Posted on 09/05/2026 7:20:30 PM PDT by 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:
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.
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.
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Haven’t seen the movie, but your comments bring to mind some resources that may be of interest, as they seem to relate to things you’re saying:
A Conflict of Visions
by Thomas Sowell
https://www.amazon.com/Conflict-Visions-Ideological-Political-Struggles-ebook/dp/B003E749SK
Amazon description of this book:
Controversies in politics arise from many sources, but the conflicts that endure for generations or centuries show a remarkably consistent pattern.
In this classic work, Thomas Sowell analyzes this pattern.
He describes the two competing visions that shape our debates about the nature of reason, justice, equality, and power:
the “constrained” vision, which sees human nature as unchanging and selfish,
and the “unconstrained” vision, in which human nature is malleable and perfectible.
A Conflict of Visions offers a convincing case that ethical and policy disputes circle around the disparity between both outlooks.
____________
The Screwtape Letters
by C.S. Lewis
https://www.amazon.com/Screwtape-Letters-C-S-Lewis-ebook/dp/B002BD2V2Y
(A senior demon tutors a junior demon on clever techniques for leading Christians astray.)
____________
The Angelic Rebellion
Free series of classes taught by an unusually good pastor-teacher, Dr. Robert Dean. Has a lot of fascinating info from a Biblical perspective.
Each class is available free in multiple formats: video, audio, printed transcript, and accompanying slideshow.
https://deanbibleministries.org/doctrines-topics-menuitem/angelic-rebellion
100%. I have the hardcover, audiobook, and Kindle version of “Conflict of Visions”.
It is one of those books for me. (I counted, I have 11 of Thomas Sowell’s books-that man is a national treasure. I have to buy a copy of “Basic Economics: A Citizen’s Guide to The Economy” as my Republican Town Committee is going to auction some items for our town fest coming up, and I am contributing a few of his books! (Heh, see my Freep Page)
And I adore “The Screwtape Letters”, my favorite audiobook version being the one narrated by John Cleese, who has the perfect voice for it!
I neglected to mention-in this movie “Nefarious” it absolutely had to have been influenced to a major degree by “The Screwtape Letters”! It reeks with words used as C.S. Lewis used them in context.
Good stuff-thank you for that post, it reminded me I forgot the Lewis reference.
“”Just discourse on the nature of God and this world he created.””
***
I saw it when it first came out and I’d have to rewatch it for the dialogue, since forgotten, but I thought that the explanation the demon gave for the “why” between God and the fallen angels/demons was very believable.
I have recommended the movie to people I know but they are put off by the “horror” aspect of the movie, unfortunately. But yeah, it gives a real clear explanation of the interaction between man vs. Satan vs. God. I couldn’t help thinking at the time that someone involved in the making of that movie was somehow “plugged in” to the reality of it all, for the dialogue to be that pointedly plausible.... perhaps even someone involved with the Vatican and exorcisms.
I agree completely.
The problem is, in the movie business, once you make a movie that is a “religious” movie, it gets pigeonholed and rarely goes anywhere. I suspect they deliberately classified it as a “horror” movie, which does it a severe disservice, but I know why they probably did it.
It IS a religious movie. Absolutely. It drove the point in when the Nefarious character referred to “The Carpenter” and “The Enemy”.
Critic reviews are not good for the movie. But regular Joe comments speak highly of it. Check out the trailer on YouTube and read all the comments.
I will say the lead actor who played the criminal did a fantastic job. There is no way a movie with this content would ever even get nominated for an Oscar. But that is one of the finest acting jobs I have ever seen.
Interestingly, I didn’t see it at all as “horror” but perhaps that is because I believe in Christ.
If I believe in Christ, I believe in God. If I believe in God, I believe in Satan. If I believe in Satan, I believe in Demons.
And if I believe in Satan and Demons, I believe in Evil. Just like that.
So I was inclined, as I watched, to view a portrayal of a Demon, and it didn’t frighten me, because I know I am saved. I was able to look at it as a fictional portrayal of how evil works in our world.
Honestly, to me...”horror” undersells the movie and makes it sound trite. But like I said in my post above, I know why they categorized it that way.
Production
Principal photography took place in Oklahoma City in late 2021. During production, filming was temporarily halted due to a crew union strike.
Co-director Cary Solomon said the production was troubled. Solomon, a Catholic, said that many of the film's production issues were the results of demonic manifestations, including eight car crashes, equipment failure, electrical failure, frequent fire alarms, and faulty cameras. A Catholic priest was reportedly present on set while the film was shooting and performed an exorcism on the film's set during production.
Those of us who believe in these kinds of things are less likely to snicker as we read or write them.
“”If I believe in Christ, I believe in God. If I believe in God, I believe in Satan. If I believe in Satan, I believe in Demons.””
