Top 10 Depictions of Satan in Movies
Published on May 16, 2008 - 108 Comments
The Devil has been playing with our minds for centuries. No matter what you call him, The Prince of Darkness, Lucifer, Old Scratch, Beelzebub, Mephistopheles…The Devil has been deeply rooted in our psyches since childhood. Modern conceptions of the Devil include the concept that it symbolizes humans’ own lower nature or sinfulness. From Dante’s Inferno to Goethe’s Faust, the Devil is a firm character in the literature, religion and culture in almost every society on Earth.
He spans every genre, comedy, satire, and drama and is a great foil for any hero or anti hero. Now in the age of visual media, the Devil still hasn’t lost his charm. Here is a list of the Top 10 depictions of the Devil in Television and the Movies.
Silly movie, WONDERFUL devil! You’ve got to love female Satans. She offers Brendan Fraser’s character wishes so that he can land the girl of his dreams. But this is Satan we’re dealing with, she traps and tricks him as we would expect nothing less from the Prince, or Princess of lies.
Alan Cumming voiced The Devil in the short lived series “God, The Devil and Bob”. The Devil is trying to persuade God to destroy the world, and is constantly trying to thwart Bob in his attempts to save it. He is a margarita drinker and drives a purple Dodge Charger described by Bob as the “coolest car [he’s] ever seen”. Despite appearances, the Devil is needy and co-dependent, often reduced to tears when God ignores or forgets about him.
Dan Castellaneta voiced the horrifying Robot Devil in Futurama. The Robot Devil lives in Robot Hell, which is hidden beneath the “Inferno” ride at the amusement park “Reckless Ted’s Funland” in New Jersey. His function is to torment robots who have committed various sins, though it seems that this right only applies to those who practice Robotology.
Trey Parker voices one of the most misunderstood Satans in popular culture. He presides over Hell and is constantly at war with God, but far from being merciless and innately evil as Satan is often portrayed in other media, he is depicted in South Park as a soft-hearted, misunderstood anti-hero capable of compassion and genuine emotional attachment.
CREEPY! Before he was snogging Liv Tyler in Lord of the Rings, Viggo played a very awesome Lucifer in The Prophecy. Mortensen’s Satan is savage, and just plain vicious. Take this quote “Humans… and how I love you talking monkeys for this… know more about war and treachery of the spirit than any angel.” Well worth the rental.
Every 80’s child remembers being freaked and enchanted by Tim’s awesome Devil. Visually stunning and far before it’s time, The Lord of Darkness stole every scene he was in. Tim’s presence and voice make for an unforgettable devil that all Gen X and Yers will remember well into their old age.
Swedish actor Peter Stormare’s Devil is perfect, dressed in white and virtually dripping with evil. So angered that Constantine is about to slip through his fingers, he pulls Constantine’s cancer from his lungs, forcing him to live his lonely life rather than be taken into heaven. Truly a Satan for the ages.
This Satan was not your usual scaly demon. He was rich, calm, suave and greedy with a lusty charm that Satan always brings to movies. Kevin Lomax, played by a more wooden than usual Keanu Reeves, takes a job at a powerful law firm where his boss, John Milton (get it?) is really the devil. Pacino was the perfect choice for playing this character.
There can be no doubt that young Harvey Stephen’s portrayal of Satan as a child is one of the most chilling around. He doesn’t have to do much - just look on as things go to “hell” around him. The most disturbing scene in this movie is when the Nurse jumps hangs herself declaring “this is all for you Damien!” The follow up movie was also quite good but lacked some of the chilling atmosphere of this original.
Love or hate this movie, you’ve got to admit that Rosalinda’s androgynous Satan was among the creepiest. She taunts and follows Jesus like a snake. I loved her depiction because it is unlike any other I had ever seen. Instead of being an anti-Christ, the devil is depicted here as a perversion of the Holy Family - with Satan mimicking Mary and carrying a foul child in mockery of the baby Jesus. Extremely scary stuff.
Notable Extras: Harvey Keitel in Little Nicky
Contributor: TiffanyH
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1. bucslim - May 16th, 2008 at 5:39 am
I like some of your choices. I thought Peter Stormare was pretty awesome in Constantine. I’m’ not sure if Mr. Brooks - William Hurt’s character belongs here. It’s a thought.
