Your Own Personal Tempter: Best & Worst Satans

[Sampiro]

A friend who saw Constantine with me liked Peter Stormare's depiction of Satan as a demented Vincent Schiavelli-esque New Yorker while I think Satan should be in film, as he is in real life, British. What are your favorite takes on Old Nick either in film or literature?

In film:

Al Pacino in The Devil's Advocate- the film is dreadful but I loved the final 30 minutes of Pacino hamming it up and asking for a grandbaby

Elizabeth Hurley in Bedazzled(the remake)

Peter Cook in Bedazzled (the original, if only because it has one of my favorite exchanges:

Stanley Moon (Dudley Moore): You're not the devil! You're a bleedin' nutcase.
The Devil: They said the same thing of Galileo, Pasteur, Columbus and Einstein.
Stanley: They also said it about a lot of bleedin' nutcases.

Robert Judd (as "Scratch") in CROSSROADS (the "ol' Blues man goes to
redeem his soul ala Robert Johnson version with Joe Seneca and Ralph
Macchio, not the same
titled totally unrelated movie of a couple of years ago

The worst would be either

Celentano (sp?) in THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST or
Jeroen Krabbe's Eurotrash take on him (complete with ponytail) in the godawful
miniseries JESUS.

Just for sexiness, I once saw a photo of Alexis Denisov (Wesley from Angel) as Satan from a production of Byron's CAIN- he was clad in a serpentine loincloth and wings and looked hotter than Pandemonium's patio in August.

Literary:

Anne Rice's Memnock the Devil (a case of a blind squirrel finding a nut)

[Lobsang]

Gabriel Byrne made a good satan. Twice I think.

[jeffh3000]

One of my favorite Satan's is John Glover as he portrayed it in "Brimstone" the tv series. His manner here is very"british like", well dressed, delights in his pure evil, with a wicked sense of humor.

You should know this actor from tons of movies, and his current portrayal of Lionel Luther on Smallville, who does one of the few good acting jobs on that show.

I also have always felt that Christopher Walken would make a good satan, with his dark and offbeat style.

[Gatopescado]

I kinda like Satan from "South Park". Ow!

"Saddam, why do you always make love to me from behind?"

[The Scrivener]

Well, the IMDB has 171 listings (some basically redundant) of men (and 25 women) playing Satan or closely related characters. Oddly, they didn't include Emmanuelle Seigner, who played either one of Satan's demons or the Great Deceiver himself, in Polanski's The Ninth Gate. (Seigner was great in the role, of a certain age and with a certain cruelty and crudeness in her features that worked well for the film.)

I think the female Satans have the advantage of surprise, insofar as everyone basically expects Satan to be a male figure. OTOH, a male Satan can impregnate a woman with the Antichrist, whether she's willing or not, aware or not, even in the guise of an incubus, if necessary -- and what could be more horrifying than that?

[RealityChuck]

Peter Cook was a good one, but I'm partial to Mr. Applegate as played by Ray Walston in Damn Yankees. He certainly has the best song.

[Morbo]

I suppose I should use a spoiler:

DeNiro as "Louis Cipher" in Angel Heart. All the better when you know that he's really doing a Scorsese impression.

[Morbo]

AAAAUUUGH!!!!! Mods, please fix my horrible coding error. (Does Gaudere's Law apply to making a coding mistake at the worst possible time?)

[lisacurl]

Viggo Mortensen was a vicious and very pretty Lucifer in The Prophecy. Alas, it was a very small role.

I enjoyed Robert DeNiro as 'Louis Cyphre' in Angel Heart, all long fingernails rolling the hard-boiled eggs to break the shell. Creepy.

I liked Satan being interpreted as an blond, angelic, barely pubescent girl/being in The Last Temptation of Christ.

[Morbo]

I enjoyed Robert DeNiro as 'Louis Cyphre' in Angel Heart, all long fingernails rolling the hard-boiled eggs to break the shell. Creepy.

Um, nevermind, Mods.

[rjung]

I think the female Satans have the advantage of surprise, insofar as everyone basically expects Satan to be a male figure. OTOH, a male Satan can impregnate a woman with the Antichrist, whether she's willing or not, aware or not, even in the guise of an incubus, if necessary -- and what could be more horrifying than that?
A female satan getting it on with an unsuspecting woman? Where can I get tickets? :D

And I'll toss out a vote for the Simpsons satan, a.k.a. Ned Flanders.

