Editing Kenneth Anger (section)

=== 1937–1946: First films ===
Anger's first film was created in 1937, when he was ten years old. The short, ''Ferdinand the Bull'', was shot on the remains of [[16 mm film]] that had been left unused after the Anglemyers had made [[home movie]]s with it on a family vacation to [[Yosemite National Park]]. In ''Ferdinand the Bull'', which has never been made publicly available, Kenneth dressed as a [[matador]], wearing a cape, while two of his friends from the [[Boy Scouts of America|Boy Scouts]] played the bull.<ref>{{harvnb|Landis|1995|pp=13–14}}</ref> His second work, created when he was 14, was ''Who Has Been Rocking My Dreamboat'' (1941),<ref name="Landis, 1995:14">{{harvnb|Landis|1995|p=14}}</ref> which Anger has often called his first proper film. It was made from footage of children playing during the summer, accompanied with popular songs by bands including the [[Ink Spots]]. The next year, he produced another amateur film, ''Prisoner of Mars'', which was heavily influenced by ''[[Flash Gordon]]''. In this science fiction-inspired feature, in which he played the protagonist, Anger added elements taken from the [[Greek mythological]] myth of the [[Minotaur]] and constructed a small [[volcano]] in his back yard as a homemade [[special effect]].<ref name="Landis, 1995:14" /> Many of these early films are considered [[lost film|lost]], with Anger burning much of his previous work in 1967.<ref name="Lachman, Gary Page 11">{{harvnb|Lachman|p=11}}</ref>

{{quote box|width=246px|align=left|quote=I've always considered movies evil; the day that cinema was invented was a black day for mankind.|source= —Kenneth Anger<ref>{{harvnb|Hunter|2002|p=11}}</ref> }}

In 1944, the Anglemyers moved to Hollywood to move in with family, and Kenneth began attending [[Beverly Hills High School]]. It was here that he met Marilyn Granas, who had once been the stand-in for [[Shirley Temple]], and he asked her – alongside another classmate and an older woman – to appear in his next film project, which was ultimately titled ''Escape Episode''. Revolving partially around the occult, the picture was filmed in a "spooky old castle" in Hollywood and was subsequently screened at the [[Coronet Theatre (Los Angeles)|Coronet Theatre]] in Los Angeles.{{citation needed|date=May 2023}} Around this time, Anger also began attending screenings of [[silent film]]s at Clara Grossman's art gallery, through which he met a fellow filmmaker, [[Curtis Harrington]], with whom he formed Creative Film Associates (CFA).<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.rogerebert.com/tributes/the-fire-is-gone-kenneth-anger-1927-2023 | title=The Fire is Gone: Kenneth Anger (1927-2023) &#124; Roger Ebert | date=May 25, 2023 }}</ref> Harrington is said to have introduced Anger to the work of English occultist [[Aleister Crowley]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://nikolasschreck.eu/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=75%3Ausher&catid=36&Itemid=56 |title=Usher |access-date=March 16, 2012 |archive-date=August 23, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110823074742/http://nikolasschreck.eu/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=75%3Ausher&catid=36&Itemid=56 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Crowley's philosophy of [[Thelema]] exerted a profound influence on Anger's career. CFA was founded to distribute [[experimental film|experimental]] or "[[underground films|underground]]" films, such as those of [[Maya Deren]] and [[John Whitney (animator)|John]] and [[James Whitney (filmmaker)|James Whitney]], as well as Anger's and Harrington's.<ref>{{harvnb|Landis|1995|pp=17–20}}</ref>

Anger's interest in the occult deepened in high school. He first indirectly encountered the subject through reading [[L. Frank Baum]]'s ''[[The Wonderful Wizard of Oz|Oz]]'' books as a child, with their accompanying [[Rosicrucian]] philosophies. He was also interested in the works of the French [[ceremonial magic]]ian [[Eliphas Levi]], as well as [[Sir James Frazer]]'s ''[[The Golden Bough]]'',<ref>{{harvnb|Landis|1995|pp=25–26}}</ref> although his favorite writings were Crowley's; he eventually converted to Thelema, the religion Crowley founded.<ref name="Hunter, Jack Page 48">{{harvnb|Hunter|2002|p=48}}</ref>