Outside the House of Wills
A picture of what the main hall in the House of Wills used to look like
Old civil rights–era protest signs
The gory side of Jesus fucking Mary, an art piece made by Eric Freeman
A sex torture device in the main hall of the House of Wills
Eric Freeman in the living quarters
Eric Freeman: It was actually my girlfriend's idea. She set it up. I wanted to see what kind of press and publicity something like this would draw from the national community. And it's drawn a lot. I have people stay here a lot for ghost tours and overnight investigations. But if I was smart, I definitely would have kept the listing up and made some money.What made you not wanna go through with it?
It's just not prepared. It's not up to par from my perspective. There's no running water here. When I finally do rent it out, I want it to be right.
The primary hall of the House of Wills
Al Jourgensen from Ministry and Perry Farrell from Jane's Addiction. There were lots of random people, too, from all over the country who just wanted to stay in an abandoned funeral home.What about any political people?
I had the Communist Party hit me up to see if they could do a rally here and camp people out. But I decided not to do that. As for Cleveland, the people in this town are most interested in the ghost aspect of it. But I'm more interested in the historical aspect of it and the restoration.
Some of Eric Freeman's oddities
I'm planning on starting an outreach program for the homeless, the indigent, and juveniles, where we deconstruct and reconstruct some of the houses in the area. And as far as the community's response, they've been great. Every time I'm working on the house, people stop by and say hello.The biggest obstacle has been the city. They keep raping me for money, but they should really be concerned with the history of this place. This building has been here since the 1800s and needs to be here long after I'm gone. You're never going to find another building like this, ever. And the fact that they were going to turn it into a parking lot is disgusting. I had to make sure I bought it, and now I want to do everything I can to save it.
Cryptic graffiti left by vandals
In my New Church of Satan group, I have many Cleveland followers. It is an interesting conglomeration of people who are looking for some kind of humanitarian outreach, but aren't willing to work with churches. They also believe in evolutionary betterment, where you do whatever needs to be done to get the most out of life and do whatever you need to do to evolve as a creature everyday.How does the local Satanic community of Cleveland view the RNC?
We have a lot of people who support Trump, but I personally think it is all a scam. I think they've already decided who's going to be president. This is just a public display to make people think they have some sort of involvement, but in reality, this is just a reality TV show for the world.What do you think of the RNC?
I think it is ridiculous. I think a lot of money is coming into Cleveland, but they spent a lot of money making the place look like Disneyland. My fear is that it will all fall down. Right now, it looks great for the city—it's getting a lot of press. But we'll see how positive it will turn out to be in the end. I don't see it really doing anything beneficial in the long term.
Eric Freeman's life-size xenomorph
Atheists for years have been trying to make a political impact. But due to the name or people slagging them off, they haven't succeeded. But once you introduce the word "Satan," people really start to pay attention.
No. He wouldn't be into it at all. Lavey was a very private and personal man. But we grew up in a different time period. I grew up studying Lavey as well as politics and punk rock and all these aspects of taking a fighting stance to do what's right. And that's what Satanism is really about. Remember, Lucifer fought against God for justice, even though he knew was going to lose.
Three-eyed goat statue
It's an evolution. Lavey didn't want followers in the first place. He wanted the knowledge to disseminate and be used to the best possible advantage. Satanism is really up to everyone and what they chose to do with it.Would you say modern Satanists are left or right? How do they fit in the political spectrum as most people understand it?
The smart ones don't believe in any of it. The others are a duality of both sides, incredibly conservative and liberal. For us, there really isn't a party that suits both needs. Until there are four or five parties in an election, I can't believe any of it.So is there a Satanic perspective on the hot button issues of the day?
Satanists are anti-stupid, period. We don't have time for frivolous things unless it is used in an entertaining or comedic way. But there are not concrete views—everyone uses Satanism in their own way. There are definitely pathways that run within the realm of Satanism, but the only particulars are anti-stupid and the power of the will.
Outside the House of Wills
Eric Freeman's cat, which is named Kitler because it has a Hitler-esque black spot under its nose