[ultrafilter]

I'd say Anton LaVey brought the most sincerity to the role....

[Uzi]

Literary:
It would have to be Satan in Heinlein's 'Job: A comedy of Justice'. I can never picture Satan as evil and this paints a far more logical devil.
review (http://www.gotterdammerung.org/books/robert-heinlein/job-a-comedy-of-justice.html)

[Flipstrip]

I was always rather partial to two "Twilight Zone" Satans, Burgess Meredith and Julie Newmar. Burgess just relishes the role, and Julie's just ROWR!

[Katisha]

As far as literary portrayals go, I think Milton still wins.

[pulykamell]

As far as literary portrayals go, I think Milton still wins.

I liked Bulgakov's Satan (Woland) in The Master and Margarita far better. Although Milton Satan is good, too.

[lisacurl]

Um, nevermind, Mods.
Was it a spoiler that Deniro's character was Satan in Angel Heart? I remember being aware of it immediately. I mean, his name was a pretty big clue.

[NoClueBoy]

John Lovitz

[neofishboy]

While not technically "Satan", Tim Curry's Darkness from Legend is still probably the coolest visual representation of a traditional "devil" character that I've seen.

[Ellis Dee]

Viggo Mortensen was a vicious and very pretty Lucifer in The Prophecy. Alas, it was a very small role.That was probably my favorite film satan.

But then again, what the hell do I know? I liked Harvey Keitel's satan.

[Kamino Neko]

One of my favorite Satan's is John Glover as he portrayed it in "Brimstone" the tv series.

That reminds me...the series The Collector - about a man who's supposed to collect souls (because he is one himself) damned for making deals with the devil, but brokers another deal with Satan - to get a chance to help the poor schmucks redeem themselves before they can be forcefully dragged to Hell - has an interesting Satan.

He appears in a different form every episode.

He's been a little girl, a cab driver (played by Blu Mankuma, much to my delight), a pizza delivery boy (white stoner looking kid), a vietnamese gangster, an old chinese lady, a 3-card monte dealer, and a bunch more that I can't remember offhand.

When dealing with Morgan (the Collector), he threatens, taunts, and otherwise annoys him. Occasionally when Morgan gets close to redeeming someone, he'll occasionally pull something to mess it up - offering to extend the deal, or trying to convince them they can't fix things, etc - sometimes he'll just sit back and watch, or he'll just try to make Morgan give up. Sometimes he'll even appear to take it well when Morgan succeeds.

[MrDibble]

Viggo Mortensen was a vicious and very pretty Lucifer in The Prophecy. Alas, it was a very small role.
...but memorable. One of my favourites. I love that film...but it gets no respect, I tell ya.
The other is Neil Gaiman's Lucifer in Sandman (Haven't read the )Lucifer spin-off so can't say how well he's done there)

My worst is the devil in the Arnie movie End of Days - not Gabriel Byrne, he's cool, but the CGI satan at the end. Also cgi-Satan in Spawn. Maybe it's CGI-satans generally?

[FriarTed]

I think I'll create a Best/Worst film AntiChrist thread.

[Ranchoth]

"Peaches" (http://www.jrj-socrates.com/Cartoon%20Pics/Nick%20Toons/Rocko/Satan-Peaches_300.gif) from Rocko's Modern Life.

[Fortean]

Everyone always seems to forget one of the greatest movie devils – Walter Huston as Mr Scratch in The Devil and Daniel Webster. Here’s a pic:

http://www.scottschirmer.com/devil-and-daniel-webster-scratch-with-webster-b.jpg

(He’s the one on the right!). He’s a great example – not exactly terrifying, but hellishly annoying and irritating, enough to make your skin crawl.

[SlyFrog]

I liked Bulgakov's Satan (Woland) in The Master and Margarita far better. Although Milton Satan is good, too.

Wonderful book, wonderful choice. I'm not sure if it's the best ever, but it's the best I can currently think of as well.

[BrotherCadfael]

One of my favorite Satan's is John Glover as he portrayed it in "Brimstone" the tv series. His manner here is very"british like", well dressed, delights in his pure evil, with a wicked sense of humor."The only person I ever loved was God, and that was a VERY long time ago!"

