Stranger Things: The Hellfire Club

The Hellfire Club is gaining attention

During the 1980s, there was a lot of talk about Satanism and devil worship. This was dubbed Satanic Panic and parents were concerned that the game Dungeons & Dragons would lead their children astray. This era was emphasized in Stranger Things with the Hellfire Club.

This group was a D&D-oriented society of Hawkins High students headed by Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn).

In March 1986, Eddie, serving as Dungeon Master, created and hosted the "Cult of Vecna" campaign. Shortly after this, a string of horrific murders was comitted in Hawkins.

The rumor was started by Jason Carver (Mason Dye) that the killings were part of Satanic rituals that Eddie was behind. Sales of the T-shirts worn in Stranger Things are now soaring, and there are discussions online about the renewed interest in hell.

The name Hellfire Club has been used by elite young men in Britain and also by Marvel Comics. For some, watching young people excited about a place of alleged torment is troubling. Others don't see what the fuss is all about.

Hell is considered a place of torment

There are several Looney Tunes episodes where characters go to hell and seem like a big joke. Humans who have had the experience tell a different story. Some say they were hallucinating, while others believe the tales of going to hell and back.

In 2025, The Mirror published a story by an Athiest who says he died and went to hell. He describes it as a place of despair and torment. He claims he called on God and Jesus and was brought to the light.

There are other stories of people who claim to have been in hell and returned. Those who believe in this realm do not want to see anyone spend eternity there. This is why hell is preached against.

Views on hell vary

Others who don't believe are unbothered and think it's all a joke. They become offended when anyone suggests they will spend an eternity being tormented.

The late Bishop Carlton Pearson once taught that if you don't believe in Jesus you would spend eternity in hell. In later life he changed his view and began teaching that hell is not literal. This led to hsi being kicked out of his religious organization.

Faith based views on Hell

The Quran describes hell as a location with blazing fire tht has been cursed by Allah.

Judiasm refers to Sheol and underground abyss which is interpreted as being hell. Gehenna is also a description of this most undesirable place.

The Bible teaches that all who reject Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior will go to hell. Jesus said in Luke 13:28 that hell is a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth.

The consensus is that this is a place of torment and separation from the Creator, a location no one should reside in. The major religions agree that hell is not a place to be desired but ACDC had a hit song in the late 1970s wit Highway to Hell.

The rapper Biggie Smalls/The Notorious B.I.G. sang in Suicidal Thoughts that he did not desire to go to heaven with the goody goody's dressed in white.

Do some people choose hell?

This lets us know that not everyone believes in a literal place of fire and brimstone, of eternal damnation and torment or wants to be"saved." People have free will to make choices therfore:

Those who believe hell is a destination to avoid believe it is their duty to warn the unsuspecting and prevent them from what they consider to be eternal damnation.

Anyone who feels as Biggie Smalls did and believes they will be partying in hell in the afterlife has the right to their opinions.

How long the Stranger Things Helfire Club craze will last is anybody's guess. it oculd go on for years, or end with the next popular Netflix series. Time will tell.