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The 13 greatest movie Satans, ranked

Photo credit: New Line Cinema
Photo credit: New Line Cinema

From Digital Spy

Turns out Satan is quite a desirable part to play. The role of Prince of Darkness has attracted heavyweights including Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Harvey Keitel and Jack Nicholson, all doing their cheekiest, most evil, devilish best. But who is the king among princes? We rank our 13 favourite movies Lucifers, from the merely impish to First Among The Fallen.

13. Gabriel Byrne in End of Days

Satan takes the form of an investment banker in this apocalyptic Arnie romp. Gabriel Byrne is suave and slick – except the bit where he forcibly snogs a stranger before blowing her and everyone else in the restaurant up. That's not okay. He is quite the sex pest, in fact, with his plan to impregnate a particular woman at midnight at the end of 1999 so that she can give birth to the Antichrist. He is foiled, thank God. (Who is also in it. And, if you buy into the omnipotence thing, must have been behind the whole scam. Fishy.)

12. Satan in South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut

He's in a bad relationship with Saddam Hussein, who doesn't respect him. His best plan is to get away from horrible old Saddam (who wasn't even dead when they made the film) by unleashing the apocalypse on Earth and going to rule there. That will only happen if the blood of two flatulent Canadian comedians, Terrence and Philip, is split on US soil... Talk about sympathy for the devil.

11. Liz Hurley in Bedazzled

The only lady Satan on our list. Hurley's no Meryl Streep but she brings a bit of posh cheekiness to the part in this remake of the 1962 Peter Cook and Dudley Moore comedy (more on this later). Brendan Fraser is the poor schmuck who makes a deal with her in exchange for his soul. She double crosses him at every turn.

10. Peter Stormare in Constantine

The film's not great but Stormare makes a very creepy Lucifer. It's an unusual look – red-rimmed eyes, shaved eyebrows, white suit, with this sticky, oily tar dripping off the end of his trouser legs. He's the big bad, squabbling with God over human souls, but it's Constantine's he wants the most. He's kind of a scary sleaze-ball.

9. Dave Grohl in Tenacious D and The Pick of Destiny

The Foo Fighters frontman plays a rocking Satan in this Jack Black comedy. A bit of his tooth is turned into the magical Pick of Destiny, and Jack's real-life band Tenacious D (aka him and buddy Kyle Gass) must engage in a rock-off with him for the prize of Gass's soul. Gass loses, because no one beats Dave Grohl in a rock off, but it works out alright in the end.

8. Jack Nicholson in The Witches of Eastwick

Never was a man more born to play the role of the devil. Look at those eyebrows, for goodness' sake! In TWOE he tries to seduce and manipulate three witches, the old lothario, but you don't mess with Cher, Michelle Pfeiffer and Susan Sarandon.

7. Viggo Mortensen in The Prophecy

Okay he's not in it that much, but Viggo's Satan is a creepy bastard who actually ends up being something of an unlikely ally to the human race in this biblical horror starring Christopher Walken as an evil angel Gabriel.

"We can either talk or I can fill your mouth with your mother's faeces." Eew! Yuk, Satan, no need, no need, just talk! Mortensen is animal-like and classy despite these grim lines. He also eats Walken's heart out.

6. Harvey Keitel in Little Nicky

Keitel is a vaguely benevolent king of hell in this Adam Sandler comedy (that's not one of his worst outings). Genial King Lear-esque (it's a stretch but go with it) Satan has three sons, whose worthiness to take over as ruler of the underworld he must assess. The race is on as bits of him start falling off when his older two sons freeze up the gates to hell, starving him of souls. Highly silly, but Keitel looks good in horns.

5. Al Pacino in The Devil's Advocate

Another heavyweight actor who looks like he's having a blast as the devil himself, Al Pacino plays the corrupt head of a legal firm in this thriller that's one part The Firm, one part Rosemary's Baby and one part Paradise Lost. He's warm and paternal (to Keanu Reeves' fledging attorney), a filthy devil and a chucklingly evil ham at turns, and he certainly embodies the idea that the devil has more fun.

4. Peter Cook in Bedazzled

Cook is a dapper but deadpan devil in the swinging '60s in this comedy take on Faust written by Cook and Dudley Moore. He's a routinely malevolent demon who offers Dud's heartbroken Stanley seven wishes in exchange for his soul, and then deliberately twists each wish so it doesn't deliver. Cook's Satan likes making people drop their shopping and incur parking fines. Less the king of all evil, more a cantankerous git.

3. David Warner in Time Bandits

Known only as "Evil", he's the opposite of the creator who wants to remake man in his own image – to turn mountains into lakes (but not beans into peas. Suggest this and he might turn you into a dog). Terry Gilliam's existential romp deals with surprisingly massive themes for a kids' movie, and the always wonderful Warner is a joy.

2. Robert De Niro in Angel Heart

If you ever wanted to learn how to eat an egg Satanically, Angel Heart is a masterclass. De Niro's Louis Cyphre (get it?) is demon turned conman who sends deluded PI Harry Angel on a mission to find the missing musician Johnny Favourite. With over-manicured, long fingernails, Cyphre devours the eggs while claiming it's a symbol of the soul. Turns out to be quite the foreshadow in a movie with a rather bleak ending.

1. Tim Curry in Legend

If you're going to be the Prince of Darkness, you might as well go the whole hog. If the devil really did exist we do hope he'd be like Tim Curry in Legend: no sharp suits and clever nicknames. Nope, this dude is bright red, has cloven hooves, an intimidatingly enormous pair of horns and Tim Curry's deep, booming voice. Also he wants to kill the last unicorn, ensuring there will never be another dawn. Properly evil, see. BWAHAHAHAAAAAAAAA!


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