Devil’s Night occurs the night before Halloween, October 30th, and although it did not originate in Detroit, Michigan – that’s where it would gain infamy. According to the Detroit Historical Society, “Mischief Night” arrived to the US from Europe around the 1930s. The mischief was simple. Small pranks. Petty vandalism. Egging, toilet papering, literal kid stuff. Until the 1980s.
By that time, Detroit was full of abandoned homes and commercial properties. A little over a decade earlier, local Government mismanagement had set the stage for what would come to be called “The Detroit Rebellion” – the 1967 Detroit riot. The United States Army’s 82nd and 101st Airborne divisions were sent in and over 400 buildings were completely destroyed. The global automotive industry was booming by the 80s. Cars no longer needed to come from Detroit to be trusted. Old assembly plants outlived their usefulness and nobody had invested in new ones. There was an exodus, people left in droves. The mischief mutated into something more sinister. Those abandoned properties would become targets of arson and by 1984 there were as many as 800 fires reported on the Devil’s Night. As is inevitable with something as untamable as fire, the flames would often jump to properties that weren’t abandoned. Many were hurt, some even lost their lives. To this day, major metropolitan cities still have “Angel’s Night” patrols where volunteers from within local communities roam the streets in large groups to dissuade arsonists.
Asylum’s Devil’s Night has traditionally been a local drop specific to Detroit, but last year it was given a wider release. The response was such that they’ve decided to make this limited run available nationwide as well. There are two formats this year – 5 x 44 and 7 x 48. Every Devil’s Night was aged in Danli City and features a Honduran-grown Corojo wrapper with Honduran binders and fillers. They only had enough of these tobaccos to make 1000 five-packs of each size, so if you’re seeking mischief I’d suggest you keep an eye out and call your local B&M to see if they’re receiving these. Devil’s Night has already begun shipping so expect them to be completely sold out well ahead of Halloween.