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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
Entertainment
Anita McSorley

Terrifying Irish link in Netflix thriller Devil in Ohio leaves viewers saying ‘Oh hell no’

Netflix series Devil in Ohio has left Irish viewers terrified with its link to Ireland.

The thriller, which is based on a true story, was released last week and has already become the most-watched series on the platform in Ireland.

It tells the tale of a teenage girl’s mission to escape a Satan-worshipping cult, and an ordinary American family unwittingly caught up in the cult’s eerie world in attempts to help her.

READ MORE: Is Netflix's Devil In Ohio based on a real story? Truth behind devil-worshipping cult

The show is more accurate than some viewers would like, as the series is in fact based on a true story - with a sinister link to Ireland.

As the story unfolded, viewers learned the cult was named Sliocht and Diabhail (The Devil’s Own) and was formed by a community from Connacht that fled from the famine.

The founder of the cult was Caleb Dodd. Before turning to evil, Caleb, his brother Seamus, and their followers used to worship Yahweh, the name of god in Hebrew. When they lost all their crops in the famine, Yahweh guided them to sail across the sea in search of fertile land and they ended up in America.

But misfortune followed them - crops failed, animals starved and children began to die. While Seamus didn’t lose faith in Yahweh, Caleb heard the call of a new god, who spoke to him through a crow. He spread the word of his new god and everyone bar Seamus followed him to Ohio, where Sliocht and Diabhail has lived ever since.

While Sliocht an Diabhail is not a real cult, it is said to be inspired by actions that took place years ago in Ohio, according to executive producer Rachel Miller.

The reality comes from the Xenos Christian Fellowship, which was run by cult leader Jeffrey Lundgren.

The Irish link has left some viewers terrified, with one person taking to Twitter to write: “This whole f**kery started in Ireland? Oh hell no.”

Another said: “The Devil in Ohio is kinda fun, despite the weird Irish famine backstory.”

Other people commented on the shock twist at the ending.

“So I've been watching Devil in Ohio this weekend and I absolutely loved it. The story line is addictive and the actors are brilliant. Loved the twist at the end ! A must see,” one person said.

Another added: “Still don’t know how I feel about the ending of Devil in Ohio. Such a thrilling twist, but also so heartbreaking.”

"Wow. Just finished this series. Must watch. Been a while since I’ve seen a great plot twist," a third said.

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