Southwest of Salem: The Story of the San Antonio Four

After being falsely accused of the gang rape of two young girls, Elizabeth Ramirez and her lesbian friends Cassandra, Kristie and Anna were convicted and jailed in San Antonio, Texas. This documentary shows the dubious circumstances that contributed to the verdict, marked by sloppy science, homophobia and a bizarre fear of Satanism and witchcraft. In the 1980s and 1990s, the United States suffered from a “satanic panic,” explains Debbie Nathan, author of the book and one of those interviewed in this carefully constructed documentary. Twelve years later, the case comes back to life: one of the allegedly raped girls says that she doesn’t remember any of it. A doctor who provided the physical evidence of penetration during the original trial admits that the science of the time was unable to prove something like this. The San Antonio Four are out of prison on bond, but they will only feel liberated when their names are cleared and all charges are dropped.