One myth Cummings dispels early on is that the Church of Satan trades in malicious practices. In actuality it’s an atheistic society, steeped in counterculture and intersectional beliefs, whereby individuals are expected to take responsibilities for their own lives.
An editor by trade, on films like “Never Rarely Sometimes Always” and “Monsters and Men,” in “Realm of Satan,” Cummings jumps between continents with ease, bridging Satanists together by their shared devotion to an organization founded in 1966 by Anton Szandor LaVey. With one subject, an entertainer in a spook show, Cummings employs editing tricks, such as a woman disappearing or card magically appearing, that would make Georges Méliès swell with pride. It’s one of the many ways the filmmaker plays with the perception of Satanist for mordant humor.
Cummings also captures these believers in ornate homes, maximalist apartments, and bare dwellings, showing the variety of style approaches toward being a Satanist. He also observes ceremonies led by High Priest Peter Gilmore, and even gives a glimpse of how this society is often the victim of persecution. While not for everyone, it’s clear Cummings has respect for the Church of Satan, treating the subject with care, grace, and genuine interest. In every sense, “Realm of Satan” is an eye-opening encounter.
Though “Your Monster,” writer/director Caroline Lindy’s horror fairytale rom-com, certainly isn’t short on heart, it does run thin on details. It’s a shame because the film begins so assuredly when Laura (Melissa Barrera), a musical performer, is picked up from the hospital by her flakey best friend Mazzy (Kayla Foster). Laura is going home to recover from cancer surgery and a broken heart. The latter was caused by her director/playwright ex Jacob (Edmund Donovan) whose pitiful bedside manner involved breaking up with her to finish production on the musical they wrote together. Alone and in pain in her brownstone, she hears a thumping upstairs. When she goes to investigate, she discovers her imaginary childhood monster (Tommy Dewey), a shaggy sort of fellow with a sarcastic wit.