Good call.

[BrotherCadfael]

I was always rather partial to two "Twilight Zone" Satans, Burgess Meredith and Julie Newmar. Burgess just relishes the role, and Julie's just ROWR!Julie's cute little horns just get me every time!

[Robot Arm]

I think the female Satans have the advantage of surprise, insofar as everyone basically expects Satan to be a male figure.So, are you disappointed that they never released the remake of The Devil and Daniel Webster with Jennifer Love Hewitt?

[Morbo]

Was it a spoiler that Deniro's character was Satan in Angel Heart? I remember being aware of it immediately. I mean, his name was a pretty big clue.

The movie indeed treated it as though it was to be a surprise to the audience at the same time it was a surprise to Willis - towards the end.

Regardless, do you pass judgement on all spoilers and then unspoil them in a duplicate post if you feel they don't fit the criteria? ;)

[BrotherCadfael]

So, are you disappointed that they never released the remake of The Devil and Daniel Webster with Jennifer Love Hewitt?How about a remake of The Devil in Miss Jones with Jennifer Love Hewitt?

[Dunderman]

In comics, The First of the Fallen in Hellblazer (I'm thinking specifically of Rake at the Gates of Hell here) and Lucifer in Sandman (from Season of Mists onwards) are both great favourites of mine. The First's speech in Rake at the Gates of Hell is one of my favourite sequences in comics ever.

In film, Viggo Mortensen's devil in Prophecy was the one I came here to mention. Not much to add there.

One thing many devil portrayals miss is that the devil isn't nearly as scary if he's repelling. He's supposed to be beautiful. You're supposed to be able to see the appeal. What I'd really like to see is a really handsome male movie-devil, physically strong but with slim rather than bulging muscles, moving like a cat, scarily intelligent, constantly smiling slightly as if he knows something you don't, and just oozing sex from every pore. I'm thinking Jude Law with black hair.

[Baker]

Priceguy, the author Taylor Caldwell had the Devil portrayed as an attractive man in one of the short stories that make up the book Grandmother and the Priests. A priest experiencing a crisis of faith is confronted by Satan. Later, describing him, he says he wasn't afraid because he reminded him of well-born friends from his days at university, young, well dressed, urbane, and so on. Actually, another story in the same volume had a similar Devil, and it's his hearty, amused laughter that recieves prominent mention. Both of the men who faced these devils mentioned that if he appeared with horns, tail, and a pitchfork, we'd run screaming away, and so the evil one appears in the guise most appealing to us.

[NDP]

...

Both of the men who faced these devils mentioned that if he appeared with horns, tail, and a pitchfork, we'd run screaming away... .

Or laughing ourselves sick.

[moonstarssun]

Another vote for Viggo Mortenson in The Prophecy.

[lisacurl]

The movie indeed treated it as though it was to be a surprise to the audience at the same time it was a surprise to Willis - towards the end.

Regardless, do you pass judgement on all spoilers and then unspoil them in a duplicate post if you feel they don't fit the criteria? ;)
Willis? Do you mean Mickey Roarke's character?

I'm not going to argue it -- it's been a long time since I've seen the movie -- I just didn't consider the identity of a character whose name is a heavy-handed pun on Lucifer to be a spoiler.

If the Devil's going to get me for it, can he look like Viggo please? :D

[Morbo]

From Ebert's Review (http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19870306/REVIEWS/703060301/1023)

The De Niro character sets the tone, with his sharp, pointed fingernails and his elegant black suits. De Niro must have had fun preparing for the character: He uses a neatly trimmed black beard, slicked-back hair and tricks of lighting and makeup to make himself look uncannily like Martin Scorsese, his favorite director. Given what we eventually discover about the character, it's a wicked homage.


So it seems that the movie intended it as a secret, whether you figured it out right away or not. I did too, ftr, but with spoilers in Cafe Society I err on the side of caution. Example: Would you place what happens to Professor Lupin's character in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban in a spoiler box? I would.

Not that it matters - I was mainly busting your chops about posting the same thing I did ten minutes later. ;)

[rocking chair]

robert redford, twilight zone.

