A terrified Boaz Island resident claimed that Hallowe'en night festivities in the area may have taken on a more sinister edge -- sparking fears of devil worship and satanist activities.

The woman, who did not wish to be identified, said she saw a group of about 15 people on Hallowe'en night -- one dressed in a white robe, the other in a black robe, and the rest in Hallowe'en costumes -- follow a trail of flowers through a graveyard.

"They were making weird noises, and one of them had a hatchet that had some sort of smoke coming from it,'' she said.

"Someone in the neighbourhood shouted, `are you satanists?' but they kept walking and ignored them.

"Police were called...but as the police neared them, they disappeared.

They reappeared later and two of them had blood on them,'' she added.

The woman said that neighbourhood residents were very upset -- especially since the group was seen in a Dockyard graveyard last year wearing black robes with hoods.

"I guess this year, the others had on costumes so as not to scare people -- it was really weird and really scary, it was almost like the KKK.

"If they do (kill) animals now, what will happen in years to come?'' she said.

An internet posting of information about Satanism and Wiccans -- better known as witches -- by Diane Vera suggest that the two are distinct religions with intimate historical ties.

But Charles Stough of the New York Times news service notes that Wiccan ceremonies actually coincide with autumn pagan festivals on November 11, converted to October 31 with the Gregorian calendar in the 1700s.

The ceremonies are believed to coincide with the time when the veil separating the world between the living and the dead is thinnest.

A Police spokesperson said officers responded to the Boaz Island incident, but there appeared to be nothing unholy about the revellers' behaviour.

"Police get several calls on Hallowe'en about bizarre things, and we have to take all calls seriously -- and people in the area were frightened.

"(Members of the group) were spoken to, but they weren't doing anything,'' the spokesperson added.