Days of Our Lives, the beloved and long-running soap opera, has captivated audiences for decades with its gripping storylines, passionate romances, and unexpected twists. First released in 1965, the beloved show has managed to stay alive – in some way or another – until now, keeping its well-deserved place as the king of all soap operas. When a show like Days of Our Lives has been on the air for so long, writers must get “creative” to keep audiences engaged. There comes a time when love triangles, surprise reveals, and guest characters just lose their edge. That’s when you introduce The Devil. With a capital D.
The Devil Enters Days of Our Lives
Yes, one of the unlikeliest characters to ever grace the cast of Days of Our Lives is none other than the Prince of Darkness himself. As astonishing as it might sound to non-fans of the soap, demonic possession played a pivotal role in one of the show’s most memorable plotlines.
Though the Devil has appeared on more than one occasion in Days of Our Lives, most fans will agree that the 1994-1995 storyline involving Marlena Evans’s exorcism and possession is the best of the bunch. And it all happened during the Christmas season, to boot.
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Marlena Evans and the Possession Storyline
This particular storyline involves one of the all-time greatest TV villains, Stefano DiMera, as he began hypnotizing Marlena to turn her into his “Queen of the Night.” What he achieved, however, was leaving her wide open for an infernal entity to possess her. Now, when I say “possess” her, I mean it in the complete, William-Friedkin-like sense of the word.
On Christmas Eve, 1994, audiences watched incredulously as Marlena channeled her inner Regan MacNeil and began levitating, her eyes now completely transformed and exuding an overtly malignant presence. For many, this was the moment when Days of Our Lives had officially jumped one too many sharks. For some others, however, it became a landmark moment in television history.
The Legacy of MarDevil
Whether you loved or hated “MarDevil,” one thing was certain: Days of Our Lives now had officially become a supernatural show – and a very good one, at that. The entire plotline with Marlena, the devil, and Stefano felt completely out of the left field, which only added more fuel to the fire of creepiness that those episodes brought to the table.
It’s clear that the whole Days of Our Lives possession saga was inspired by The Exorcist – I mean, nearly every possession story in media is, to some degree. The similarities between Marlena’s possessed state and Regan’s are clear as day, including the supernatural abilities and the demonic eyes. Even series producer Ken Corday admitted that the idea was to make an Exorcist homage that would last from Halloween and would eventually end with a Days of Our Lives Christmas miracle.
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Demonic Possession: A Unique Twist in Soap Opera Storytelling
Among the many far-fetched plot points explored in a show like Days of Our Lives, the craziest thing is that demonic possession is far from being the weirdest thing we’ve seen in the legendary soap. As frequent as comas and bouts of amnesia can be in the realm of soap operas, a full-fledged demonic possession is something that you’ll rarely see in a show aimed at a more “mature audience.” And yet, that capacity to still surprise us at every turn might be why Days of Our Lives has become such a long-lasting icon of television.
Tell us, did you enjoy the Days of Our Lives x The Exorcist saga?