[KGS]

I liked Jamey Sheridan's take on Randall Flagg (who is basically an incarnation of The Devil) in Stephen King's The Stand.

[MrDibble]

Flagg is more Antichrist (Son of Satan) than Satan, IMHO, but Sheridan was good.

[BrotherCadfael]

robert redford, twilight zone.Redford was Death, not the Devil.

[Maus Magill]

Another vote for Viggo Mortenson in The Prophecy.
When Satan told Thomas that he was, in fact, under the bed, was I the only person who's first reaction was, "I knew it!"

Viggo had the right amount of creepiness and malevolence in The Prophecy. He would not have been nearly as effective had he been used more.

[Lord Ashtar]

Viggo Mortensen was a vicious and very pretty Lucifer in The Prophecy. Alas, it was a very small role.
"Oh my God!"
"God is love. I don't love you."

Positively brilliant. I just ordered that movie on DVD from Amazon. I can't wait until I get it.

[lisacurl]

He nailed so much of his initial scene with Virginia Madsen, but this was the best:

"Humans... and how I love you talking monkeys for this... know more about war and treachery of the spirit than any angel."

[Hey, It's That Guy!]

I bet none of you have seen the low-budget comic book adaptation G-Men From Hell, which starred Vegas lounge lizard Robert Goulet as Satan. He was a very typical depiction with red skin, horns, and jet-black hair with a pointy goatee, elegant in a suit, of course. The lowbrow/"trash" artist Coop often draws the Devil that way, except greasier-looking, and usually surrounded by plenty of voluptuous red-skinned, horned, horny succubi.

Tim Curry as "The Darkness" in the otherwise-deplorable Legend was pretty awesome, though.

[KGS]

Flagg is more Antichrist (Son of Satan) than Satan, IMHO, but Sheridan was good.
Perhaps in the novel. In the miniseries, Flagg definitely seemed closer to the Big Kahuna himself. Especially in the exchange:

Flagg: "Pleased to meet you, Lloyd. Hope you guess my name!"
Lloyd: "Huh?"
Flagg: "Oh, nothing. Just a classical reference."

:D

[Sampiro]

While he wasn't Satan, I LOVED Hinton Battle's satanic song/dance demon on the Buffy musical ("Once More With Feeling"). He should have gotten an Emmy.

[Jonathan Chance]

I admit, I'm very partial to Elizabeth Hurley's portrayal in the remake of 'Bedazzled'. Especially that shot in the denouement with God and she playing chess and watching the two love interests walk off together. Then, when God is distracted, she tries to move the pieces out of turn and he spats her hand. The laugh she puts on is just brilliant.

Frankly, if there HAS to be a God/Devil thing I'd prefer that it's all just fun and games to keep the infinite occupied than a war between good and evil.

And no one has tossed out Daniel von Bargen who portrayed Satan in 'O Brother Where Art Thou?'

'You can't do this! It ain't the law!'

'The LAW? The law is a human institution.'

[Talon Karrde]

I like the way CS Lewis portrayed him in Perelandra. Very creepy, and also different from the other portrayals I've seen.

When he's trying to tempt the woman, he is the gentleman that he's commonly portrayed as.

But... when she's not around, he acts like a mentally retarded person. He does obscene things with his body and is just disgusting and stupid in general. The reason, according to the narrator, is that since being intelligent and classy is a good thing, Satan avoids both unless it serves as a means to an end, like impressing the woman so he can tempt her.

[Scott Plaid]

I love the Master Thespian (Jon Jovitz), but I have to second rjung's vote for Ned Flanders.

[wolf_meister]

Flipstrip and BrotherCadfael
Great Minds Think Alike :D
When I clicked on this thread, the first thing I did was do a page search for "Julie". Yes her role as Ms Devlin in that "Twilight Zone" episode ("Of Late I Think OF Cliffordville") was teriffic!! She played it with a nice mixture of sinister sinfullness and smoldering sexuality.

[jayjay]

Oh, my...nobody's mentioned Bill Cosby's turn as Satan in Disney's 1981 crapfest, The Devil and Max Devlin (http://imdb.com/title/tt0082263/)? In one scene, he's in some sort of evil witch doctor outfit screaming at Elliott Gould! Horrible. Absolutely horrible. Almost as bad as Leonard, Part Six and Ghost Dad. Seriously.