While Tom Hanks' Robert Langdon battles with the proverbial Angels and Demons in Ron Howards latest film, Joel Massie from GoneWithTheTwins.com investigates the real thing - or so the creative minds behind these otherworldly cinematic creations would have you believe.
an-gel [eyn-juhl]
- noun
1. A typically benevolent celestial being that acts as an intermediary
between heaven and earth
de-mon [dee-muhn]
- noun
1. an evil spirit or supernatural being; devil or fiend.
.
10. The Djinn from Wishmaster
So the movie itself is no masterpiece, but as far as demons go, the Djinn was a creatively twisted adversary with some decent makeup effects on his side. Against him of course, are the limitations of being an evil genie and a cunning Tammy Lauren.
9. The Dementors from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Soul-sucking immortal fiends, these eyeless, gaping-mouthed demons feed on positive emotions and can drain the lifeforce from their victims. It is rumored that they also like rainbows and lollipops.
8. The Stay Puft Marshmallow Man from Ghostbusters
Gozer, the shape-shifting Sumerian god of destruction, commands the Ghostbusters to choose the form it will assume to destroy the world. And thus, the colossal 100-foot-tall Stay Puft Marshmallow Man was born. And shortly after that, the world’s largest smores.
7. The Angel of Death from
Hellboy II: The Golden Army
Rather a demonic-looking angel, this Pan’s Labyrinth-esque creation
did grant life back to our hero, contrived though it may be. At
least it had wings.
6. The Balrog of Moria from The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
It’s very name meaning “cruel demon” (at least in Gnomish), the Balrog was a towering evil spirit of flame that was one of the most feared creatures in Middle-Earth. Oddly, it was defeated by a frumpy old wizard with a stick.
5. Eric Draven from The Crow
Resurrected by the mysterious title avian, Draven becomes something of an angel of revenge to bring justice to the street gang that caused the death of his wife and himself. You’d have to be an angel yourself to forgive its three increasingly awful sequels.
4. Angela from Angel-A
Borrowing heavily from the angelic origins of Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life, Rie Rasmussen’s Angela embodies a hipper, cooler, and edgier heavenly helper that provides the modernized twist of romance in Paris.
3. The Lord of Darkness from Legend
A heavily costumed Tim Curry portrays the monstrous devil in Ridley Scott’s cult fantasy. Again it would seem the more demonic a villain’s appearance, the more ludicrous their weakness. This dark lord is dispatched like a mere Gremlin.
2. Hellboy from Hellboy and Hellboy II: The Golden Army
A demon who crossed over into our world during a failed attempt at awakening the Ogdru Jahad (giant squid-like beasties), Hellboy now fights the forces of evil for the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense alongside an unstable pyrokinetic and a psychic fish man. Has a penchant for candy bars, cigars, ass-kicking, and sarcasm.
1. Pinhead from Hellraiser
The ultimate hellborn demon, Pinhead (a.k.a. The Black Pope of Hell, The Angel of Suffering, The Dark Prince of Pain), rules a realm of infinite torture with his Cenobite crew. Though Julia may be the real villain in the first few films, the iconic pincushion nemesis is the only valid reason to watch any of the numerous sequels with their lame copycat Cenobites. I’m talking about you, Camerahead.
If it seems like the demons outweigh the angels, either you’re a pessimist or this list reflects the fact that most movie creatures from hell end up stealing the show (even if not the battle) from their ethereal counterparts. Plus, life’s not fair.
Honorable Mentions: Evil Ash from Army of Darkness, John Milton from The Devil’s Advocate, The Angels from Charlie’s Angels (just kidding), The Pale Man from Pan’s Labyrinth, Possessed Regan from The Exorcist, Gabriel and Lucifer from The Prophecy, Gabriel and Satan from Constantine
- Joel Massie
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Pan's Laby did make it on there in the honorable mentions section.