The Devil’s Advocate sucked harder than an airlplane toilet.
2. bucslim - May 16th, 2008 at 5:40 am
The dude in O Brother Where Art Thou was pretty awesome too.
3. warningdontreadthis - May 16th, 2008 at 5:49 am
Haha Little Nickey now thats a good movie. Bedazzeld sucked but Liz was fine in it.
4. Quiana - May 16th, 2008 at 5:54 am
I love the devil from Futurama. His voice alone is really funny.
5. Michael Heim - May 16th, 2008 at 6:08 am
What about Robert DeNiro (Louis Cyphre) in “Angel Heart”? He was in my opion the best devil.
6. skipps - May 16th, 2008 at 6:12 am
The Robot Devil was a nice inclusion! I didn’t thought of that. And I think Rowan Atkinson as the Devil in one of his stand ups was brilliant! That wasn’t a movie though.
7. Boaby - May 16th, 2008 at 6:18 am
John Milton ?? I don’t get it!!
Possibly because I have yet to see the Devils Advocate.
Ray Wise’s the Dvil in the tv show Reaper is a great character, but seeing as how its not a movie I understand why it wasn’t included in the list.
Nice list btw, I check this site everyday for new lists. I’ve even read all the most interesting lists in the archive.
Keep up the good work Team List Universe!!!!!
8. romerozombie - May 16th, 2008 at 6:19 am
I love the Devil, he’s my favourite fictional character! Much more interesting story than Jesus’s, too.
Personally, I would’ve put Peter Stormare’s Satan at number 1, but I haven’t seen all the others.
And if you’re gonna include the Robot Devil who wasn’t in a film, then I think an honourable mention should go to Ray Wise’s Satan in the TV series Reaper.
Ace list.
9. Tiffany H - May 16th, 2008 at 6:19 am
YAY! my first list made it! thanks guys!
10. romerozombie - May 16th, 2008 at 6:25 am
Wow, Rosalinda Celentino’s depiction of Satan sounds even better than Stormare’s… gotta watch that film now!
11. mr_evilmonkey - May 16th, 2008 at 6:36 am
Robert Judd from the 1986 Blues movie Crossroads.
12. warningdontreadthis - May 16th, 2008 at 6:38 am
Congrats Tiffany!
13. Randall - May 16th, 2008 at 6:46 am
Peter Cook, in the original version of “Bedazzled,” was fantastic, and very funny. I would have included that.
Elizabeth Hurley is hotter than the pits of hell, I admit. But she’s not as funny.
14. SocialButterfly - May 16th, 2008 at 6:52 am
I think Gabriel Byrne’s depiction in End Of Days deserves a special consideration. His Devil was soo sexual and slick… very impressive.
Here is a clip of him choosing and posessing a man and the first thing he chooses to do as a man.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v.....re=related
15. anony - May 16th, 2008 at 7:04 am
ray wise should get an honorary mention, not being on hte list only becuase reaper is not a movie.
16. Einar - May 16th, 2008 at 7:04 am
Boaby: John Milton was the author/poet of “Paradise Lost” (1667 ish), an epic poem that centers on the devil/fall of human kind that was 12 books long.
Then there was “Paradise Regained”…
17. Nikkiofny - May 16th, 2008 at 7:05 am
I don’t get the John Milton joke either……
18. chris - May 16th, 2008 at 7:07 am
Pacino was by far the best.
Stormare second.
All Hail Satan.
19. carpe_noctem - May 16th, 2008 at 7:12 am
Great list, it’s good to have some less serious lists to break up the tension of the last week or so.
I absolutely love the robot devil’s depiction, the last episode of futurama is one of the best made!
And of course South Park’s Satan is hilarious just for the entirely unique perspective he brings to the whole thing.
20. Mom424 - May 16th, 2008 at 7:27 am
I think the reference is to Paradise Lost. All about the fall of man. John Milton wrote it. (We could get into another Dewey debate here
)
Good list, but what about Jack Nicholson in The Witches of Eastwick? He was wonderful. Great movie.
