Evil exists. It genuinely does. We can try to laugh it off or undermine it, but evil very much exists and is constantly all around all of us. It is said the average human will walk by three serial killers in their lifetime. Just that fact alone should open your eyes to the evil in the world. All I am saying is that if there is a spiritual war going on right now in the world, maybe the bad guy is winning. Maybe the big-bad is getting closer and closer than any of us have ever imagined. It is with that thought in mind I offer you a slow and guided journey through six chilling portrayals of Satan in cinema, the one place that dares show us what the “beast” may actually look like and how it would potentially sound.
If you are easily scared or overly spiritual, I do not recommend reading this list, as it is said he can smell weak people from miles away. I would hate for this piece to be an “in” for him, so do not read on if you are not spiritually strong.
Just kidding. It’s just an article. Read on, regardless.
Also please note the lack of “Black Phillip” from The Witch was intentional, as we never see his final form.
Okay, read on my little lambs, read on… But beware of spoilers!
Tim Curry as The Darkness in Legend
Start with the best, and this Ridley Scott film easily has the best cinematic Satan ever put on film. Exactly how a child’s mind would imagine the Devil, Darkness is bright red, with MASSIVE, onyx horns branching out from either side of his skull. His voice sounds like it comes from belly of hell, itself, deep and overpowering. Dark and unforgettable, like Satan should be.
But Darkness was more than that. Tim Curry transformed so much for this role. You cannot see him or hear him, which is the mark of an unforgettable performance.
Hell (pun intended), I would put this performance up there with Ledger’s Joker. It is THAT haunting and unforgettable, and sets a great tone for the rest of the list.
Robert De Niro as The Devil in Angel Heart
For the few of you who may not know, let me warn you now. This 1987 movie starring Mickey Rourke, Robert De Niro and Lisa Bonet (who was still a Cosby kid at the time) will all sorts of f*ck you up. I won’t spoil any of the twists or turns here, but will talk a bit about how eerily De Niro (yes, THAT De Niro) portrays Satan.
First off, gone are the obvious traits of the above mentioned devil, replaced by a man in a suit who looks and sounds worldly. He has a heavy air of wisdom and darkness about him. Yet, he has long, well kept hair and is very well dressed. The only real clue early on are those sharp fingernails. Again, a small touch but one that works brilliantly here.
So if you think De Niro is scary in all his gangster movies, you should give him a shot as the Devil.
He is not a Satan you will soon forget.
Viggo Mortensen as The Devil in Prophecy
Prophecy was a good movie with a good cast, though few seem to recognize that. Walken and Mortensen both standing out for their performances as fallen angels but it was Mortensen who stole the show as the Devil himself. He played a nice mix in between pure hellfire and self contained intensity.
Well dressed and well spoken (which seems to be a theme with Satan), what makes this performance so unforgettable is the exchange he has with Walken’s Gabriel before tearing out Walken’s heart and eating it.
Seriously, if you have not seen that scene, it just might be included in clip above.
Jack Nicholson as The Devil in The Witches of Eastwick
Jack may play over the top sometimes, but people need to understand, sometimes over the top works. His role as Satan in The Witches of Eastwick was a perfect example of a performance where larger than life and over the top were necessary.
Though the movie centers around Satan’s attempted seduction of three women (who just so happen to be witches, who then put a spell on him, because movies), it is Jack who shines with the above scene being a perfect example. “Or did he do it to us ON PURPOSE???!!!” Classic Jack and one of celluloid Satan’s best lines.
A scary Devil but also damn if he is not funny and spot on. I feel like this Devil should have a podcast. I would listen.
Al Pacino as the Devil in The Devil’s Advocate
Where many actors go for subtle when they portray the angel of darkness, Pacino goes the other way. He starts out like a successful “every man”, but across the course of the movie his true intent (and origin) become more and more obvious.
What makes this performance stand out is, you can tell with most of the entries on this list that playing something so remarkably evil was, well, exhausting on them. Thing with Pacino is, he seems like he is eating it up. Having fun, if I may? Louder, more passionate, more convincing, more manipulative, and just overall more Pacino, if you have not seen this on-screen version of Lucifer, you owe it to yourself to check it out.
And man, that ending makes it even more worth it.
Rosalinda Celentano as The Devil in The Passion of the Christ
As I was researching this list, I found a strange trend. Satan is very rarely portrayed as anything but a white man. Was a bit relieved to recall that the Devil was played by a woman in the extremely infamous The Passion of the Christ, by the ever-angry Mel Gibson. Whether he was making some sort of veiled statement with the choice or not, we have no idea, but cinematically, she worked very effectively.
From the lack of eyebrows to the weird, mutant, midget she carried (hey, no one said I was P.C), there was a deep, dark, unsettling energy to her that just brought everyone to a standstill the few times we got to see her on-screen (which wasn’t enough, frankly). But the Devil as a woman? That is something I can get 100% behind.
So who is YOUR favorite cinematic Satan (Peter Stormare?) Hit us up in comments and let us know. Enough good ideas and we will do a follow-up, written by Satan himself!
