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40 Facts about the Church of Satan

Tim Flight August 29, 2019 27 min

8. The Church was an early fan of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka, surrounded by Oompa-Loompas, in the 1971 film of Roald Dahl’s book. Purple Clover

It’s clear from this list that LaVey and his followers had an awful lot of fun, whether overindulging themselves or shocking others, but LaVey’s love of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is still odd. Not that anyone needs an excuse to enjoy the wonderful adaptation of Roald Dahl’s fable, but here’s the official Church of Satan line: ‘We prefer films that honestly and critically explore the capacities of human behaviour, regardless of setting… since Satanist’s value justice, Willy Wonka… presents a scenario where everyone gets just desserts, served-up by Gene Wilder as a most engaging devil’. A devilishly-good pun.

Written by

Tim Flight

I am a freelance historical and literary writer based in West Yorkshire, UK. I read for a funded PhD in English at the University of Oxford (Magdalen College) and graduated in 2016. I am a former lecturer in Medieval English Literature at Royal Holloway, University of London. My publications include peer-reviewed articles in academic publications, and pieces in mainstream magazines such as History Today and Fortean Times. For more information, please see www.drflight.co.uk