21. goof_ball - May 16th, 2008 at 7:28 am
haha, i love south park. what about jackass the movie with chris pontius wanting to “keep god out of california”
22. Manduwala - May 16th, 2008 at 7:30 am
I’ve heard a nice theory that the David Thewliss character “Johnny” in Mike Leigh’s “Naked” is the Devil in Luciferian/Miltonian mode. If true, it makes a good case for the fallen angel resentful of his brother idea.
23. petey mcgee - May 16th, 2008 at 7:31 am
how about dave grohl in tenacious d and the pick of destiny?
24. Double D - May 16th, 2008 at 7:32 am
I have to give Dave Grohl some props for his Satan role in The Pick of Destiny.
25. SoCalJeff - May 16th, 2008 at 7:34 am
Stormare….man he was good. Such a talented actor.
26. Kreachure - May 16th, 2008 at 7:41 am
Great choices. Peter Stormare acts as scary as the Devil in any performance he does! I love him.
But this list should be called “Top 10 depictions of satan in THE MEDIA”, because neither Alan Cumming’s Devil from “God the Devil and Bob” nor the Robot Devil are from movies, they’re from TV.
27. boy - May 16th, 2008 at 8:08 am
It’s a good list but no matter how much time and effort you go through trying to make an accurate list, people are always going to disagree with at least one of your choices.
28. islanderbst - May 16th, 2008 at 8:16 am
Love the Robot Devil and Satan (South Park) inclusions. I drew a Robot Devil pic as my forums avatar for a while.
Since you went TV, the Simpsons ep. with Ned Flanders as the devil, selling a donut to Homer, was pretty okeily,dokeily.
29. JennaBug - May 16th, 2008 at 8:28 am
I love this list. Rosalinda Celentano was amazing as Satan, definitely very creepy. I haven’t seen all of these but they all look pretty cool. Except for Bedazzled….not gonna watch that lol.
30. toolnut - May 16th, 2008 at 8:46 am
Absolutely love this list! I’ve always been intrigued by the devil in movies. I love comparing the different portrayals. Superbly done!!
31. Tara - May 16th, 2008 at 8:47 am
Great list. I will say however, the devil as an archetype is no where near universal. Christians created him, they need to own him.
32. A bored kid or two - May 16th, 2008 at 8:56 am
What about Little Nicky’s dad?
33. Blogball - May 16th, 2008 at 8:57 am
Nice list TiffanyH ! The only one that comes to mind that might be considered as part of this list is Ray Walston in Damn Yankees
34. Brian - May 16th, 2008 at 8:59 am
Louis Cyphre played by Robert De Niro in Angel Heart…that was a decent one
35. littleboots - May 16th, 2008 at 9:09 am
This list was right up my alley…i guess i should have gotten up earlier to be the first commentor on dave grohl in the pick of destiny…he’s my hero. Anyway, as one in a strict alliance with the devil, i say good work on this one…your soul is spared…lol
36. ImplosiveFire - May 16th, 2008 at 9:12 am
Sorry to be nitpicky, but Damien in the Omen is supposed to be the offspring of Satan, not Satan itself.
I have to agree with number 1, that character was incredibly creepy, especially in the scene when it was holding the baby :S
37. NestorV - May 16th, 2008 at 9:14 am
Great list, although the devil in “O Brother, Where Art Thou” should of been included.
38. MzFly - May 16th, 2008 at 9:16 am
Nice List. A great note to end this crazy week. My faves from the list are Tim Curry (scared the sh*t out of me at 9 years old) and Peter Stormare and of course props for mentioning South Park’s Satan, LoL.
39. stevenh - May 16th, 2008 at 9:18 am
Great List TiffanyH!
Thank You
Interesting how the female satans are so often babes, while the male satans are so often ugly.
40. Mom424 - May 16th, 2008 at 9:44 am
stevenh; thats because nobody will pay to see an ugly chick.
A symptom of our times.
41. Island Boggs - May 16th, 2008 at 9:51 am
Rosalinda is definately right on. Chilling stuff.
