Her film is about the misunderstood world of Satanism.
In a Halloween store, we discuss how the Temple got serious.
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Moments earlier, wed both thought it was a real person and almost greeted it formally.
She turns to me, grinning: This is really phenomenal, isnt it?
Yes, it is on her drivers license.
Are you saying that Penny Lane is your real name?Yes.
Did you have your name legally changed to Penny Lane?No.
Penny Lane is my given name.
Its on my birth certificate.
Did your parents like the Beatles?Clearly.
Having been named after a Liverpool street is hardly the most interesting thing about Lane.
Though its hard to pinpoint whatis, exactly.
Or maybe its herthoughtful animated shortabout the white supremacist who invented Sea-Monkeys.
:Wait, am I a Satanist?
That set-dressing included a demon costume purchased from where else?
But pretty quickly, things got serious.
At first, Lucien was just happy to consult on this brilliant political prank, says Lane.
But then he realized, Wait, this could actually be pretty cool.
But we cant have a fake Satanist at the center.
Lane and I stop in front of a rack of oddly sexualized childrens costumes.
Its the first and only time she appears disturbed by something during our conversation.
This is very freaky, she says.
We quickly move on to the wig section.
And her article was very foundational in my understanding of what was going on, says Lane.
Shed actually done reporting, as opposed to everyone else, who was like, Who are these assholes?
The Baphomet initiative received the most media attention of all of the Temples work.
Its all done with a bit of a wink pageantry for the sake of it.
But people like to point at that story and say, Well, how can you take them seriously?
Look at how it began.
Think about all the other religions origins.
Or youve got someone like Joseph Smith, pretending to find golden plates in the woods.
What I think people are missing is that religious identity is something you perform.
Its all this kind of ritualized performance.
Lane gives the Temple credit for its creativity and bravery.
The Satanists know its easy for you to dismiss them, to laugh at them so they laugh first.
What would a Satanic ritual look like?
What is a Black Mass?
What is a destruction ritual?
Its all new, and they have no money.
Occasionally, Id be like, Do you think you should get better cloaks?
I ask Lane if she was swayed enough by the groups logical humanity to call herself one.
I thought about whether I was, but I didnt come to that decision.
It was sort of like, If you have to think about it, youre not, she says.
Im onboard with all of it.
Im very Satanically aligned.
But Im not a Satanist.
It was a huge revelation for me, how it functions in peoples lives, she says.
She tells me that, as a young director, much of the filmmaking process embarrassed her.
I kept making mistakes, so I just stopped doing it.
Anything I did that was stupid, you didnt see.
Now that shes done, Lane says, she feels her options are limitless.
Now I just feel like anything is possible.
Lane gasps with joy, clasping her hands together.
I have now found the Halloween costume that I believe in, she says.
I am a cozy bat.
