DAVE GROHL, Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny
Only a rock star could channel the appropriate level of hedonistic delight when playing the Prince of Sin, and Grohl strides through his bit part like he’s playing to a packed arena.
ELIZABETH HURLEY, Bedazzled
Because every now and again, the devil should be able to wear a bikini. And work it.
TREY PARKER (as SADDAM HUSSEIN), South Park
Leave it to South Park to offer up an unlucky-in-love devil who’s secure in his homosexuality but insecure in his relationship with the coquettish Saddam Hussein.
RAY WISE, Reaper
The Twin Peaks veteran gave the ruler of the underworld a sly mixture of Gordon Gekko slime and a stand-up’s comic timing. And that ear-to-ear grin was so frightening because it never extended to his eyes.
H. JON BENJAMIN (as THE DEVIL), Lucy, Daughter of the Devil
The real star of this Cartoon Network show was hilariously malicious, all while dealing with his très hip daughter’s infatuation with a Bay Area DJ named Jesus. In one episode, he discovers a Google-style map of registered sex offenders in his neighborhood and sets about rearranging them so their little dots make a smiley face. Evil!
BOJANA NOVAKOVIC, JENNY O’HARA, BOKEEM WOODBINE, GEOFFFREY AREND, JACOB VARGAS, Devil
It seems the Devil’s got it in for the people trapped in the elevator together in this M. Night Shayamalan thriller. The why and how all become clear… eventually.
AL PACINO, The Devil’s Advocate
I suppose there are two ways to go when playing Satan: menacingly soft or completely over-the-top hysterical. Guess which way Pacino — he of the ”hoo-ah!” — went? Watching him explode in an aria of oratory at the end is worth the price of having to endure Keanu Reeves.
ROBERT DE NIRO, Angel Heart
Where Pacino is over the top, De Niro is subtle-smooth in his portrayal of Louis Cypher (get it), the New Orleans bigwig who tempts Mickey Rourke in the wickedest way.
VINCENT PRICE, The Story of Mankind
I will be completely honest and say that I’ve never seen this movie. But it’s Vincent Price, people. Playing the Devil. C’mon!
JOHN GLOVER, Brimstone
Once upon a time, there was a TV show about souls escaping from hell and a bounty hunter engaged by Lucifer to track them down. No, it’s not Reaper…Brimstone came about 10 years earlier. But John Glover (left, with Peter Horton) is all oily smoothness as the Prince of Darkness.
VIGGO MORTENSEN, The Prophesy
Before Mortensen made Aragorn a flesh-and-blood hero, he played the first among the Fallen as a sinewy, sexy rebel biker. Come to think of it, Lucifer was the original rebel…
JACK NICHOLSON, The Witches of Eastwick
Okay, so it’s unclear if Darryl Van Horne — the randy rapscallion who gives a trio of suburban sorceresses more than they bargained for — is actually Satan himself. But he’s close enough. Plus, it’s Jack.
PETER STORMARE, Constantine
Sometimes, what you want out of your devil is a dislocating sense of ”foreign.” And few people give you that the way Stormare (he of Prison Break, Fargo and those slightly annoying V-Dub commercials) does, with his bad, sweaty, white-suited self.
GABRIEL BYRNE, End of Days
There’s something about Byrne’s lilting Irish brogue that says ”Not only am I willing to eat this shopping cart full of kittens, but I’m gonna enjoy washing them down with a frothy pint.” Angry and amused at the same time.
ALAN CUMMING, God, the Devil, and Bob
Because, every now and again, the devil should be in a sitcom. Too bad it wasn’t a better sitcom, as Cumming is an inspired choice: the club-kid rave devil.
1
DAVE GROHL, Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny
Only a rock star could channel the appropriate level of hedonistic delight when playing the Prince of Sin, and Grohl strides through his bit part like he’s playing to a packed arena.
2
ELIZABETH HURLEY, Bedazzled
Because every now and again, the devil should be able to wear a bikini. And work it.
3
TREY PARKER (as SADDAM HUSSEIN), South Park
Leave it to South Park to offer up an unlucky-in-love devil who’s secure in his homosexuality but insecure in his relationship with the coquettish Saddam Hussein.
4
RAY WISE, Reaper
The Twin Peaks veteran gave the ruler of the underworld a sly mixture of Gordon Gekko slime and a stand-up’s comic timing. And that ear-to-ear grin was so frightening because it never extended to his eyes.
5
H. JON BENJAMIN (as THE DEVIL), Lucy, Daughter of the Devil
The real star of this Cartoon Network show was hilariously malicious, all while dealing with his très hip daughter’s infatuation with a Bay Area DJ named Jesus. In one episode, he discovers a Google-style map of registered sex offenders in his neighborhood and sets about rearranging them so their little dots make a smiley face. Evil!
6
BOJANA NOVAKOVIC, JENNY O’HARA, BOKEEM WOODBINE, GEOFFFREY AREND, JACOB VARGAS, Devil
It seems the Devil’s got it in for the people trapped in the elevator together in this M. Night Shayamalan thriller. The why and how all become clear… eventually.
7
AL PACINO, The Devil’s Advocate
I suppose there are two ways to go when playing Satan: menacingly soft or completely over-the-top hysterical. Guess which way Pacino — he of the ”hoo-ah!” — went? Watching him explode in an aria of oratory at the end is worth the price of having to endure Keanu Reeves.
8
ROBERT DE NIRO, Angel Heart
Where Pacino is over the top, De Niro is subtle-smooth in his portrayal of Louis Cypher (get it), the New Orleans bigwig who tempts Mickey Rourke in the wickedest way.
9
VINCENT PRICE, The Story of Mankind
I will be completely honest and say that I’ve never seen this movie. But it’s Vincent Price, people. Playing the Devil. C’mon!
10
JOHN GLOVER, Brimstone
Once upon a time, there was a TV show about souls escaping from hell and a bounty hunter engaged by Lucifer to track them down. No, it’s not Reaper…Brimstone came about 10 years earlier. But John Glover (left, with Peter Horton) is all oily smoothness as the Prince of Darkness.
11
VIGGO MORTENSEN, The Prophesy
Before Mortensen made Aragorn a flesh-and-blood hero, he played the first among the Fallen as a sinewy, sexy rebel biker. Come to think of it, Lucifer was the original rebel…
12
JACK NICHOLSON, The Witches of Eastwick
Okay, so it’s unclear if Darryl Van Horne — the randy rapscallion who gives a trio of suburban sorceresses more than they bargained for — is actually Satan himself. But he’s close enough. Plus, it’s Jack.
13
PETER STORMARE, Constantine
Sometimes, what you want out of your devil is a dislocating sense of ”foreign.” And few people give you that the way Stormare (he of Prison Break, Fargo and those slightly annoying V-Dub commercials) does, with his bad, sweaty, white-suited self.
14
GABRIEL BYRNE, End of Days
There’s something about Byrne’s lilting Irish brogue that says ”Not only am I willing to eat this shopping cart full of kittens, but I’m gonna enjoy washing them down with a frothy pint.” Angry and amused at the same time.
