In the late 1990s, northern Italy's heavy metal scene birthed the Beasts of Satan—a twisted cult of young occultists blending black metal, drugs, and devil worship. Led by Andrea Volpe and Nicola Sapone, the group lured victims into ritual sacrifices to seal pacts with darkness.

Their horrors began on January 17, 1998, in the misty woods near Somma Lombardo, northwest of Milan. There, they stabbed 19-year-old Chiara Marino through the heart as a "virgin sacrifice," then bludgeoned her boyfriend, 16-year-old bassist Fabio Tollis, with a hammer when he intervened. The pair's bodies were dumped in a shallow pit, stuffed with chestnut leaves, and mocked as "zombies" while killers danced on the grave. The remains lay undiscovered for six years.

In 2004, Volpe shot his ex, 27-year-old Mariangela Pezzotta, in the throat to silence her threats to expose the sect. She survived long enough to be beaten and buried alive in a nearby greenhouse. Confessions unraveled the cult, leading to life sentences for Sapone and decades for Volpe.

Today, those Somma Lombardo woods whisper of unrest: locals report chilling apparitions of a stabbed girl and shadowy figures, eerie cries at midnight, and an oppressive dread that chases hikers away. The forest, scarred by blood rites, stands as Italy's haunted Satanic scar.

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