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As Devil's Night Descends, Here Are Cinema's Greatest Satans

Posted 10/30/09 6:00 pm EST by in Commentary, Humor


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. Read More...

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Five Movies That 'Drag You To Hell'

Posted 5/29/09 1:00 pm EST by in Commentary


'Drag Me To Hell'Director Sam Raimi makes his long awaited and apparently triumphant return to the horror genre this weekend. "Drag Me to Hell," starring Alison Lohman, Justin Long, Lorna Raver and David Paymer, follows loan officer Christine Brown (Lohman) who ends up cursed after she turns down a mortgage extension for the wrong person. Her sanity crumbles as the world around her turns into a sort of living hell.

Now Raimi is far from the first filmmaker to look to the netherworld for inspiration. In the course of building this list, I found that there are surprisingly few horror movies that deal directly with Hell as a location, at least in comparison to other genres. That said, film in general is littered with references, reinterpretations and outright visitations to the realm of the damned. Heck (ha!), as the list below shows, even musicals aren’t safe from Satan’s touch. Read More...

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