# What's the best screen portrayal of the Devil? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** actor-characters\ **Created:** [September 26, 2022, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-screen-portrayal-of-the-devil/972235 "2022-09-26T03:56:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2022, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-screen-portrayal-of-the-devil/972235/81 "2022-09-29T19:45:30Z")
> [@bump](#): > > But in the sense of the story (The Odyssey retold as set in 1930s Mississippi), the sheriff isn’t the devil, he’s the analogue of Poseidon. But part of being an analogue of Poseidon is being a malevolent (at least with respect to our Hero) supernatural entity. In 1930s Mississippi, that’s the Devil. The subtext is he’s a stand-in for Poseidon. The text is he’s the Devil. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2022, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-screen-portrayal-of-the-devil/972235/82 "2022-09-29T19:47:07Z")
The _text_ is that he’s a sheriff. The _subtext_ is that he’s the devil. The _metatext_ is that he’s Poseidon. ---
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2022, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-screen-portrayal-of-the-devil/972235/83 "2022-09-29T19:55:27Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > The _text_ is that he’s a sheriff. Actually, I’m not sure if that’s explicit. Does anyone ever actually call him the Sheriff? I mean, I get that he’s billed as Sheriff Cooley according to the credits (on IMDb, anyway), but that isn’t even text, it’s… I don’t even know what the term is for that. Post-text? Anyway, just so long as we all agree that the character is implicitly the Devil within the _context_ of fictional 1930s Mississippi and so fair game for this thread. ETA: The greatest trick the devil ever played was convincing the world that he was just a country Sheriff with empty eyes, a hollow voice, and travels with a mean old hound dog. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2022, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-screen-portrayal-of-the-devil/972235/84 "2022-09-29T20:23:34Z")
David Warner as Evil in Time Bandits was fun. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2022, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-screen-portrayal-of-the-devil/972235/85 "2022-09-29T20:28:52Z")
[![](https://www.standbyformindcontrol.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Stand-By-for-Mind-Control.png) ](https://www.standbyformindcontrol.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Stand-By-for-Mind-Control.png) ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2022, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-screen-portrayal-of-the-devil/972235/86 "2022-09-29T20:37:59Z")
> [@ASL\_v2.0](#): > > Actually, I’m not sure if that’s explicit. Does anyone ever actually call him the Sheriff? I mean, I get that he’s billed as Sheriff Cooley according to the credits (on IMDb, anyway), but that isn’t even text, it’s… I don’t even know what the term is for that. Post-text? Knowledge that can’t be gleaned by just watching the movie, and can only be discerned by statements from the filmmakers, or from production material, would be extra-textual. It’s an interesting question whether the credits to a film count as extra-textual, or just part of the text, but in this particular situation, the character is wearing a badge that says “sheriff” on it, so I’d say that’s pretty explicit. That said, I think we’re on the wrong track with this guy. He’s an antagonist pursuing a group of people on a quest involving a ring, who is defeated by a sudden flood. Clearly, he’s a Nazgul. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2022, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-screen-portrayal-of-the-devil/972235/87 "2022-09-29T22:37:56Z")
Any fans of The Cuphead Show? [![](https://i0.wp.com/bloody-disgusting.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/TheCupheadShow_Season1_Episode1_00_07_21_07.jpg?w=1200&ssl=1) ](https://i0.wp.com/bloody-disgusting.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/TheCupheadShow_Season1_Episode1_00_07_21_07.jpg?w=1200&ssl=1) ---
**Author:** ![FordPrefect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e99b99/32.png) [@FordPrefect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FordPrefect)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2022, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-screen-portrayal-of-the-devil/972235/88 "2022-09-29T23:10:56Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > Spoilered for those who haven’t seen this fun little movie: It’s the scene where he describes his “realization” that he is Satan that wins this movie for me. There are so many fun bits though. Now I know why they call you Pokey. Now I know why they call you Bangs 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2022, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-screen-portrayal-of-the-devil/972235/89 "2022-09-30T00:13:57Z")
Came here to mention mainly him, and also - Sebastien Cabot as the cheery Pip in the Twilight Zone episode “A Nice Pace to Visit”. John Hurt as some mousy shlub who at the end reveals himself to be the Big Grandaddy in a bizarre made-for-tv romp called “Spectre” ('77). The coital cameo in “Rosemary’s Baby”. (on top - nice!) May have ben mentioned already, but what’s that show/movie about someone held captive but manages to be set free, and in one of the most Truly Awesomest (Edited) Shots in Film, buddy walks past several pillars or columns/whatever, and as he passes each one, he looks more and more like the devil. And I liked how downbeat he acted while he was incarcerated, working a pretty good con job on his captor, IIRC. > [@BrickBat](#): > > Ernest Borgnine in ‘The Devil’s Rain’. Scary even now, but scared the piss out of me back in the 70s when I first saw it. I remember EB complaining that he had to have lots of styrofoam in his mouth for that role, hence bits of white spitting out of his mouth in a scene or two. > [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > And Jim Garner as God. Rad. Will seek further. ---
