Is it a widely known fact anymore that the evening before Halloween is called Devil's Night? I'm not sure of the history myself, but the term has its origins in 1930s Detroit, if Wikipedia is to be believed (I know, I know-- that's a big "if"). According to tradition, the night would be marked by youthful acts of vandalism and petty crime, though the transgressions increased in severity through the years, with arson unfortunately becoming a common practice through the 1970s and '80s. That all changed in the mid-'90s, when the city organized the volunteer-driven "Angel's Night" and started enforcing age-based curfews. Fans of "The Crow" -- currently in the midst of a week-long retrospective on MTV Splash Page -- are of course familiar with the term, as it factors heavily into that movie.
Grim associations aside, it's a cool name that lends itself well to this particular list feature. Whatever you want to call the ruler of the underworld -- the Devil, Satan, Beelzebub, Malebolgia, Lucifer, Mephistopheles... this list could go on and on -- he's certainly left his mark in the world of film. And since Halloween is mere hours away, I thought it would be a good time to shower some appreciation on my favorite fictional Satans. So throw out some Devil horns, crank up some Slayer and enjoy.
Tim Curry in "Legend"
Technically, Tim Curry's character is the "Lord of Darkness" in Ridley Scott's "Legend." We all know the score though. Red skin. Giant horns. Fangs. Mean disposition. Oh yeah. He's Satan. Tom Cruise stars as Jack, a young man who works to disrupt Darkness's plans to destroy daylight and marry his beloved Princess Li (Mia Sara). There are unicorns and fairies, goblins and elves. And it stars Tom Cruise. It's also a 1985 release that bombed, which explains a lot.
Al Pacino in "The Devil's Advocate"
Satan comes into the world and takes human form as -- wouldn't you know it? -- a lawyer! In what might be Keanu Reeves' finest performance -- after "Bill & Ted"... nobody's messing with that classic -- the "whoa"-talking surfer dude cleans up and puts on a power suit when Pacino's devil-in-disguise lures him to New York City (Hell on Earth!) to work at his devious criminal defense law firm. Bad guys go free, demons slave away as partner and Charlize Theron bares all. In the end however, Keanu gives up all that power because his mommy taught him better than that. Stupid Keanu.
Harvey Keitel in "Little Nicky"
Okay look. "Little Nicky" is not Adam Sandler's best movie. I can totally get on board with Nicky's (Satan's youngest son) overriding love for Popeye's chicken, but this is not his most memorable character. That said, Harvey Keitel plays Satan. The WOLF is master of the freaking underworld. And he doesn't take no crap from whiny Rhys Ifans. I'll watch it just for that. Also, Popeye's chicken is f---in' awesome. I didn't say it, Sandler did. But I wholeheartedly agree. If that's the official meal of the underworld, then I want in.
Trey Parker in "South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut"
Satan is Saddam Hussein's gay lover. You just can't make that stuff up. But "South Park" creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone did, with hilarious results. "South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut" may well be the best musical of the past 20 years. It's profane, it's filled with questionable content and it is DEFINITELY not for kids. But it is also a traditional musical, and a stellar one. On top of it all though, you have this amazingly sympathetic Satan and his abusive lover, Saddam Hussein. Brilliant.
Dan Castellaneta in "Futurama"
I'll admit, I was tempted to give this last one to Liz Hurley for her lady Satan in the Brendan Fraser-starring "Bedazzled." But I'm a lover of all things Matt Groening, and the Robot Devil had his appearance in the recent "Futurama" movies. His best stuff is from the TV series of course, especially the once-believed-to-be-series finale "The Devil's Hands Are Idle Playthings," in which he switches hands with Fry. Definitely my favorite of cinema's Satans, even if he isn't technically a movie star.
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