It feels providential that I discovered co-writer/director Alice Maio Mackay’s Satranic Panic while exploring stylish LGBTQ+ horror. Set in Australia and blending musical and road trip elements, the comedic horror outing follows the adventures of Aria (Cassie Hamilton) and Jay (Zarif) as they investigate the murder of Aria’s brother/Jay’s boyfriend Max (Sebastien Grech). The friends witnessed demonic cultists murder Max, whom they both loved and for whom they are undertaking a quest for revenge.
Aria, who is transitioning, was given an estrogen shot that has given her an extraordinary power to sense if someone is actually a demon in disguise. Demons can be disguised as room service servers, gas station attendants, or motorists who stop to help. Despite the power, the duo is attacked by murderous monsters who want nothing more than to stop them, as they are working at the behest of the nefarious Dr. Fenway (Chris Asimos). Aria and Jay pick up Nell (Lisa Fanto), who strikes up a relationship with Aria, leaving Jay alone with his somewhat secret admiration for Aria. Will revenge be theirs, or is this too deadly a journey?
Satranic Panic is not only a tour de force in the emerging Queer Horror genre, but it’s also simply a damn good film. The script, by Mackay, Hamilton, and Benjamin Pahl Robinson, crackles with cool, thoughtful dialogue. One-liners like “Realism is for Russian playwrights and lonely virgins” just work. Running out of money, Aria must finance the trip with musical drag shows in towns that bring to mind a cabaret-style show with a rock-and-roll veneer. The action is fast and furious, cut quickly but clearly, with charmingly cheap special effects. The demons’ glowing eyes and neon tongues are especially striking when Aria gets a backstage visit from a very devoted fan.
“The friends witnessed demonic cultists murder Max…for whom they are undertaking a quest for revenge.”
As in Mackay’s smashing T Blockers, the villains here are lunatics. The baddies are led by a manipulative, closeted bigot determined to destroy others while denying his nature. Destroying all transpeople while being a person who enjoys wearing women’s clothes and makeup themselves is where the title derives from. Satranic Panic kicks down the door with low-budget effects, razor-sharp dialogue with down-to-earth, topical conversations within the frame of the horror genre, giving it a relevant place not only in the transgender community but as a movie. Jay makes poignant remarks at one point regarding how Max’s love for him shows that he (Jay) can be loved for who he is. He never thought he was worthy of love, affection, or care with someone unless his true nature was hidden.
Hamilton fills the screen with a larger-than-life character filled with contradiction, love, and a feeling that she is isolated all at the same time. Her musical moments stand out as she takes the stage with some well-performed songs. Zarif is a strong counterpoint to her. The way he stares at Aria with wistful admiration as she performs provides much humor. Fanto brings a colossal dose of sensual vulnerability that can be understood in any language. Asimos gleefully expresses the lunatic logic of a mad scientist from the 1930s and ’40s. He does this looking a little like Ed Wood minus the Angora sweater, which was perhaps an inspiration.
Satranic Panic is fun to watch for those who enjoy horror at its best when real issues are put forth against the background of a familiar genre trope. In this world of mainly heterosexual horror, which this in no way looks, feels, or sounds different from, this work makes for a lovely viewing experience. We are all outsiders at one time or another; we have all suffered grief or will eventually; this motion picture shows no matter who you choose to love, we are all human.
"…it simply is also a damn good film..."
