Area Satanists delivered a fire-and-brimstone warning to whoever burned down their historic “Halloween House” in upstate New York last week.
Built in 1900, the Poughkeepsie home served as a gathering place for local members of the Church of Satan until it was set ablaze by an unidentified arsonist Thursday, the Poughkeepsie Journal reported.
“Now there’s going to be hell to pay,” a member, who goes by the name Isis Vermouth, told the newspaper.
“Whoever did this is going to be hexed by all of us.”
The Satanist said other local adherents of the religion were in shock over the blaze and that “everyone in the neighborhood is worried.”
Surveillance footage showed a person walking up to the house at 27 South Clinton St. at around 5 a.m. on Thursday with two gas cans, splashing liquid on the front porch and igniting it, police said.
Two people inside the home at the time were able to escape unharmed.
The Addams Family-style hub for members — which had been decorated with devil sculptures and other paraphernalia — showcased the beliefs of longtime former owner, Joe “Netherworld” Mendillo, a Church of Satan adherent who died last year.
“It was extraordinarily different,” City Councilman Chris Petsas said. “It wasn’t your normal home.”
Peter H. Gilmore, high priest of the Church of Satan, said it was unlikely the house would be restored because of the extensive damage.
“Sadly there are some ‘people of faith’ who are intolerant, and typically ignorant, of other belief systems,” said Gilmore, who lives down the block in what members call Poughkeepsie’s “Witchcraft District.”
“I am convinced that Joe’s legacy will live on,” Gilmore added, “even though the home he so carefully cultivated has been destroyed through the hateful act of some deeply disturbed individual, regardless of motivation.”
The post ‘Hell to pay’: Satanists mourn loss of historic NY ‘Halloween House’ appeared first on New York Post.
