“Days of Our Lives” has given daytime television some of its most shocking twists over the last six decades, but nothing ever quite matched the jaw-dropping spectacle of Deidre Hall, as Marlena Evans, possessed by the Devil.
Airing in the mid-1990s, the supernatural plotline turned Salem upside down. It shattered soap opera conventions and kept millions glued to their screens. Yet while fans were completely mesmerized by the wild television event, legendary star Deidre Hall had a very different reaction when she first read the scripts.
Deidre Hall Wasn’t Sold on the Idea of a Soap Opera Possession
In an interview with People Magazine, Deidre Hall shared that she wasn’t sold on the idea of one of her most famous storylines in “Days of Our Lives” history.
The storyline premiered in 1994 and ran throughout 1995. However, it was a plot twist Hall wasn’t sure she could pull off.
“We had been shooting shows where strange things were happening. Christmas trees catching fire, blah, blah, blah, you know the story. And I got called upstairs before Christmas break, and I thought, ‘This is not a good thing,’” Hall began.
The actress continued, “I ended up in a conversation with Tom Langan, who was our EP at that point, and Jim Riley, our head writer. This is a tough room. They said, ‘We just wanted to talk to you before we break to let you know that you’re the one who’s causing all the chaos.’ Okay, why is that? And he said, ‘Because you’re possessed by the devil.’ As one is.”
Her first thought after learning her character’s fate? “It’s so ridiculous,” she explained. “It was a lot.”
However, she was fully committed to seeing the storyline through. She told the producers and writer, “All I said at the time was, just because it’s such an odd thing to do. Let’s really commit to it and do it right so it’s a story we can be proud of,” Hall explained. “[I said,] ‘Please do it well.’ I didn’t even know what I meant by that.”
Why Was Marlena Evans Possessed on ‘Days of Our Lives?’
The whole wild storyline actually kicked off as a sinister scheme by Salem’s resident mastermind, Stefano DiMera (Joe Mascolo).
Obsessed with making Marlena his “Queen of the Night,” Stefano spent weeks drugging and hypnotizing her in her sleep. But his twisted mind games had an unintended side effect that left her spiritual defenses completely shattered.
By late 1994, the Devil seized on that vulnerability. He invaded her soul, culminating in the notorious Christmas Eve scene where Marlena levitated above her bed with glowing yellow eyes.
What made the storyline so unforgettable wasn’t just the wild special effects or the sheer shock value. It was Hall’s total commitment to the character. Despite her initial skepticism about where the writers were taking the character, Hall threw herself into the performance. She seamlessly switched between Marlena’s usual warmth and terrifying, demonic outbursts.
By the time Father John Black (Drake Hogestyn) stepped in to perform a dramatic, heart-pounding exorcism, the wild plot had transformed into pure soap history. Decades later, it remains the ultimate proof that in the world of daytime drama, even the most outrageous ideas can become iconic when anchored by a true acting legend.
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