Never have the words “in collaboration with” carried such a potent charge as they do in Scott Cummings’s Sundance-bound documentary, Realm of Satan. Working with members of the Church of Satan, Cummings hypnotizes viewers into the landscapes, physical spaces and ultimately mindsets of this misunderstood group as they, in the words of the Sundance programmers, “fight to preserve their lifestyle: magic, mystery, and misanthropy.”

Writing about his previous film, Buffalo Juggalos, Cummings, a Filmmaker 25 New Face, said, “The Juggalos were not my subjects, they were participants, and every choice I made honored that participation.” There’s a similar ethos at work here as well as, as the above clip shows, astonishing formal precision and an intoxicating, transportive use of VFX. As the Sundance write-up concludes, “Realm of Satan’s acceptance in an unreality sets itself on an anarchistic path through expressions of identity and image-making that nobly fights all forms of tradition.” Filmmaker is proud to premiere this exclusive clip.

Realm of Satan was recently boarded by Visit Films for sales and will premiere January 21 in Sundance’s NEXT section.