[2] This was only the third film directed by Dreyer, who later went on to create such classics as Vampyr (1932) and The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928).
The film is structured much like D.W. Griffith's Intolerance (1916) with its episodic nature while evoking F. W. Murnau's Satan (1920).
[1][3] Troy Howarth states "If not for the presence of Satan, (this film) wouldn't warrant inclusion in a study of the horror genre; in truth it's more of a quaint pageant play than a horror film....The cast emotes to a degree too theatrical for even silent cinema.
The film follows Satan throughout much of recorded history, focusing mainly on four short episodes.
First he tempts Judas to betray Jesus, then he goes on to influence the Spanish Inquisition, spark the French Revolution and finally he causes the Finnish Civil War of 1918 to occur.