42. Awing84 - May 16th, 2008 at 9:52 am
I thought Gabriel Byrne did a great job of playing Satan in End of Days. Ruthless and ice cold.
43. Doug - May 16th, 2008 at 10:30 am
“What about Robert DeNiro (Louis Cyphre) in “Angel Heart”? He was in my opion the best devil.”
I’m glad someone said it!
44. KingoftheHorizon - May 16th, 2008 at 10:56 am
not really just a movie list is it
and how about the devil from reaper?
he is creepy,clingy and hilarious
45. schiesl - May 16th, 2008 at 11:15 am
I think the Devil in Fantasia should be included. He scared me, plus that was a great scene in that movie. Great list overall though!
46. Einstein217 - May 16th, 2008 at 11:27 am
Great list. I like Ray Wise in “Reaper”
47. chris - May 16th, 2008 at 11:31 am
@ Awing, no. 42.
Agreed. Almost forgot about that performance.
48. diogenes - May 16th, 2008 at 11:37 am
interesting choices here. Cinema has had it difficulties with portraying Satan, for sure.
I would like to see The Prophecy. How is it? Viggo Mortensen is a cool actor. I’m glad we don’t see too much of him. He’s always good in what I have seen.
To continue with the additions made by other commentors, I would like to mention Benjamin Christensen in his film, Häxan. And Jeff Goldblum in “Mr. Frost”
49. dangorironhide - May 16th, 2008 at 11:38 am
Great list, can’t really argue with any of these, though I agree with some of the commentd that Grohl in POD and the Tribute video should have at least an honourable mention. Short performance, but very sweet
50. diogenes - May 16th, 2008 at 11:43 am
p.s. I have to say that I really didn’t care for Rosalinda Celentano in The Passion of the Christ. then again, it was with her(?) appearence that I knew I was watching a movie by Mel. It played out false in my mind. Sorta like Lucas’s idea of evil.
51. Dawn Bearer - May 16th, 2008 at 11:53 am
Great list, but actually, Satan doesn’t apear in any of the Omen series. I the movies, Damien is the beast, anti-christ, or better to say the son of Satan, not Satan himself.
I would’ve included Gabriel Byrne as Satan in End of Days
instead of #9.
52. sWHATmFREEDOMs - May 16th, 2008 at 12:24 pm
tenatious d the pick of destiny wouldve been a classic choise. who doesnt like a legit satan that can sweep the guitar and hammer drum solos.
53. John - May 16th, 2008 at 12:27 pm
Walter Huston in The Devil and Daniel Webster.
54. MPW - May 16th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
if your going to include devils from cartoons what about Ned Flanders as Satan, voiced by Harry Shearer or how about Tazz from the Looney Tunes
55. Dan - May 16th, 2008 at 12:55 pm
before i started reading this list i thought of two devils who should be in.
The first one was from Constantine, absolutely excellent character.
although the second wasnt in, the devil from an old guitar movie called crossroads, with steve vai as the devil’s son, i forgive you for not putting him in, but he is definatly worthy of a mention.
56. fishing4monkeys - May 16th, 2008 at 1:11 pm
Whaaaaaat!?!?!? You’ve got southpark AND futurama yet no Tenacious D: The Pick of Destiny devil!? Blah…..
57. ZipUpYourPants,Sherry. - May 16th, 2008 at 1:21 pm
You forgot the Devil’s Rain, it is an obscure film but definitely more deserving of a place on a list than the devil-bot from Futurama.
58. Kreachure - May 16th, 2008 at 1:23 pm
Damien, in the Omen movies, is the Antichrist. That is, the opposite of Jesus Christ, who is God incarnate.
Thus, Damien is the Devil incarnate. QED
59. rachel - May 16th, 2008 at 2:39 pm
umm…Jack Nicholson in The Witches of Eastwick anyone? He was amazing as the devil…but then he’s also just amazing
60. copperdragon - May 16th, 2008 at 2:43 pm
no love for Jack?! Jack Nicholson as Daryl Van Horne (the Devil) in Witches of Eastwick was the coolest I’d ever seen. Vengeful, Jealous, Romantic and Horny. Plus his speech about women in the church was great!
