‘Rock & roll is where God and the Devil shake hands’
American Satan is a 2017 American supernatural thriller directed by Ash Avildsen from a screenplay co-written with Matty Beckerman.
The Sumerian Films production stars Denise Richards (The Toybox; Scary Movie 3; Valentine), Booboo Stewart (He Never Died; The Twilight Saga movies; 666: The Child), Malcolm McDowell (Suck; Halloween [2007] and sequel; Cat People), Drake Bell, Andy Biersack, Ben Bruce, John Bradley, Mark Boone Junior (Ghost House; Frankenfish; 30 Days of Night), Tori Black, Bill Duke (Predator), Sebastian Bach, Bill Goldberg, Patrick Muldoon (Spiders 3D; Ice Spiders; Starship Troopers), Tomas Arana (Incarnate; The Possession of Michael King; The Church), Jamie Bernadette (Elder Island; The 6th Friend; Axeman), Vanessa Branch and John G. Avildsen.
Plot synopsis:
A young rock band, half from England and half from the US, drop out of college and move to L.A.’s Sunset Strip to chase their dreams. Living in a van, their passion and talent exceed their means to survive. An enigmatic stranger sees their true potential and emotionally manipulates them during a time of weakness.
Caught in the middle of a Faustian deal, their music and controversial altercations end up influencing society beyond anything this century has seen, but can they take back control of their destiny before it’s too late?
Buy DVD: Amazon.com
Reviews:
“Creativity takes great sacrifice and struggle” and “fame has a price” are messages that mother! also explored through symbolism and dark themes, but this film does it with more wit and depth without veering into pretentiousness, preachiness or lethargy.” The NYC Movie Guru
“A few fragments of real Satanist philosophy slip through into the narrative, counterpointed by the wholesomeness embodied in Johnny’s small-townn girlfriend, but it would be a mistake to look for moral depth. There’s no mystery to the allure of the dark side. American Satan sets out openly to show you a good time.” Eye for Film
“Featuring grade A modern costume design, a totally bombastic pop-metal hybrid soundtrack that suits the nature of the project, tons of gothic sexiness, moments of purified drug haze, and a plot that teams perfectly with its subject matter, American Satan is one of those movies that you wish got a bigger push.” The Movie Sleuth
“As the film reaches the half-way point though, things do get more serious and the laughs thin out noticeably. The trouble is, it’s at this point that things begin to drag a little and it seems to become a little unsure of what it’s trying to be or say. Despite me sounding like I didn’t like American Satan I actually really did. I didn’t expect to, but I did. It’s good fun, it’s a laugh, at times, has a good soundtrack and is well directed.” Operation Condor
Release:
In the US, American Satan was released theatrically on Friday the 13th of October 2017.
Filming locations:
Los Angeles, California
