Satanic Shadows: Depictions Of Hell And The Devil In Classic Cinema

Bestriding the many visual deceits and narratives to be found in early cinema was the singular figure of Satan, the Devil incarnate. From Goethe’s Faust to Dante’s graphic renderings of the Inferno, classic art and literature were the well whence sprang the first cinematic depictions of the Devil, his deeds and his dwelling-place. These feverish imaginings led to more elaborate and complex films which vividly explored the terrors of the fallen angel’s relentless war against humanity.

From G...