“Sorry… uh… having a little
trouble… having a little trouble
at home. A little domestic
situation. No need to be alarmed.
A little female trouble, that’s
all. Hi. How are you?
Women. Ha. Can’t live with them,
can’t live without them.
[Daryl vomits in the pew, a victim of the girls’ magic]
Pay no attention. Pay no
attention. Cheap trick. Anybody
can do it. I taught it to them.
Ungrateful little bitches, aren’t
they? Let me ask you something.
You’re all churchgoing folk.
Let me ask you — do you think God
knew what he was doing when he
created women? Huh? No shit, I
want to know. Do you think he
knew or do you think it was another
of his little mistakes? Like
earthquakes, and floods. Volcanos.
Tidal waves. Just another little
fuck-up in the divine plan. Like
cancer. Do you think women are
like that?
[more vomiting]
What’s the matter? You don’t think
God makes mistakes? Sure he does.
We all make mistakes. ‘Course, we
make mistakes and they call it
evil. God makes mistakes and they
call it nature.
So what do you think? Women.
A mistake? Or did
he do it to us on purpose? I’d
like to know. Because if it’s
a mistake, maybe we could do
something about it. Find a cure.
A vaccine. Build up the immune
system. Eat broccoli. Get a
little exercise. Maybe that’s all
it would take. Twenty pushups a
day and you’ll never be afflicted
with women again.”
61. Csimmons - May 16th, 2008 at 2:48 pm
the devil in Tenacious D and the Pick Of Destiny?!?!?!?!?!
62. Ingi - May 16th, 2008 at 3:36 pm
Excuse me but both the south park devil and robot devil have been in mivies, SP in BLU, and robot devil in benders big score.
63. Clantargh - May 16th, 2008 at 3:50 pm
it was a brief cameo, but I heard that Satan in Rosemary’s Baby was actually played by Anton LaVey the real life leader of the Church of Satan.
64. Cubone - May 16th, 2008 at 3:52 pm
Rosalinda Celentano’s character was amazing!!
65. Clantargh - May 16th, 2008 at 3:53 pm
oh and what about George Burns who played both God and Satan in Oh God You Devil
66. jubjub - May 16th, 2008 at 5:26 pm
I know it was mentioned earlier, but De Niro’s Louis Cypher in ‘Angelheart’ is the best devil ever, hands down.
67. Dickens - May 16th, 2008 at 5:53 pm
Where is Jason Lee’s portrayal from Dogma?
68. joe - May 16th, 2008 at 5:55 pm
I know he’s listed as “Evil Genius”, but David Warner was great as the devil in Time Bandits.
69. nejikun - May 16th, 2008 at 6:04 pm
Must agree with number 1. Her portrayal was truly creepy.
70. Major Wood - May 16th, 2008 at 6:19 pm
I’d add the Blues Devil from Metalocalypse, even though he only appeared in one episode, he may be my favorite depiction of the devil to date.
71. Mr. Mojo - May 16th, 2008 at 8:05 pm
Mortensen’s depiction in The Prophecy was by far my favorite. He tends to be more old school straight up evil than many of the silver tongued variants in other movies. Savage nails it pretty well. Beastial also fits. He comes off as almost human but infinitely more sinister. Even though he kind of plays a good guy, he’s not the type you’d trust or turn your back on.
Another reason to watch this movie is Christopher Walken before he went into the meta “oh shit Walken is playing Walken” phase of his career. He still took himself seriously and it shows. Playing the part of Gabriel, he does a great job of depicting emotion without humanity. He misses his god but sees humans as imperfect and an object of jealousy. “I’m an angel. I kill firstborns while their mamas watch. I turn cities into salt. I even, when I feel like it, rip the souls from little girls, and from now till kingdom come, the only thing you can count on in your existence is never understanding why” - pretty much sums up his role.
72. MPW - May 16th, 2008 at 8:51 pm
jason lee was a demon in dogma
73. Jackit - May 16th, 2008 at 10:28 pm
Very cool list! I will have to see several of these movies now!
74. Susana - May 17th, 2008 at 12:40 am
I definately agreed with numbers 1&3.I didnt agree with Liz Hurley though.
