Is the Hudson Valley a Satanist Hub? New Report Sheds Light

This morning (1/23/24) I was preparing for my radio show when I came across a movie review article in the Daily Beast.

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The article; "Realm of Satan’: Meet the Church’s Magicians, Porn Stars, and Broomstick Makers" is about a documentary about Satanists call "Realm of Satan." The author of the article is not a fan of the movie but they did provide some information that sent me spinning.

The writer says some of the featured satanists in the documentary live in the Hudson Valley, here is the quote that made my head spin:

"That tableau is an early highlight of Realm of Satan, which affords plentiful glimpses of random people whose names and locations are never identified. A montage of those folks separately reciting a Satanic prayer in different languages indicates that some are British, German, Scandinavian, and American, and later news reports about a fire that consumed the home of Joe Netherworld indicate that some of them—who eventually congregate for the finale—live in the Hudson Valley’s Witchcraft District.”

I didn't even know there was a "witchcraft district" in the Hudson Valley but a few clicks later I identified that it's in Poughkeepsie. According to the Times Union it's "a stretch of Victorian homes in Poughkeepsie." The T.U. article says a prominent Satanist lived there named Joe Mendillo AKA Joe Netherworld. Joe Netherworld reportedly influenced Satanist friends of his to move to Poughkeepsie from NYC. Mendillo has since passed away and his home burned down.

Finally, one of my colleagues at Townsquare Media (Mike) wrote an article in 2017 for WRRV that said witchcraft is one of the fastest-growing religions in the region, stating: "There are about one million practicing Wiccans nationwide, and about 20% live right here in New York."

Somebody want to tell me how I missed this? Satanists and Wiccans all over Poughkeepsie? That is too close! My mom is not going to let me leave my house and I'm 44.

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