When one thinks of the many negative ways that we view the Christian devil Lucifer, it’s hard to think that anyone from a hundred years ago or more wouldn’t call for a lot of people to be burned at the stake for thinking that the TV show is entertaining. The way that Lucifer has portrayed the famed devil is enough to make it obvious that the manner in which people view evil and its supposed master has changed quite a bit throughout the years. At some point, it became okay to look upon the devil as a sympathetic character that is the way he is through a matter of circumstance as well as his own actions. In some ways, it’s been seen that he’s rather cultured and not at all the dreaded boogeyman that Christian lore would tell us, nor the suave trickster that so many fear when it comes to his words and his insane clauses when it comes to losing one’s soul to him for whatever they desire. Lucifer definitely takes a different look at the legend and puts a different spin on the character by creating a more endearing figure that people might actually empathize with. Movies have done this quite well throughout the years as well.
Here are a few movies you might want to watch if you enjoy Lucifer.
5. The Ninth Gate
The Ninth Gate is one of those hidden gems that a lot of people might have heard about but not as many have actually watched since it doesn’t exactly have the flair of a lot of movies that deal with the devil and other similar concepts. Plus, if one is really paying attention there’s not a lot of a redemptive arc in this movie to speak of, as the main character is all about getting what he can for himself doesn’t give much thought to others. By the time the movie ends one might actually feel as though they’ve been cheated just a bit since there is no real hero’s journey taking place, just a survivor that has learned how to outlast the competition.
4. Devil’s Advocate
Free will is a big part of this movie since Al Pacino touches on it more than once, while the acts of temptation that take place throughout the movie are a constant reminder that we have a choice to say yes or no, but the urges and desires that we feel so often make it difficult to do what we perceive of as the right thing. This is another movie in which the devil isn’t such a bad person until they’re pushed, at which time he’s still not the vengeful sort, but continues to point out how a human being’s choice can both help and hamper his designs, since making things happen is not his domain, but encouraging them certainly is.
3. Bedazzled
Whenever the devil is shown as a woman there are likely a lot of people that get a certain kick out of this since it might sound a bit ironic. But with that in mind, the point of this particular story is to show Elliott just what he could have if he’s ready to take the quick and easy route that so many want in life. When he chooses to be selfless and makes his final wish in a manner that voids his contract with the devil, he’s allowed to keep his soul and his life and ends up meeting the woman of his dreams not too long after. It shows how fate might not always move at the pace we want, but temptation and the devil are more than happy to accommodate, for a price.
2. End of Days
Gabriel Byrne plays a truly haunting devil as his character is taken over by the demonic creature in order to fulfill a prophecy that was determined a long time ago. This movie took full advantage of the fact that many people had no idea what to expect when 1999 came around and played up the thought of the mark of the devil being different than what everyone had thought for so long. It wasn’t a terrible movie, but it did hype itself up a bit too much and kind of suffered for it in the end since the final scene was a little anticlimactic given that the devil was sucked back down to hell after failing in his task to impregnate a human woman.
1. Constantine
Peter Stormare’s version of the devil was pretty much a side character in this movie, but he still played him off perfectly since he had the perfect act. He was sinister, he was fairly charming, and he made it apparent that if he was toyed with that he would definitely make the person that had done so regret it. All in all, he was one of the best representations of Satan in the movies that have come along in a long time.
Whether you think Satan is evil incarnate or misunderstood, Hollywood has the type of character you’re looking for.