75. thepennymachine - May 17th, 2008 at 1:33 am
you forgot the clay satan from “the adventures of mark twain”.
76. Sara - May 17th, 2008 at 8:36 am
a bit off beat, but what about Kevin Spacey as Keyser Söze in The Usual Suspects? hes so good that you dont even know hes the devil until the last 2 minutes of the film. Extremely creepy, in my opinion. Especially the line “The greatest joke the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didnt exist”
77. Zane - May 17th, 2008 at 8:54 am
ummmmmmm
bonus: Daniel von Bargen in Brother Where Art Thou
hmm?
78. SamL - May 17th, 2008 at 9:06 am
Sara, I don’t know if he is actually portraying the devil in The Usual Suspects. You might be putting a bit too much into the character.
79. Lamica91 - May 17th, 2008 at 9:20 am
dave grohl also played the devil in Tenacious D’s music vido for their song “Tribute” which was made in 2002, four years before The Pick Of Destiny
80. Michael Llaneza - May 17th, 2008 at 9:44 am
Rowan Atkinson’s Devil sketch is pretty damn funny, get a copy of his standup routine - sheer genius. And elt’s not forget the great John Glover devil in the tragically short-lived series “Brimstone”, that was his warmup for Smallville.
81. sdggrant - May 17th, 2008 at 10:34 am
Uhhh, Number 2 is NOT the devil. The omen is about the anti-christ, not Satan, there is a difference, a REALLY big one. I agree about Viggo though, he was great in the Prophecy. Everyone should definately see the first Prophecy, Christopher Walken makes that movie great.
82. nejikun - May 17th, 2008 at 4:24 pm
Ah yes, i’d forgotten about rowan atkinson’s devil sketch… Shame on me.
83. CP - May 17th, 2008 at 9:33 pm
2 more: John Lovitz’ cheesy devil on SNL (”Worship Me!) and Will Farrel as guitar playing Satan w/ Garth brooks. (”Franks got slacks”)
84. Keith - May 17th, 2008 at 9:36 pm
I know it’s not from a movie, but an honorable mention nonetheless; Will Ferrell’s portrayal of the Devil in a Saturday Night Live skit with Garth Brooks is one of my favorite SNL skits of all time!
85. DrClifford - May 17th, 2008 at 9:39 pm
Your title was “Top 10 Depictions of Satan in Movies” yet you clearly use two examples from televisions shows (I’m letting the South Park reference slide)
Shoddy. Change the title or edit the list.
Notable Omissions (lose the cartoons)
Gabriel Byrne - End of Days
David Boreanaz - The Crow: Wicked Prayer
Frank Welker - Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey
86. Keith - May 17th, 2008 at 9:39 pm
Damn…beat me to it, CP! haha
But I believe it was Fred who had the slacks, lol.
87. MPW - May 17th, 2008 at 9:56 pm
Drclifford: both of the devils you are thinking of are in fact from movies(southpark satan, South Park bigger, longer and uncut)and the futurama robot devil is from bender’s big score
88. TheJakkke - May 17th, 2008 at 10:24 pm
surprising not to see Leland Gaunt on the list. if it were up to me he would be number 1 probably.
89. SMIFF - May 18th, 2008 at 12:03 am
Tim Curry was awesome in Legend. i agree Louis Cypher should be here instead of the cartoon devils. but great list otherwise!
90. MeepTheSheep - May 18th, 2008 at 6:10 am
Oh no! I hate that Bedazzled remake, it had nothing on the original with Peter Cook as the devil. I hate it when classics are ‘updated’. Peter Cook made a fantastic devil in the original Bedazzled, well dressed and cunning and I love his little speech at the end about how he’s going to make the world disgusting and covered in concrete and fast food places.
It’s not fair that Elizabeth Hurley should top him simply because she’s a good looking woman. And she doesn’t play the devil as sexy as Peter Cook did anyway
91. sarahenity - May 18th, 2008 at 8:17 pm
yeah i’ll have to agree on Dave Grohl as the devil in Tenacious D: The Pick of Destiny. Along with just looking awesome, the portrayal was great and also hilarious
92. Billy - May 18th, 2008 at 9:48 pm
If this list is “Satan in Movies”, why are “Futurama” and “God, The Devil and Bob” on here? Including them and leaving off Deniro’s “Louis Cyphre” is a sin!
