Demons

Demons are supernatural entities whose primary purpose is the temptation, subjugation and the ultimate destruction of everything that is deemed good. Demons appear in the folklore, mythology or religious dogma of nearly every culture on the planet Earth. Their origins are vast and varied and they can present themselves in any number of forms, each one with their own distinctive identity, purpose and abilities. Demons are always born from some ethereal nether-realm or dark location and almost always possess a monstrous visage. Though many can manifest themselves physically on Earth, many more can only operate as a disembodied spirit, taking possession of a human host to serve a variety of needs. Those who study the lore of demons are known as Demonologists.

In fiction
Demons figure prominently in many forms of film and television fiction; usually appearing in programs relating to the horror or supernatural fantasy subgenres. They are almost always presented in an antagonistic role and are often used as plot devices to help form the story structure of an individual episode or story-arc. The classifications, motivations and physical appearance of demons vary depending upon the material they are presented in and there are dozens of different types of demon, many of which are inspired by actual demonology, but are also developed exclusively by the imagination of the creator.

One of the earliest depictions of demons in film was Mephistopheles, who was presented as a quasi-Satanic vampire figure and the main antagonist in Georges Méliès' 1896 silent French film, Le Manoir du diable. As a bat, Mephistopheles flew inside of a a medieval castle. Once in, the bat circled slowly while flapping its monstrous wings before suddenly changing into his human form. After preparing a cauldron, the demon produced skeletons, ghosts, and witches from its bubbling contents before a French soldier brandished a crucifix, banishing the entity in a large cloud of smoke. Demons make frequent appearances in TV shows such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, where they are shown to possess a fearsome physical form, but are also often comical in terms of attitude and dialogue. In fact, the show's primary antagonists, vampires, are revealed to actually be just a subsect of demon - one who takes control of a host body, replacing the target's soul. This element was shown to even greater extent in the Buffy spin-off series Angel, where the main character from the series, Angel, is a vampire who is "cursed" with a soul and as such, is seeking redemption for his past misdeeds. Throughout both programs, the characters of Buffy Summers and Angel, as well as their supporting cast, match wits and brawn against demons of varying breeds.