Movies about Faustian deals range from the comedic, Bedazzled (the 1967 Dudley Moore version, not the unfunny 2000 remake), to classic horror, Rosemary’s Baby, to the harrowing modern tale 99 Homes, which opens in Australian cinemas on 19 November.
The themes of despair, betrayal and redemption, the dismal failure to read the fine print, coupled with an abysmal ignorance of torts and contract law, run amok in “deal-with-the-devil” movies.
The action of 99 Homes takes place during the worst of the subprime mortgage crisis in America where construction worker Nash (Andrew Garfield), his son and mother are evicted by real estate broker Carver, played by Michael Shannon, familiar to many as the fallen prohibition agent on the run in Boardwalk Empire.
Nash’s Faustian bargain begins when he agrees to work for Carver while hiding his new job from his family. Things really get interesting when he has to start foreclosing on his neighbours…
While audiences will have to wait to see if Nash survives his brush with evil, hereare some of the best movies that ask: who you are really dealing with here?
Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
In the Roman Polanski-directed classic, Mia Farrow plays a pregnant woman living in a gothic New York apartment who fears that her husband may have made a pact with their very weird neighbours in a bid to boost his career as an actor.
She doesn’t know the half of it. In one memorable scene, Rosemary throws a piece of raw liver into the pan, cooks it for about a second each side and shoves it into her mouth ravenously. To make the scene more authentic, apparently Farrow ate raw meat to shoot it.
If this sort of general, creepy and encroaching horror wasn’t enough, there is the much-loved line from our Rosemary: “What have you done to his eyes, you maniacs?”
The reply? “He has his father’s eyes.”
The Devil’s Advocate (1997)
After winning a case where he represents an accused child molester, Florida lawyer Kevin Lomax (Keanu Reeves) joins a New York law firm headed by John Milton (Al Pacino).
The movie asks the question: “Is winning everything?” for a lawyer and ponders the role vanity plays in Lomax’s belief that the end does indeed justify the means.
Dorian Gray (2009)
The Oscar Wilde classic about a beautiful man who sells his soul to the devil to have a portrait of himself get old, age and decay in his stead, has been brought to the screen many times.
This version of the story brings some of the horror of the 1940s version to modern screens. As Dorian descends lower and lower into debauchery, sin, impiety and lust, the early 21st century special effects reflect the horror occurring to his immortal soul while his physical form remains untouched.
Oh God! You Devil (1984)
Comedian George Burns plays both God and the devil, probably because he was older than both put together.
Burns as the devil tempts a struggling musician to make a deal. Burns as God then offers redemption as the now rock star finds out that fame is not worth the consequences.
O Brother Where Art Thou? (2000)
Three convicts on the run from the chain gang in the Depression-era South encounter Tommy Johnson (Chris Thomas King), who claims to have sold his soul to the devil in exchange for being able to play the guitar. Johnson plays a number of songs by blues artist Skip James, and also plays with the Soggy Bottom Boys, in the song Man of Constant Sorrow.
The real-life Johnson apparently used to tell the tale of a satanic soul sale at a crossroads – where else? – to boost his sinister image and give his career a boost.
The siren scene by the river to the tune of Alison Krauss’s Down to the River to Pray is a standout, and completely in keeping with the supernatural theme.
Angel Heart (1987)
Private detective Harry Angel (Mickey Rourke) is hired by Louis Cyphre (Robert De Niro) to find a jazz singer called Johnny Favorite.
As Harry continues his investigation, he begins to have grave doubts about his client. People are hostile to him, and no wonder. He soon realises that everyone he speaks to winds up dead soon after.
He soldiers on, more to satisfy his own curiosity than for his client.
What follows is much darkness and voodoo in the Deep South and to say any more would give it all away.
There’s a great scene with De Niro peeling an egg and a risque one with Epiphany Proudfoot (played by Lisa Bonet), who was then a star in The Cosby Show.
Bedazzled (1967)
In the original Bedazzled, Dudley Moore’s character Stanley makes a pact with the devil, played with wit, charm and panache by Peter Cook, in order to win the heart of Margaret, the waitress with whom he is in love, in a very depressing 1960s London.
The pact is signed but unfortunately Moore fails to specify certain conditions, and hilarity ensures. Look out for Raquel Welch playing Lust.
Ghost Rider (2007)
Johnny Blaze (Nicolas Cage) finds out about the pitfalls of doing business with Old Nick after the devil cures his father’s cancer but his dad dies anyway. Look out for Eva Mendez, because, well, she’s Eva Mendez.
Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny (2006)
Slacker JB (Jack Black) and his mate KG (Kyle Glass) challenge Satan to a “rock-off”. If they win, the devil must pay their rent; if they lose, the devil gets to take KG with him.
Apparently there is a demon code which means Lucifer has to accept a challenge from any minstrel. There have been songs about this...
Deathgasm (2015)
Aside from having a pretty memorable title, this New Zealand film written and directed by Jason Lei Howden was an instant cult classic.
Imagine if everything your folks thought about heavy metal were true. Loser and new boy Brodie (Milo Cawthorne) is obsessed with Medina (Kimberley Crossman) and shares a passion for heavy metal with his mate Zakk (James Blake).
Brodie and Zakk form a band with two other losers and stumble across some ancient sheet music. They vow to perfect their performance of it.
The music turns out to be the go codes to unleash the underworld and in due course the entire town succumbs to dark forces.
Now it’s Brodie and Zakk’s time to redeem themselves.
Watch out for fatal guitar riffs and plenty of fake blood.
Deathgasm is available on disc and digital now. Watch the trailer here.
