Devil's 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, but is chiefly associated with the serious vandalism and arson seen in Detroit, Michigan from the 1970s to the 1990s, finally prompting the "Angels' Night" community response.
Devil's Night dates from as early as the 1930s. Traditionally, city youths engaged in a night of mischievous or petty criminal behavior, usually consisting of minor pranks or acts of mild vandalism (such as egging, soaping or waxing windows and doors, leaving rotten vegetables or flaming bags of Canine feces on front porch stoops, or toilet papering trees and shrubs) which caused little or no property damage.
However, in the early 1970s, the vandalism escalated to more destructive acts such as arson. This primarily took place in the inner city, but surrounding suburbs were often affected as well.
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.
Devil's Night is the debut studio album by Detroit hip hop group D12, released on June 19, 2001.
The album was executively produced by Eminem, who had recently released his hugely successful third studio album, The Marshall Mathers LP, a year earlier. The album's title comes from the Devil's Night tradition, recognized in and around Detroit in which abandoned homes are set ablaze. This practice was so popular in Detroit that it was depicted in the film 8 Mile. The album produced three singles: "Purple Pills", "Ain't Nuttin' But Music", and "Fight Music". The album featured a hidden track by Eminem called "Girls", which is a diss track aimed at Limp Bizkit, DJ Lethal, Dilated Peoples, and Everlast. Devil's Night was also the first album to be released on Eminem's Shady Records label, although the label has been active since 1999. The album debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 with approximately 372,000 copies sold on the week of release.
Upon its release, Devil's Night received a score of 58 out of 100 from Metacritic due to mixed or average reviews from music critics. Nathan Brackett of Rolling Stone gave the album 3 stars out of 5, saying that "If the Slim Shady and Marshall Mathers albums were slapstick trips into one man's psychosis - like the Marx Brothers starring in 'Taxi Driver' - then Devil's Night is 'Friday the 13th' by the Farrelly brothers....with results varying from silly to just dumb....yet its high points are some of the most accomplished hip-hop we'll hear this year."
"Devil's Night" is the fourth episode of the fifth season of the anthology television series American Horror Story. It aired on October 28, 2015 on the cable network FX.
Richard Ramirez (Anthony Ruivivar), who died in 2013, checks in for the Devil's Night. Liz Taylor (Denis O'Hare) leads him to his room, where a married couple is sleeping. After killing the husband, the wife runs screaming from the room, where she encounters James March (Evan Peters). She screams for help as he holds and kills her.
John Lowe (Wes Bentley) answers a phone call from Scarlett (Shree Crooks). During the call, he notices his ceiling and wall are bleeding. Miss Evers (Mare Winningham) is having trouble getting out a difficult bloodstain as well. Every Halloween, she is reminded of her son, who was kidnapped in 1925. John arrives to question the blood coming from her room, and they talk as she explains that her son was taken to a ranch outside town, and all they found was the costume. His kidnapper had taken and killed many children and disposed of their bodies with quick lime and set them in a mass grave. After the recounting, her mood upswings as she blathers on about preparations for the festivities. Alex Lowe (Chloë Sevigny) has brought Holden (Lennon Henry) home, but the family dog rejects him. As she returns with a glass of juice for Holden, she finds him feeding on the dog's neck. He does not feel well, and wants his "other mommy".