WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Loki Episode 2, “The Variant,” streaming now on Disney+.
By the end of the latest episode of Loki, the Trickster God comes face to face with his new nemesis, but he’s forced to follow a trail of enchanted victims to get to her. He’s careful to not physically overplay his hand, even though the victims she puts in his way are temporarily imbued with enough strength to combat him. But as the enemy variant pulls Loki along her creepy game of tag, some film buffs might realize there’s something familiar about her technique. The scene is possibly an homage to an underrated horror movie called Fallen, starring Denzel Washington.
Fallen is a 1998 religious horror film framed within a sturdy police procedural. Directed by Gregory Hoblit, who has a career studded with expertise in cop shows like Hill Street Blues and NYPD Blue, the film has a gritty, rich palette that keeps its demonic plot grounded in the brutal reality of crime on the Philadelphia streets. At the outset, Detective John Hobbes (Denzel Washington) is visiting a death row serial killer he helped catch. The killer, Edgar Reese (Elias Koteas), has no remorse for what he’s done, singing a Rolling Stones tune as the state proceeds to execute him.
Reese left some odd religious memorabilia behind, and just before his death, he reveals he’s fluent in Aramaic. It’s not long before Detective Hobbes gets derailed by a copycat killer that knows all the secrets of how Reese did his dirty work. The trail leads Hobbes to a scholar, who reluctantly explains the history behind some of the cues both Reese and his new protégé have left behind. She’s aware it sounds unbelievable, but the answers lie in the diabolical schemes of a body-hopping demon named Azazel.
Hobbes finds it hard to believe her, but a short while later, Azazel infiltrates his police precinct, sidling up terrifyingly close to the cop that ruined his fun. Hobbes’ partner, Jones (John Goodman), begins to sing the same tune as Reese’s death row concert, “Time Is On My Side,” drawing Hobbes outside as each fleeting touch between strangers passes the intangible monster between new victims. The song continues without skipping a beat, though the people Azazel leaves behind have no idea what they were doing, or why.
It’s a grim movie whose downer ending preceded some other bleak but memorable hits like The Mist and Robert Eggers’ The Witch. But the scene where Azazel effortlessly flits between his hosts feels echoed in the way the enemy variant lures Loki deeper into her Roxxcart lair. The primary method she uses to temporarily hijack her hosts is a similar touch, although she can withdraw her control remotely and there’s a telltale glint of green magic.
Loki‘s showrunners, Kate Herron and Michael Waldron, have been up front about a number of the series’ inspirations. Among them is the tonally similar works of David Fincher. His cinematographers reach for the same realistic but grimy tones that underline the themes of his crime noir work. Fallen’s cinematographer, Newton Thomas Sigel, has a similar portfolio, with multiple award nominations for his work on 2011’s blockbuster crime drama Drive. It’s easy to suspect that Fallen might have been in the same collection as Fincher’s films when researching the aesthetic Loki needed. But recalling Fallen‘s big Rolling Stones moment might have given away the enemy variant’s game too early.
Whether or not the homage is intentional, the resemblance between Fallen and Loki is undeniable. With John Goodman’s small role as a cop who is as steady and amiable as Mobius, and a batch of strange lore to study, it’s a fun film for a weekend ride. As for the enemy variant, there’s no doubt that, like the immortal demon Azazel, time is on her side.
Loki stars Tom Hiddleston, Owen Wilson, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Wunmi Mosaku, Sophia Di Martino, Richard E. Grant, Sasha Lane, and Eugene Cordero. New episodes air Wednesdays on Disney+.
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