Some people call it "Devil's Night", some call it "Mischief Night", but the definition is the same, and very few people look forward to it. According to most sources, the first "Devil's Night" incidents took place in Detroit on October 30th, in the 1930s. But between the 1970s to the 1990s, "Devil's Night" mischief become much more violent, and resulted acts of arson, and all manner of mayhem and vandalism. Elsewhere, in other parts of the world, there are similar revilries on October 30th. As for me, Right Fang Girl, I celebrate "Devil's Night" with my favorite horror films, and several trays of goodies...potato salad, sandwich triangles, assorted Hors D 'oeures, and lots of sweeties. This vampire would rather stay home, and leave the mayhem to the mortals. You never know when there's a vampire hunter in the crowd. Gulp!
But, I thought you might be interested in reading what the Wikipedia has to say about "Devil's Night". Gloria Right Fang Girl -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Devil's Night >From Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaJump to: navigation, search This article is about the Detroit cultural phenomenon. For the album by rap group D12, see Devil's Night (album). Devil's Night or Hell Night is a name associated with October 30, the night before Halloween. It is related to the "Mischief night" practiced in other parts of the United States and the world, but is chiefly associated with the serious vandalism and arson seen in Detroit, Michigan from the 70's to the 90's, finally prompting the "Angel's Night" community response. Contents [hide] 1 Description 2 Decline of Devil's Night arson 3 Devil's Night outside of Detroit 4 Appearance of Devil's Night in fiction 5 See also 6 References 7 Further reading 8 External links [edit] Description Devil's Night in Detroit dates as early as the 1930s. Traditionally, city youths engaged in a night of criminal behavior, which usually consisted of acts of vandalism (such as egging, soaping, or toilet papering). These were almost exclusively acts of petty vandalism, causing little to no property damage. However, in the early 1970s, the vandalism escalated to more devastating acts, such as arson. This primarily took place in the inner city, but surrounding suburbs were often affected as well. In addition, property owners unable to sell in the city's rapidly declining housing market would use Devil's Night as an opportunity to burn down their homes, collect the insurance money, and claim that an arsonist was at fault. The crimes became more destructive in Detroit's inner-city neighborhoods, and included hundreds of acts of arson and vandalism every year. The destruction reached a peak in the mid- to late-1980s, with more than 800 fires set in 1984, and 500 to 800 fires in the three days and nights before Halloween in a typical year. [1] [edit] Decline of Devil's Night arson By the early 1990s, Detroit saw little decline in Devil's Night arson.[2] After a brutal Devil's Night in 1994, then-mayor Dennis Archer promised city residents arson would not be tolerated. In 1995, Detroit city officials organized and created Angel's Night on and around October 29-31. Each year as many as 50,000 volunteers gather to patrol neighborhoods.[3] Additionally, youth curfews in the city as early as 6 P.M. are instituted on the days before Halloween. The Angel's Night progam was continued under the administration of mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, and by 2009 the number of Detroit fires in the three-day period prior to Halloween had declined to 119, 91 of which were classified as "suspicious" by current mayor Dave Bing.[4] [edit] Devil's Night outside of Detroit Main article: Mischief night In other parts of the US and Canada, Devil's Night, also known as Mischief night and a variety of other names, is marked by youths committing petty vandalism, although the acts are generally less destructive and violent than those committed in Detroit. However in recent years, Saginaw, MI, a small industrial city 100 miles north of Detroit, has experienced a growing problem with arson on Devil's Night, with 42 homes set ablaze on the night of October 30, 2006. City officials and residents have implemented volunteer programs to battle the problem, which has been met with great success.[5] Outside the US, the last day of Roskilde Festival in Roskilde, Denmark is marked by concert-goers torching the tents surrounding the area, even if they're not their own. This is called "Hell Night". [edit] Appearance of Devil's Night in fiction Devil's Night is an integral part of the 1994 film The Crow. Set in Detroit, the film shows in flashbacks the murder of Eric Draven (Brandon Lee), and the rape and murder of his fiancée Shelley Webster (Sofia Shinas) on Devil's Night. Later in the film, Top Dollar (Michael Wincott) makes mention of the perceived popularity of Devil's Night, claiming that there are Devil's Night greeting cards. In the movie Grosse Pointe Blank, which takes place in the Detroit suburbs of Grosse Pointe, the character Debi Newberry says that her apartment burned down on Devil's Night. Devil's Night was also chronicled in journalist Zev Chafets' 1990 nonfiction book Devil's Night and Other True Tales of Detroit. Devil's Night is used as a plot device in the 2007 Canadian horror movie Left for Dead. The movie 8 Mile features a sequence where the characters torch an abandoned house in Detroit that was used for crime, in reference to Devil's Night. Detroit rap band D12's debut album was titled Devil's Night. Devil's Night appears in Laura Bickle's urban fantasy novel, Embers (Pocket Books, 2010). [edit] See also Angels' Night [edit] References 1.^ "The Mischievous History of Devil's Night". The Washington Post. 2007-10-30. http://blog.washingtonpost.com/offbeat/2007/10/the_mischievous_history_of_dev_2.html. [dead link] 2.^ Devil's Night Fires Decline By More Than Half in Detroit, The New York Times, November 3, 1991 3.^ City of Detroit Angel's Night Homepage, Accessed July 4, 2007 4.^ "Detroit fires drop over 3-day Halloween period". Daily Tribune. 2009-11-03. http://dailytribune.com/articles/2009/11/03/news/doc4aef43ca44335834433376.txt. 5.^ Volunteers, rain limit Saginaw 'Devil's Night' fires, The Saginaw News, October 31, 2009 [edit] Further reading Chafets, Zev. (1990). Devil's Night and Other True Tales of Detroit. New York: Random House. ISBN 0-394-58525-3. Davis, Adam Brooke. "Devil's Night and Hallowe'en: The Linked Fates of Two Folk Festivals." Missouri Folklore Society Journal XXIV(2002) 69-82 [edit] The Chihuahua; one tiny dog, one giant bundle of love! ____________________________________________________________ Publish your photos in seconds for FREE TRY IM TOOLPACK at http://www.imtoolpack.com/default.aspx?rc=if4 ------------------------------------ Come one come all Mortals who are willing to stick their neck out for a vampire to feed upon. We will be willing to share our Dark Gift to you mortals if you pass our test.Yahoo! 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