**Author:** ![P-man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/p-man/32/3606_2.png) [@P-man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/P-man)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2022, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-screen-portrayal-of-the-devil/972235/90 "2022-09-30T00:40:08Z")
Spike the Dog in the Sylvester and Tweety cartoon where Sylvester keeps getting sent back down after using up lives. [Sylvester The Cat - (Ep. 46) - Satan’s Waitin’ - Video Dailymotion - video Dailymotion](https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3df6qz) ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2022, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-screen-portrayal-of-the-devil/972235/91 "2022-09-30T01:00:11Z")
Or: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/hZ_x5HhFLpE/maxresdefault.jpg "Weekend Update: The Devil on Penn State - SNL") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZ_x5HhFLpE) ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2022, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-screen-portrayal-of-the-devil/972235/92 "2022-09-30T01:02:13Z")
> [@Guest-starring\_Id](#): > > May have ben mentioned already, but what’s that show/movie about someone held captive but manages to be set free, and in one of the most Truly Awesomest (Edited) Shots in Film, buddy walks past several pillars or columns/whatever, and as he passes each one, he looks more and more like the devil. And I liked how downbeat he acted while he was incarcerated, working a pretty good con job on his captor, IIRC The Howling Man an episode of the original Twilight Zone. The monks at a hermitage insist their captive is Satan. The captive insists he’s just a man and the monks are crazy. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2022, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-screen-portrayal-of-the-devil/972235/93 "2022-09-30T01:07:03Z")
Oh and while he is not called the Devil… we all know he is. Randall Flagg. The Walkin’ Dude. The Dark Man. Walter o’Din. But how does he introduce himself here? “Pleased to meet you, Lloyd… hope you guessed my name.” [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/hZdDp4jpbdM/maxresdefault.jpg "Pleased to meet you, Lloyd, hope you guess my name.") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZdDp4jpbdM) ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2022, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-screen-portrayal-of-the-devil/972235/94 "2022-09-30T01:14:03Z")
Ah, thanks. ETA: “Exorcist” cameo wasn’t bad. As well as those super quick edits of that white-faced ghoul/devil? ---
**Author:** ![ZamboniAce1000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/f19dbf/32.png) [@ZamboniAce1000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZamboniAce1000)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2022, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-screen-portrayal-of-the-devil/972235/95 "2022-09-30T01:24:25Z")
Satan in the series finale of the TV show “Sleepy Hollow” was pretty good. His entrance to the tune “Cheek to Cheek”, “Heaven, I’m in heaven, etc etc.” was very cheeky. He and Ichabod Crane went nose to nose in tough negotiations. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2022, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-screen-portrayal-of-the-devil/972235/96 "2022-09-30T01:25:29Z")
Welcome ZA1000! That’s a fine choice for username, btw. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2022, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-screen-portrayal-of-the-devil/972235/97 "2022-09-30T01:41:41Z")
> [@DocCathode](#): > > > [@Guest-starring\_Id](#): > > > > May have ben mentioned already, but what’s that show/movie about someone held captive but manages to be set free, and in one of the most Truly Awesomest (Edited) Shots in Film, buddy walks past several pillars or columns/whatever, and as he passes each one, he looks more and more like the devil. And I liked how downbeat he acted while he was incarcerated, working a pretty good con job on his captor, IIRC > > The Howling Man an episode of the original Twilight Zone. The monks at a hermitage insist their captive is Satan. The captive insists he’s just a man and the monks are crazy. [The scene](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=py6sl1X5QBI) Robin Hughes played the devil. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2022, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-screen-portrayal-of-the-devil/972235/98 "2022-09-30T01:58:59Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > [The scene](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=py6sl1X5QBI) > > Robin Hughes played the devil. Cool, thanks. Completely forgot, from one of my top ten - the dapper, mephistophelian Overseer from “Space is the Place”, here, taking on, of course, Sun Ra. [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyMAu1goIMU&t=579) ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2022, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-screen-portrayal-of-the-devil/972235/99 "2022-09-30T02:07:34Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Oh and while he is not called the Devil… we all know he is. I like the interpretation that he’s an avatar of HP Lovecraft’s Nyarlathotep. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2022, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-screen-portrayal-of-the-devil/972235/100 "2022-09-30T02:20:06Z")
> [@janis\_and\_c0](#): > > Wow… this many replies and no one has mentioned him: I was just about to post that very skit! Lovitz for the win! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-screen-portrayal-of-the-devil/972235.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-screen-portrayal-of-the-devil/972235.md?page=6)