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In the ‘80s, a bizarre and disturbing phenomenon swept North America: underground Satanic cults were thought to be torturing and terrorizing children, forcing them to take part in gruesome rituals, then deftly covering their tracks. The allegations were horrifying, but the truth was almost as disturbing.
No evidence of the so-called Satanic Ritual Abuse of children was ever found. Yet, there were thousands of charges. Scores of prosecutions. Dozens of convictions. Decades of prison time.
From Texas to Massachusetts to Ontario — locals, police, journalists, psychiatrists and even the FBI believed children were under attack.
The resulting chaos threw lives tragically off course, an impact still being felt today. So what really happened, and why? And if we don’t understand all that, are we doomed to repeat it?
Writer and CBC Radio producer Lisa Bryn Rundle hosts Uncover: Satanic Panic. She works alongside associate producer Ilina Ghosh.