Devil

The devil (from Greek: διάβολος or diábolos = slanderer or accuser) is believed in many religions, myths and cultures to be a supernatural entity that is the personification of evil and the archenemy of God and humankind. The nature of the role varies greatly, ranging from being an effective opposite force to the creator god, locked in an eons long struggle for human souls on what may seem even terms (to the point of dualistic ditheism/bitheism), to being a comical figure of fun or an abstract aspect of the individual human condition.

While mainstream Judaism contains no overt concept of a devil, Christianity and Islam have variously regarded the devil as a rebellious fallen angel or jinn that tempts humans to sin, if not committing evil deeds himself. In these religions – particularly during periods of division or external threat – the devil has assumed more of a dualistic status commonly associated with heretics, infidels, and other unbelievers. As such, the devil is seen as an allegory that represents a crisis of faith, individualism, free will, wisdom and enlightenment.

The Devil's Carnival

The Devil's Carnival is a 2012 musical horror film directed by Darren Lynn Bousman starring Sean Patrick Flannery, Briana Evigan, Jessica Lowndes, Paul Sorvino, Emilie Autumn and Terrance Zdunich. The film marks the second collaboration of Bousman and writer/actor Terrance Zdunich, their previous work being on the unrelated musical film Repo! The Genetic Opera. The film also brings back several of the cast members of Repo!, such as Sorvino, Alexa Vega, Bill Moseley and Nivek Ogre. The Devil's Carnival has Aesop's Fables at the core of its story, with the main characters each representing a fable. Flanery's character John represents Grief and His Due, Evigan's character Merrywood represents The Dog and Its Reflection, and Lowndes' character Tamara represents The Scorpion and the Frog.

Plot

God, in his heavenly workshop, is painting the face onto a doll. He messes up on the eyebrows, and tosses the doll into a bin labeled Broken, and begins working on another one. Meanwhile, on Earth, three people are about to meet their deaths. John, a grieving father, slits his wrists in his own grief after losing his son, Daniel. A thief, Ms. Merrywood, is killed in her trailer after a shootout with police. Tamara, a teenage girl, is killed by her angry boyfriend. All three are greeted by denizens of Hell as they die (Heaven's All Around).

Carnival

Carnival (see other spellings and names) is a Christian festive season that occurs before the Christian season of Lent. The main events typically occur during February or early March, during the period historically known as Shrovetide (or Pre-Lent). Carnival typically involves a public celebration and/or parade combining some elements of a circus, masks and public street party. People wear masks and costumes during many such celebrations, allowing them to lose their everyday individuality and join a social collective. The celebrations have long been associated with heavy alcohol consumption. Other common features of carnival include mock battles such as food fights; social satire and mockery of authorities; the grotesque body displaying hybridized or exaggerated features such as large noses, bellies, mouths, and phalli or elements of animal bodies; abusive language and degrading acts; depictions of disease and gleeful death; and a general reversal of everyday rules and norms.

The term Carnival is traditionally used in areas with a large Catholic presence. However, the Philippines, a predominantly Roman Catholic country, does not celebrate Carnival anymore since the dissolution of the Manila Carnival after 1939, the last carnival in the country. In historically Lutheran countries, the celebration is known as Fastelavn, and in areas with a high concentration of Anglicans and Methodists, pre-Lenten celebrations, along with penitential observances, occur on Shrove Tuesday. In Eastern Orthodox nations, Maslenitsa is celebrated during the last week before Great Lent. In German-speaking Europe and the Netherlands, the Carnival season traditionally opens on 11/11 (often at 11:11 a.m.). This dates back to celebrations before the Advent season or with harvest celebrations of St. Martin's Day.

Alleluia! The Devil's Carnival

Alleluia! The Devil's Carnival is an American musical horror film directed by Darren Lynn Bousman and written by Terrance Zdunich. It is a sequel to Bousman's 2012 short film The Devil's Carnival. Unlike the previous film, Alleluia is a feature-length project. Production started in August 2014.

Plot

The film opens on a train conducted by Lucifer carrying condemned souls back to Heaven. As they near, the damned begin to involuntarily sing hymns and Ms. Merrywood finds a horseshoe-shaped pendant (Shovel and Bone). In Heaven, God discusses the crisis with his favorite angel, The Agent, as Ms. Merrywood is interrogated by the sadistic Translators about her presence and the pendant. In Hell, Ticket Keeper comes to Lucifer with his misgivings about the carnies' lack of discipline and Lucifer's reticence to discuss his plans, but Lucifer dismisses him on the entrance of a cloaked figure. He opens a book entitled "The Filly and the Lapdog" (patterned on Aesop's fable "The Ass and the Lapdog") and begins to read.

Terrance Zdunich

Terrance Zdunich /zˈduːnɪtʃ/ is an American actor, writer, composer, producer, illustrator and storyboard artist. He is most known for his role as Graverobber in Repo! The Genetic Opera and as Lucifer in The Devil's Carnival.

Early career

After graduating from Otis College of Art & Design in 1998 Terrance took a job at Sony Animation drawing storyboards on such animated television shows as Roughnecks: The Starship Troopers Chronicles and Max Steel. Creatively frustrated, he left animation in 2002 to pursue freelance illustration gigs, including work on Fox’s television series Bones. As a storyboard artist he worked on live-action films such as What We Do Is Secret about the punk band The Germs, and Into The Wild, directed by Sean Penn. He also worked part-time teaching drawing and painting in Calabasas, California.

While transitioning from studio work in animation to life as a freelance artist, Terrance enrolled in an acting class at the South Coast Repertory Theatre where he met future collaborator Darren Smith. Together, in 1999 they formed "The Gallery" and the two began writing and performing theatrical rock music in the form of ten-minute operas. As a duo they played the Los Angeles club/theatre scene. Due to the positive response to their first ten-minute opera, The Necro-merchant's Debt, they decided to expand the piece into a full-length theatrical format which was later renamed Repo! The Genetic Opera.