Lucifer. Beelzebub. Old Scratch. Dick Cheney. No matter what you call him, the Devil generally gets a bad rap. Some folks blame him for all that's wrong with the world. Others claim he's evil incarnate. But is he really bad, or merely misunderstood? As always, it's best to look to the movies (and a couple of TV shows) for answers, as we do in the latest installment of The A.V. Club's ongoing "The Movies Answer Your Questions" series.
Heaven Can Wait (1943)
The good: When Don Ameche shows up at the gates of hell demanding to be admitted due to his lying, womanizing ways, the Devil (Laird Cregar) turns him away, because Ameche is really no worse than any other man.
The bad: Give the Devil credit for listening to Ameche's whole life story before rendering judgment. But since Ameche really wants to be punished, the Devil denying him might be the unkindest cut of all.
Devilish detail: Cregar's Lucifer lives in an elegantly decorated hell and demands to be called "Your Excellency."
Final verdict: This Devil's a real peach, more concerned with fairness than soul-harvesting. (Or maybe that's what he wants you to think!)
The Last Temptation Of Christ (1988)
The good: Disguised as an angelic little girl, Satan fills Jesus in on God's real plan: Christ was meant to get married, have kids, live to a ripe old age, and inspire The Da Vinci Code.
The bad: It was all a dream sequence. And Harry Dean Stanton, as the apostle Paul, spreads the word about Jesus' death, resurrection, and ascension no matter what Jesus does.
Devilish detail: When Martha tempts Jesus with a little adultery, Satan tells him that there's only one woman in the world, but she has many faces. Nobody but the Prince of Darkness could come up with such a diabolical rationalization for sleeping around.
Final verdict: Satan made Jesus realize that he was supposed to die on the cross; if that hadn't happened, then Jesus never could have conquered his doubts and gone on to a triumphant death. Like Last Temptation's Judas, this Satan ultimately serves God. Take that, Manichaeism!
The Devil And Daniel Webster (1941)
The good: Walter Huston's countrified Satan is an unmistakably American demon who readily concedes to a proper trial, complete with judge and jury, after one of his victims (James Craig) hires famed lawyer and orator Daniel Webster to represent him before a jury of the damned.
The bad: Huston plays on mankind's worst instincts, stoking Craig's materialism, lust, and envy to poisonous, soul-corrupting levels.
Devilish detail: Like the Lucifer immortalized in Charlie Daniels' "The Devil Went Down To Georgia," Huston plays a mean fiddle. Also, he isn't averse to purloining the occasional pie. Huston's son, John, went on to play an unforgettably Satanic power broker in Chinatown. Meanwhile, a seemingly damned Alec Baldwin-directed 2001 remake of The Devil And Daniel Webster may never be released due to legal problems. Lastly, in The Simpsons' parody of this story, the Devil is played by Ned Flanders.
Final verdict: Huston's Devil is evil, but it's hard to avoid respecting a devil with such a solid sense of fair play.
Angel Heart (1987)
The good: The Devil is played by Robert De Niro, back when that meant something.
The bad: De Niro hires private eye Mickey Rourke (back when that meant something) to look for a singer who owes him a debt. Here's a hint: the debtor isn't a soul singer, but he does have soul. At least for now.
Devilish detail: De Niro's character's human name is Louis Cyphre. Get it?
Final verdict: Is the Devil's endless quest to harvest human souls really evil, or is it merely a natural malignancy, like cancer or the music of Andrea Bocelli? Turn to the back of your metaphysics textbook for the answer.
The Twilight Zone—"The Howling Man" (1960)
The good: An American (H.M. Wynant) traversing post World War I Europe encounters a castle where a seemingly harmless old man (Robin Hughes) is imprisoned for being the Devil. Wynant becomes convinced that Hughes is an innocent victim of crazed superstition, and releases him…
The bad: …at which point, Hughes transforms into his devilish self and escapes the castle to wreak havoc on mankind in the form of WWII, the atom bomb, and the brief popularity of Tab Hunter.
Devilish detail: "The Howling Man" was written by science-fiction great Charles Beaumont, who also penned the Twilight Zone episode "Printer's Devil."
Final verdict: Evil, evil, evil. They don't call him the Great Deceiver for nothing.
Bedazzled (1967)
The good: Peter Cook makes an amiable, charming sort of Devil—he's a fast-talking salesman sort, but not in a creepy or pushy way. He actively seems to enjoy his clients, his work, and his lightly absurdist one-liners.
The bad: He's out to buy Dudley Moore's soul in exchange for seven wishes, then undermine the results of those wishes so Moore doesn't ever get what he truly wants. But hey, there's no malice involved. It's just his job, and he's got a quota to meet if he's going to honor his longstanding deal with God.
Devilish detail: Much to Moore's consternation, Cook's version of the Devil is refreshingly unconcerned with image, intimidation, or even formality. When Moore asks Cook to produce an "ice lolly" to prove his Satanic might, Cook just takes him to a vendor and buys him one. When Moore suggests he should sign his soul-contract in blood, Cook says mildly, "Blimey, you are a traditionalist."
Final verdict: Would you sell a used soul to this man? Well, come on, why not? He isn't evil, he's just a regular-guy working-man with a devilish sense of humor.
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