An official statement from Hal Hefner, founder of Nerd Horror
LOS ANGELES — Our goal is to always celebrate and defend the nerds, outcasts and geeks of horror, That is why we refuse to let someone turn their paranoid fear of a horror movie into permission to intimidate the people who make, promote, and enjoy it.
Nerd Horror condemns the baseless accusations connecting our work to a Satanic cult. We reject the suggestion that interviewing Craig Mienhart, an Indie filmmaker or helping promote his horror film, BEWARE! The Devil’s Wrath makes us participants in some sinister Satanic plot. And we will not be bullied into abandoning the work we love, by the same Satanic Panic we grew up fighting against.
We are not in a cult. We have no affiliation with the cult that described by a mysterious TikTok account run by a person by a mysterious person calling themselves Uriel.
In more sane times of society, we shouldn’t have to issue this statement, but when someone repeatedly attaches your name to an accusation, eventually you have to put your foot down and your middle finger up.
This is that moment for us.
The Figure, running the Wisdom of Uriel Account on TikTok.
The TikTok account Wisdom of Uriel has published a series of posts alleging that Beware! The Devil’s Wrath is connected to a Satanic cult who funded and guided the development of their film. Those accusations have expanded to include Nerd Horror because we helped promote this film and interviewed its director Craig Meinhart.
Our Interview can be seen here.
In a post featuring our interview, Uriel claims the movie is “funded by a cult that owns him.” Our conversation has been repurposed as supposed proof.
We reject that accusation as it applies to us, and we reject the reasoning being used to make it. An unanswered question about financing does not establish a cult connection. Occult imagery in a horror movie does not establish the beliefs of everyone involved. Repeating an allegation with increasing confidence adds nothing to its credibility. Instead it furthers the warped reality of the Satanic Panic, which ironically is at the theme at the heart of Craig’s movie, Beware the Devil’s Wrath.
This is the new Satanic Panic social media style: suspicion presented as certainty, creative expression treated as evidence, and people expected to defend themselves against whatever somebody imagines. All while the accuser, hides behind a mask and an edited voice.
This is pure cowardice. At least Jerry Falwell and Tipper Gore put their faces to their statements. There is already enough aggression, division and hatred in the world. In the face of lifeless corporate horror, the last thing Indie filmmakers need is pressure on them to make themselves smaller because someone else objects to their art, their interests, or their existence.
We built Nerd Horror because of nerds. I love this genre and the people who give it life. Artists, writers, filmmakers, musicians, and fans who pour themselves into something strange because it matters to them. People who spend years getting a film made, building an audience, or finding the confidence to share their work. That’s the soul of it all.
They deserve the freedom to create without having their interests turned into accusations of wrongdoing. I care deeply about that freedom. I’m angry that we’re having to defend it in response to this nonsense.
Uriel is free to dislike the movie, criticize our interview, or question the production. We are equally free to condemn unsupported accusations and refuse the demand that we answer for an imagined conspiracy. I empathize with whatever family members or cult has wronged the person behind this Wisdom of Uriel account. It does sound like they’ve lived through some traumatic things but this behavior is not the answer.
Uriel has answered critics through posts describing trolling and bullying and characterizing opposition as satanic attacks.
That framing deserves scrutiny. Disagreement cannot automatically become confirmation. A person challenging an accusation cannot automatically become another suspect.
We stand for the freedom to make disturbing art. To explore religion, mythology, fear, violence, and the unknown through fiction. To enjoy a horror movie without having to submit our beliefs for inspection that is our constitutional right.
We will continue interviewing filmmakers, supporting independent horror, and creating stories that take people somewhere uncomfortable. We will also continue calling out attempts to turn that work into grounds for intimidation.
To everyone who has supported us, thank you. Your trust matters, and we take it seriously enough to address these claims publicly and link directly to the material behind them.
To anyone expecting these accusations to make us retreat: we will keep creating, and we will push back. We wish director Craig Mienhart and his film Beware! The Devil’s Wrath, the utmost success.
The new Satanic Panic can fuck right off
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
Hal Hefner
Our full video response is available here: