing:

Theme Song: “Steve’s Djembe” by Vani, FMA, licensed: Creative Commons CC BY-SA 4.0 License.

“Appliance Rocket Reversal” by Flow Lab Cult, DV8NOW Records, licensed: Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 License.

The audio recording and text transcript of this podcast episode: “The Satanic Panic - RF085” is © 2025 DV8NOW Publishing LLC . The Renegade Files name and the Renegade Files UFO-Pyramid Logo are wholly owned Registered Trademarks of DV8NOW Publishing LLC .

About Fair Use: Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, a "Fair Use" allowance is made for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair Use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.