Movie Discussion: Nefarious (2023)

Vanity ^ | 9/5/2026 | rlmorel

[rlmorel]

Official Summary: On the day of his scheduled execution, a convicted serial killer gets a psychiatric evaluation during which he claims he is a demon, and further claims that before their time is over, the psychiatrist will commit three murders of his own.

This movie came out in 2023, and I had never heard of it. Here is what the jacket looks like:

This sure looks like the kind of movie I barely even pause for, the kind I scroll right past.

That is because normally, I am not interested in "Horror" movies, which this movie was classified officially as. As a kid, I kind of enjoyed horror movies, but as I got older, I came to accept that in real life, there was more real-life horror present than any kind of movie could ever present to me.

Why would I need to accentuate evil in this world by watching a movie?

I heard about this movie from an American Thinker article: So Much Evil! Still Don’t Believe in the Devil? Evil is out there. But so are the signs of good by Alicia Colon.

The American Thinker article linked to above is about what so many of us see as evil uncovering its face in the Lindsay Clancy trial in a most public way. We saw it recently in women in Massachusetts with their joyful celebration of Maura Healy authorizing abortion up to birth, and I know for a fact I was far from the only person who viewed that discordant display of misplaced joy with both revulsion, horror, and shame.

And then this. These pink-shirted females expressing support for this woman who placed these three children face down on the floor, and strangled them one-by-one with exercise bands:

This evil crime, and those who wish to find a way to excuse it, is a modern expression of evil that is a harbinger of a deeper corruptness and evil in our society, no-our world, that is a poison on our soul.

It is in this context that I read that American Thinker article above, and was prompted by this excerpt below to watch this movie:

"...A few years ago, I watched a fascinating film called, “Nefarious,” that clearly explained what is happening in the world today.

There is a battle between good and evil being waged and the evidence of that is clearly seen in the daily news reports. Pick up a New York newspaper and you will read reports of innocent people being pushed in front of subway trains or stabbed for absolutely no reason. The cover of yesterday’s New York Post is about a woman shot dead by the NYPD after she stabbed two strangers in Times Square, killing one.

The film Nefarious is basically about a demon explaining how the Devil works on seducing humans into evil by bribing them with whatever we desire. He also explains that demons hate humans because God loves us. and what his plan is for the human race.

It is a powerful film and I highly recommend it..."

I am on a journey to Christ, and this excerpt above from Alicia Colon's article insinuated itself into all the threads that are being woven in my mind, specifically with respect to the concepts of Good and Evil.

I am a Conservative. I don't need to drink any Kool-Aid on it. I started out in my young life with conservative principles ingrained in me. We can all agree that conservatives in this country (and elsewhere) are subjected to lifelong propaganda and indoctrination from Teachers, Media, and Government that conservatives are wrong about everything. Over my life, I have come to view this as a blessing in disguise.

I say that, because this unending, nonstop stream of propaganda and criticism by the Left has forced me to examine, reexamine, and examine again my premises and beliefs. Like many of you, I have not been able to rest on my laurels and relax.

I have been forced to engage in introspection on an ongoing basis for decades. And today, I am able to view that as a wonderful thing. Leftists have no such "blessing in disguise". It is a wonderful freedom for the intellectually lazy and emotionally incontinent (as it turns out many of them are) They have no such burden of introspection, asking themselves "Could I be wrong about all this?"

As such (as a Conservative) I have come to the conclusion that the subject of Evil (which is the subject of this film "Nefarious") is what is called a "cleavage point". That is, the point you could put a chisel on, tap it with a hammer, and things will split evenly into two pieces. In this case, putting the chisel to "Evil" and striking it with a mallet splits humans into two types:

1. Leftists: Those who believe Evil does not exist, but is only a manifestation of the faults present in our gradually developed human societies, which are imperfect and must be perfected.

   
   They believe we are all manifestly good under the skin. These same people believe that if you fix our human societies, and remove the imperfections such as racism, sexism, bigotry, poverty, and so on, that the good that is inherent in every single person will overcome any evil that might develop.

   
   They believe that if they can alter society to remove bad things by trying to shape and mold human behavior...to engineer it, that they can produce a Utopia of peace, equality, prosperity, and happiness.

2. Conservatives: Those who believe Evil not only exists, but is inherent in Man, including each and every one of us, and must be monitored, guarded, and protected against.

   
   We as Conservatives believe that Evil is inherent in human nature. It can't be "engineered out. And even good people, given the right circumstances, can do Evil things. We accept that any one of us could be those Nazi Concentration Camp Guards, if all tumblers lined up.
   It is why we revere what the Founders of this nation accomplished when they created and implemented the US Constitution. That document, all by itself, shows that the Founders were profoundly Conservative by nearly any metric. It shows that they innately and intuitively understood that power, any power, even in the hands of people viewed as manifestly "Good" who may have only the best of intentions, can become corrupted and misused power, and they endeavored to engineer the Constitution to remove as much of the risk that Lord Acton later recognized so clearly with his famous observation nearly 100 years after we ratified our Constitution that "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely."

