I am a huge fan of Werner Herzog’s documentaries (Grizzly Man, Little Dieter Needs to Fly, Cave of Forgotten Dreams). So I was particularly pleased to come across this 1980 Herzog gem. It’s a 43 minute made-for-TV documentary called God’s Angry Man.
God’s Angry Man is about the late Dr. Gene Scott, a TV preacher who would rail at his audience until they sent him money. You would think that people would turn off a television personality who was hectoring them, but Scott tapped into something spooky within his flock. He was mesmerizing. I myself watched him for many hours late at night, amazed that his followers would tune in to his hard-edged bellowing and choose to be bullied.
Herzog plays it straight and lets Scott speak for Scott, although Herzog must have been puzzled and bemused by the American phenomenon of the TV preacher.
You can watch the entire movie at this slightly creepy Dr. Gene Scott fan page or here on Google Videos.