20 Weird and Wonderful Performances As The Devil

16. Telly Savalas - Lisa and the Devil (1974)

Telly Savalas has always been one of those actors that subtly does a great job. When you watch his movies, he's instantly recognizable, yet his performance never pulls you out of the movie. To me that's what makes a good actor. In Lisa and the Devil, Savalas plays the title role of the Devil. He is serving as the housekeeper / butler to an ancient mansion in Europe when Lisa blunders onto the scene. Savalas plays the Devil with an amused presence as if he knows all his human charges will eventually fall. Though never actually called Satan in this movie, a painting in the town square and the title of the movie identify Leandro (Savalas) as Lucifer. This isn't a great movie, and perhaps its lack of greatness can be attributed to Alfredo Leone tacking on some extra footage at the end of the film. This footage, in my opinion, ruins the creepiness of the original movie as shot by Mario Bava, but Leone was apparently convinced post-Exorcist Devil movies had to include lots of vomiting and levitation. Weird or Wonderful? - Wonderful. Telly Savalas plays a somewhat understated Devil who can almost sit back and enjoy the failings of the mere humans around him.

15. George Burns - Oh God! You Devil (1984)

George Burns is by far one of my favorite actors. His career spanned from Vaudeville times to the 1990's. He lived to his 100th birthday even though he smoked constantly (he attributed his longevity to being "...born before they knew those things were bad for you"). He won an Oscar at the age of 80. Let's face it, George Burns was the man. In the third and final film in the Oh, God! series, Burns plays both God and Satan. Satan, referred to here as Harry O. Tophet (Tophet being an ancient Jewish word for Hell), purchases the soul of a struggling musician named Bobby Shelton. As with all movies of this type, Bobby eventually realizes his soul isn't worth trading for worldly desires. God then plays a game of poker with Tophet with the prize being Bobby's soul. This is probably the worst of the Oh God! movies, but Burns helps keep it afloat. Weird or Wonderful? - Wonderful. George Burns is awesome all the time.
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Tim is a varied character. He's lived on three continents. He hates ice cream. He has been a highly-paid computer programmer. He invents collectible card games. He is a coffee shop owner. He has had fantasy stories published in magazines. Eventually he wishes to retire from life and become a professional 10-pin bowler who writes articles while living in his RV and traveling from bowling tournament to bowling tournament with his faithful wife in tow. And of course, Tim is a major horror and science fiction fan.