That is why this movie caught my eye and compelled me to watch it that very night. We see very real Evil in this world. And it is being openly foisted on us by parts of our government (as was done by Governor Maura Healy in Massachusetts) even as other parts of our governments are battling it. And this movie is all about evil.

In the movie, a very real flesh-and-blood man sentenced to death, openly states he is a demon, engaging in demonic possession. Evil in our world, right in front of us. The Psychiatrist, obviously does not believe him because he is, himself, an atheist. No such things as "Demons" in his world.

Kind of like ours, right now.

90% of this movie takes place in one room, an interview room in the prison as the murderer (Edward Wayne Brady) on Death Row awaiting execution that evening is being interviewed by a psychiatrist (Dr. James Martin) on a last minute legal maneuver to have him evaluated to see if he is sane enough to be executed. As it says in the official summary for the movie, the prisoner wants to be executed. He doesn't want to be found insane. He has a purpose for wishing to be executed.

Nearly the whole movie is dialog. The two of them sitting across a metal table from each other. It isn't for everyone. We are too used to fast paced movies, with green screen CGI going on, car chases and such. But it isn't. And I was expecting it to be just that, but it isn't. Just discourse on the nature of God and this world he created.

I thought the movie was absolutely brilliant. Just brilliant. And because it meshed so closely with the specific nature of these theological paths I am going down (as well as what we see in the news today) I was entranced by this discourse between a man claiming to be a demon, and the Psychiatrist who was ostensibly sent there to evaluate him, but as we find out, there was more to it than that.

The actor playing the murderer was fantastic. The closest comparison I can make is to the "Joker" character played by Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight Batman movie. The movie was panned by critics (for reasons that should be wholly obvious to anyone who is a conservative) but I believe if the core material was not something that would be rejected by the Left and their community root and branch, this man would have won an Oscar.

[cuz1961]

I watched it.

Best film regarding the evil of secular humanism and atheism that leads to possession I’ve ever seen , in its accuracy of the subject.

It’s a warning film I wish every unbeliever in God would watch.

It’s content reminds me of many things wrote by C.S. Lewis.

I wish every Christian church would show it to their congregations, including the kids.

.maybe then some will never open doors to ideas actions and consequences that can not be closed without severe effort if ever. Impossible to close without the power of the Holy Spirit and the authority of the name of Jesus Christ.

The most valuable movie I’ve ever seen other than The Gospel of John .

[Big Red Badger]

“Oh God!”

[x]

Is that the Glenn Beck film, the one he even has a role — off-camera, just his voice maybe?

[fuzzylogic]

I enjoyed it. Very good - recommend.

[sphinx]

I’m guessing you’ve seen The Most Reluctant Convert: The Untold Story of C.S. Lewis (2021). If not, put it on your list.

It was an adaptation of a one man stage play, turned into a movie conceived as an event movie for church groups and the Christian movie circuit. It got a one night wider release in theaters around the country. I don’t know what the marketing considerations were there, but this was still a one-off event movie kind of thing.

To the surprise of all concerned, it sold out around the country. The phone lines must have been pretty busy, but the theaters scrambled to add more viewings. The producers immediately realized that they had underestimated their audience, and they scrambled to produce more copies and arrange a much wider distribution.

It was still a specialty film, but the niche market turned out to be much larger than anticipated.

Most of the movie is a brisk biopic, but there are several scenes that are straightforward Christian apologetics that are clearly Mere Christianity translated to film.

But if you have seen it ... there is a sudden tonal shift at the end, in the scene in the church at Oxford as it is filling up with typical parishoners as they would have appeared in the 1950’s.

Suddenly the monologue — one man play, etc. — shifts entirely. What comes next is a highly polished rhetorical piece, the kind of thing that reminds you that movies are descended from theater, and sometimes a Shakespeare gets loose. I’ve always suspected that this monologue is a direct lift from one of C.S. Lewis’ other works, but I’ve never been able to pin it down. (Not that I’ve tried very hard.) If you’ve seen it, do you know the reference?

Those kinds of tonal shifts make me want to stand up and applaud. They are nakedly “theatrical” and they stand out in the current dreck that so much of the industry pumps out in the streaming era that tends to seek the least common demoninator. But they still happen when a writer or director actually has something to say and isn’t afraid to say it.

