20 Weird and Wonderful Performances As The Devil

By Tim Rich /

11. Marina Yaru - "Toby Dammit" Segment of Spirits of the Dead (1968)

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Now this is one creepy devil. Marina Yaru (we think) plays the Devil in the "Toby Dammit" segment of Spirits of the Dead. This was Yaru's only movie, making her quite a mysterious figure. Adding to the mystery is this fact: we aren't sure this is Marina Yaru! Apparently, director Federico Fellini auditioned over 600 girls for this role and selected a young ballerina (pictured) for long shots and a slightly older girl for closeups. Only one girl's name survives - Marina Yaru - but we're not sure if Yaru was the name of the ballerina or the slightly older girl used in closeups. Oh, and Terrence Stamp is in this film as well, but this time he plays Toby Dammit who must go up against Satan in a form representative of Dammit's crippling immaturity.Weird or Wonderful? - Freaking weird. I can't get the image of that little girl Devil out of my head. Take another look at the picture and then try to sleep.

10. Robert DeNiro - Angel Heart (1987)

This movie holds a special place for me; it is the first movie I attended with my wife back when we started dating. Fortunately, it was a good movie. Starring Mickey Rourke back when he wasn't a psycho and Robert DeNiro as Mr. Louis Cipher (a pretty obvious play on the name Lucifer), Angel Heart is an outstanding film with a dark and sinister atmosphere from the start of the movie to the end. For some reason I've never been a fan of DeNiro, but he was outstanding in this film. Weird or Wonderful? - Wonderful. The long nails, the attitude, the just-beneath-the-surface evil, the delivery of lines - it all adds up to a wonderful performance.