Depictions of Satan...
Running with Xidioux's idea of reviving the icon Satan theme, what, in your opinion, are the best depictions of Satan in literature, cinema, art, etc...

As for me, I found Viggo Mortenson's portrayal of Satan in The Prophecy absolutely chilling. Of course The Exocist is amazing, though one could argue that isn't necessarily Satan, though the demon does claim to be Satan at one point.

As already mentioned, I can really recommend "the Satanic Verses". One of the best, if not THE best book concerning the topic. Besides that, or in case that you were looking for something more "personified", the depiction of Mephistopheles in Goethe's "Faust" is magnificent and very thought provoking.

I totally agree. Faust was very cool.

What about Tim Currey in Legend as the Lord of Darkness?

Well yes, The Exorcist does portray demon possession in a very realistic way, but as for the man (or monster) himself, Al Pacino was terrific in The Devils Advocate, as was Keanu Reeves. And as for music, Tampa Florida Death Metal band Deicide sets off an excellent energy of satanic lingo in their music. Recommended NOT for casual listeners though.

I was going to mention Al Pacino in The Devil's Advocate as well. I would also give an honourable mention to the The Omen and its first sequel. Although, the Devil doesn't appear in person as such, his absence is conspicuous and his existence intensely felt through his manipulation of events. In a way, I find this more chilling. Like The Thing, he does his dirty work in the off-screen darkness. One thing I am trying to track down is a copy of a BBC radio dramatisation of Paradise Lost, where Satan was played by none other than Ian McDiarmid A.K.A. Palpatine: http://bibliothecary.squarespace.com/bibiliothecaryblog/2006/11/23/of-mans-first-disobedience.html The above review notwithstanding, in fact because of it, I imagine this would be a real treat. :twisted: A final heads-up must go to the Cyberdemon in the Doom games, although I don't recall reading anything in the book of Revelations about a rocket launcher. :?: XidiouX

Well, aside from South Park? Hmm... Someone already mentioned Faust, and Jan Svankmajer's film version features a -very- interesting portrayal of Satan. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109781/ A flash artist by the name of Matzerath has created many hilarious portrayals of Satan. http://matzerath.newgrounds.com/ Chris Valagao of the metal band Zimmer's Hole built his image around the devil, and as seen in this music video, it's a very over-the-top persona. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpAA-NBUqYk Deathrocker also mentioned Deicide in the realm of music, but it's the satanic black metal bands of Norway who do it for me. There are many stories of various bands with members going to prison for murder and church arson in the early 90's. Out of all the bands, Gorgoroth is by far the most compelling with their satanic imagery. In Poland, they're infamous for putting on a show with satanic imagery that was so shocking, they were banned from the country. All footage of the show was confiscated, but there are a few images from it on the internet. But I can't really recommend Gorgoroth or the Norwegian black metal scene to anyone without an existing interest in metal. And on the opposite side of the coin, by far the most fascinating portrayal of God is in Begotten, which is easily the most disturbing film I've ever seen. No Satan in this title, though... http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101420/

Well, aside from South Park? Hmm.. I'm sure that Operation Iraqi Freedom has left the SP Satan quite inconsolable and no doubt more than a little pissed off. And Dubya will be leaving office soon - hopefully without adding a second Cold War or worse to his already deplorable legacy. He is an old man now and it's highly unlikely that he will have the time, the opportunity, or the ability to seize the latter if it does arise, to get his karma straight. He's going down, in every sense, and no amount of asbestos he might ask to be shoved into his mouth and other orifices as he lies on his death bed will save him. XidiouX

As for black metal: One could do worse than Rotting Christ (Greek band, believe it or not) and Behemoth. Death Metal: Cannibal Corpse Also, Peter Stormare did a pretty compelling job of playing Satan in Constantine...

FF, I also thought of Tim Curry right off. I was wondering if anyone would mention him... In that vein, Sauron makes a great dark lord... Also, Eric Larson wrote a great piece for McFarlane's Spawn comic in which God and Satan duke it out and, in a particularly memorable moment, Satan kicks god in the balls.

Actually, Cannibal Corpse is not satanic Death Metal, they're more brutal. But as Apatheria said about Gorgoroth, the entire Black Metal scene gives off an excellent portrayal of satanic imagery and atmosphere. Just look up "church burnings" or the Black Metal genre in wikipedia if you want more details on the history of the genre, you can't really get more satanic when it comes to entertainment.