[GOPJ]

It is clear that most of the critical viewers — if they actually watched it at all, which many clearly didn’t — have no comprehension of it ... primarily because they wish to live in a denial of the reality of evil. That doesn’t mean it’s a great movie — I’m not sure how I would rate it cinematically, and it seems beside the point to try — but it is a first rate exposition.

You got me on this one - I'm going to see it... Thanks for posting.

[Big Red Badger]

“This Thing Conceived in A Bed.”
Screwtape Letters
.
Funny How a single sentence can stick in your head from a book read years ago.

[cuz1961]

Due to being tied to a portable oxygen concentrator I wasn’t able to go see it.

Been wanting to get it on DVD.

I gave one of my closest friends the book Mere Christianity for his birthday since he enjoyed debating me about Christianity,,,he acted mad Everytime I visited him after that so apparently he decided we weren’t friends anymore.

Maybe I should have just bought him a pizza for his birthday, but I really cared for the guy and just wanted to see him saved and in heaven .

We were really close, and I always told him that what he liked about me was Jesus in me . But he took the book as a personal attack I guess, when in reality it was my last attempt to get him to review and reevaluate his reasons for rejecting Christianity and to prove it is completely rational and logical to know Jesus was real and Christianity was valid.

[higgmeister]

I'll pass.   These sorts of movies are vexations to the spirit.

[circlecity]

I didn’t see anyone else bring it up but Nefarious is available to watch for free on YouTube. The movie is awesome. Brilliant script and acting. Despite the fact that 90% of the movie takes place on a single set (a drab interview room) and consists entirely of dialogue, I was riveted the whole time. That’s what brilliant writing and acting can accomplish. I don’t consider it a horror movie. There’s no gore or monsters or violence.

[circlecity]

“ Been wanting to get it on DVD.”

You can watch it for free on YouTube.

[sphinx]

It’s also an inexpensive rental or purchase on several platforms. I always put in a plug for manning up and “buying a ticket” as in Ye Olden Times as opposed to waiting for something to roll around for free. If we want more of our kinds of movies made, we should help create the audience. The filmmakers will get a percentage of the revenues from purchases, rentals and DVD sales.

Letterboxd is a convenient place to check for availability. Some niche films are hard to find.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

I downloaded Nefarious and had my local demonic AI create a summary:

Introduction

• Dr. James Martin is introduced as the psychiatrist tasked with evaluating Edward Wayne Brady's sanity before his execution.
• The conversation begins with Dr. Martin expressing his concern and questioning of Brady's mental state.

Possession

• Brady claims to be possessed by a demon named Nefarious.
• Dr. Martin is skeptical, but Brady shares his experiences with the demon.
• Dr. Martin eventually believes Brady, leading to a change in his perspective.

The Dark Gospel

• The demon, Nefarious, explains his plan to bring about a new world order where humans will be free to pursue their own interests without being bound by the constraints of a higher power.
• Nefarious explains that the only way for this to happen is for humanity to reject the idea of sin and to embrace a new morality.
• Dr. Martin is initially opposed to this idea but eventually comes to see the logic behind it.

Execution

• The execution is carried out, and Dr. Martin is shocked to learn that he had played a role in Nefarious's plan.
• Dr. Martin reflects on his involvement in the execution and the implications of his actions.

Conclusion

• Dr. Martin has written a book about his experiences, titled "A Nefarious Plot," which serves as a warning to others about the dangers of embracing a new morality.
• The conversation concludes with Dr. Martin's reflection on the implications of Nefarious's plan and the role he played in bringing about the execution.

Final Thoughts

• The conversation raises questions about morality, sanity, and the nature of good and evil.
• It suggests that sometimes, the line between right and wrong can be blurred, and that our actions can have unintended consequences.

[circlecity]

YouTube pays a licensing fee for movies on its official movie channel based on the number of views. Watching there will still help the producers financially.

[cuz1961]

Thanks for the heads up !

[cuz1961]

Thanx

[rlmorel]

I understand that. Honestly, I found this movie neither horrifying nor even scary.

It was the sterling discourse between the Demon and the Human that was extraordinarily captivating...on the nature of Evil in this world of ours.

[rlmorel]

Not sure how that tracks with the movie as I think about it...simply because Dr. Martin doesn’t eventually believe the Demon or see the logic behind the “new world order” but is frightened enough from his appearance as a criminal who might someday be set free to “stand at the foot of his bed” that he signs the order that authorizes the execution.

I didn’t think the summary was quite right, I don’t think he sees the logic in the Demon’s arguments.

[rlmorel]

That is one amazing book. That book hooked me on C.S.Lewis!

[rlmorel]

Yes! That is the one. I am not a huge fan of Glenn Beck, and not because I don’t think he is intelligent in his arguments or wrong...there is something about his style that doesn’t click with me.

But yes-he does make an appearance in the movie!