93. Nejikun - May 19th, 2008 at 2:25 am
SamL: i think Sara’a efering to the line “How do you shoot the devil in the back?” nonetheless, i agree that Keyser Soze is not the devil, but i can see where the inference comes from.
94. YashaMaru - May 19th, 2008 at 4:18 am
that devil in nr 5… ive seen him before, quite certain. but i havent seen a movie called legend. where else could i have seen that (nearly, at least) same costume?
as a satanist this list amuses me.
stormare should certainly have won this one.
95. Josh Lops - May 19th, 2008 at 3:50 pm
what about David Grohl in the Pick of Destiny, surely he is an honorable mention
96. Mr. Mojo - May 19th, 2008 at 7:34 pm
Yasha, I don’t know of another movie with a costume like #5, but Dave Grohl in Pick of Destiny comes pretty close.
Also, if you haven’t seen Legend, you should check it out. It really was ahead of its time, and even though it has Tom Cruise in it, it doesn’t suck. Legend was made well before Tom’s couch-jumping batshit crazy days (it may have even been his first movie).
97. Budo - May 20th, 2008 at 3:06 am
OMG Robert DeNiro in Angel Heart…HANDS DOWN. CREEPY. Purely disgusting. He made my skin crawl.
98. Polly Odyssey - May 20th, 2008 at 1:17 pm
This may just be my love of creepy children, but I love #2.
But you haven’t seen anything ’till you see me and my friend’s interpretation of Satan…
99. geronimo - May 20th, 2008 at 9:34 pm
Der Sjunde inseglet(The Seventh Seal) by Ingmar Bergman has an awesome portrayal of Satan(or was it something else??) Max Von Sydow, a crusader, plays chess with Satan while Black Death lays the country waste around them. It is a fascinating story and one of the best portrayals of Death.
Sorry for bringing an obscure movie into mainstream comparison. Eventhough not a American movie, i assure you, you will not regret watching it….
its IMDb rating is 8.4
100. sue - May 24th, 2008 at 2:14 am
Jack Nicholson in the Witches Of Eastwick scared the crap outta me.
101. Anonymous - May 25th, 2008 at 10:30 am
Not meaning to be an arse, I would like to state that Damien isn’t Satan. He’s Damien. hehe.
102. chocokinoko - May 25th, 2008 at 11:11 pm
One of Tim Curry’s best roles, it should be number one
103. rushfan - May 26th, 2008 at 12:08 pm
Hands down best Satan in a movie ever is Earl Pastko in Highway 61. You can’t cheat at bingo, lady. If you could, I would. But you can’t.
104. DT - May 27th, 2008 at 7:34 am
Peter Cook was a far cooler devil. And sexier.
105. Jack Deth - May 27th, 2008 at 8:10 am
Viggo Mortensons Satan was a humdinger, scared the clap out of me, I’d not even heard of the guy prior to this, but he stuck in my mind.
Guys, you have to see The Prophecy and even the sequel, a very good B movie. C+P in to youtube “Satan’s Greeting”
Stormare was another fantastic showing, malevolent and beguiling at the same time.
A special note should be made for Ray Wise (Reaper). You can’t help but be charmed by his version, it even comes as a shock whenhe suddenly turns the evil ‘on’.
A fantastic list though, very entertaining, thanks.
106. Monster - May 30th, 2008 at 11:11 am
I too think that the devil in Reaper is one of the greatest portrayals. Unlike the others who posted about him, though, I believe he should have been on the list because Futurama and God, the Devil and Bob aren’t movies. Sure, there was technically a Futurama movie, but that isn’t what you’re posting about here.
107. BooRadley - May 30th, 2008 at 11:26 pm
I heard that Terry Gilliam’s new movie will have Tom Waits playing the devil. That should be great. I can’t wait!
108. CindyLoo - June 20th, 2008 at 11:12 am
GREAT LIST! I agree that I’d add Jack Nicholson from Witches of Eastwick. He’s just did an amazing job, as always.