Classical Tales of Deals with the Devil

[Dannyalcatraz]

In a song by Material, William S Burroughs is quoted as saying:

...now some of you may encounter the devils bargain if you make it that far, any old soul is worth saving at least to a priest, but not every soul is worth buying, so you can take the offer as a compliment.

 

[Remathilis]

It's a pretty common storytelling structure.

Raistlin's deal with Fistandantilus also fits.

At that point, check out Ghost Rider

 

[Hypersmurf]

Hmmmm.
Well, I know one that starts off...
"The Devil went down to Georgia. He was lookin' for a soul to steal..."

Hey, I know that one! That's the one where Big Lou wins a gold accordion, right?

I read a book called "Devils", once, edited by Isaac Asimov, Martin H. Greenberg, and Charles G. Waugh... a bunch of 'deal with the devil' short stories. The only one I can remember was called 'Colt .24'. (The rest probably weren't all that memorable.)

-Hyp.

 

[Felix]

Oh God! You Devil by the late George Burns.

"I put the fear of me in you." Heh heh.

 

[ivocaliban]

People, people, people...a classic American tale of a deal with the devil is the story of Robert Johnson.

Let's not forget Paganini if we're going to discuss musicians making pacts with the devil.

 

[TheAuldGrump]

James Blish - Black Easter, a story of a munitions manufactor who makes a deal with the devil to open the gates of Hell for one night. For how well this turns out, well... the sequel's title is 'The Day After Judgment'.

Robert Bloch - The Hellbound Train - a man makes a pact with the devil to stop time when he is truly happy....

Fritz Lieber - also some fun Devil may take you stories. And sometimes the Devil wins.

Parke Godwin - Influencing the Hell out of Time and Teresa Golowitz, an oddity, the Devil is not exactly the bad guy here, he just has an agenda....

The movie Angel Heart.

The Auld Grump

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

*looks at TheAuldGrump's list*
*looks at own bookshelf*
*looks at DVD collection*

*wonders if TAG is lurking nearby*

 

[Infernal Teddy]

If films are alowed - Constantine

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Nononononono!

Do NOT see that movie- its not faithful to the source material. Find the trade paperbacks of the comic book and read those!

John Constantine hasn't just made one devil's bargain for his soul...he's made several, simultaneously. There have even been plotlines in which various satanic beings are fighting to determine who has the most valid infernal contract!

 

[WayneLigon]

'Smokey Joe' is a good 'Deal with the Devil' story but I can't remember the author. There's a number of good ones I know of, so I think I'll just have to go to the horror section of the bookcase and start writing things down.

Anyway, it's a good story. This guy says he'd sell his soul to accomplish a thing (I think he's a mob boss), and next thing you know ol' Smokey Joe shows up as an 'advisor'. He does everything the guy asks, but never in the way he wants and always in a way that increases the misery and corruption of everyone this guy even touches.