***
Well, you and I have that in common, but I don’t believe that most Christians feel the same way. Nobody in my circle of friends or family, all Christians, will watch any movie about a demon. I don’t know if it’s just out of fear or what, but they just won’t.
By the way, where did you find the dialogue text? I’d like to copy the part where the demon is talking about ‘why’ demons pick on humans (ie to get back at God). I’ve forgotten most of it, but it certainly explains a lot.
Getting scripts online can be really irritating. This one has all the dialogue on one screen (good) But mashes it all together so you have to reformat it to make it readable. Good luck.
“”It was interesting to read the Wikipedia entry, which was no doubt written by snickering Leftists:””
***
They (the minions) can snicker all they want, since it’s how they roll whenever they’re trying to marginalize their opposition and convince others that the truth being presented is bunk. It’s the same stuff as the devil convincing humans that he doesn’t really exist. Only fools believe that Satan and evil are not real. Fools easily led down that wrong path through the ‘wide gate’.
Exactly.
Great. That’ll work, but I’m also going to rewatch the movie this weekend. Thanks for the script and reminder.
Seen it... Well worth a watch... Excellent dialogue...
That was a really good movie
DR. MARTIN: Hmm. Well, you know, if that's the case, your side's not doing too well.
NEFARIOUS: Do you really believe that, James?
DR. MARTIN: Yeah. We've never been freer. Literacy is at an all-time high. We're working to eliminate racism. Intolerance. Gender inequality. People can...People can love who they want. Be who they want, do what they want. Diversity is no longer a dream. Hate speech is no longer tolerated, and politically, we're reclaiming the moral high ground.
NEFARIOUS: (SOFTLY) James. (IN NORMAL VOICE) I think I love you. Literacy, James. James, the average high school graduate reads at a sixth-grade level. You have basketball players making $30 million a year decrying racism. All while wearing sneakers made from slave labor.
Now, here's something for you. Right now, your world currently has 40 million slaves. More than the Romans had at the height of their empire. And you want to know the best part, though? Half of those, half are sex slaves, James.
As for hate speech, well, you want to hear some irony? We didn't even come up with that one. You did it all by yourself. (CHUCKLING) Sometimes you amaze even us. I fail to see the humor. (NEFARIOUS LAUGHING) Bottom line is you're done. It's over. That's it. And we did it all right to your face, James. And now there's evil everywhere. And no one even cares.
DR. MARTIN: Yeah, I don't agree.
NEFARIOUS: Proving that we achieved our goal. Slowly with your movies, and your TV, and your media, we desensitized you, redirected your worldview to the point that you can't even recognize even when it's right in front of your face.
More to the point, James, you can't even feel it when you're doing it.
And as for winners and losers... Whoa, whoa, whoa. Like, it's decided at the time of death. The exact numbers are a closely guarded secret, but there are more of you ending up in my master's house than with the enemy. (WHISPERS) A lot more, Jimmy.
NEFARIOUS: (LOUD WHIRRING) They're testing out the generator. Why? Because Old Sparky doesn't exactly run on batteries now, does she? (WHIRRING STOPS)
DR. MARTIN: I thought all executions were lethal injection.
NEFARIOUS: Nine states still offer the chair. It's an option for the condemned. No one chooses it.
DR. MARTIN: Except you.
NEFARIOUS: Except me. Why... Why... Why the chair? I don't like needles, James. Why do you think? It's my parting gift to Edward.
A tidal wave of voltage coursing through his body, so extreme that his body will attempt to arc out of the chair. He'll urinate, defecate, and vomit all at the same time. Sickly, sweet smell of burning flesh will permeate the chamber. His eyeballs will melt when the blood inside his cranium reaches the boiling point. And his head will just burst into flames, and the best part about it, James, is he won't die on the first try. So hit him again, and again.
I can't think of a more fitting introduction into damnation. It's so horrible. It's wonderful, James. Only crucifixion is worse, but that really wasn't on the menu though, was it?
I was astonished at this movie. I had no idea...right under my nose, and never seen it.
Two thumbs up...an Oscar worthy performance IMO.
I thought his performance was the best I have seen in a while from anyone.
LOL,the people they give Oscar awards to now is just plain stupid.
How about this part....
DR. MARTIN:
“Oh, I don’t believe
in angels or demons,
“heaven or hell.
“So you can’t hurt me.”
NEFARIOUS:
Hell is full
of pathetic trash.
who thought
exactly like you do.
Boldly proclaiming their ideas
on how they feel
the universe operates.
Never once
contemplating the possibility
that they could be wrong.
And you should see them now,
James.
That is wise. This is an area to never go looking. Never go to gaze at spirits. Even pretend ones as some form of entertainment. It creates pathways. We must not go seeking or we may thin the veil or curtain or worse, crack a window. Do not open doors or allow entry from curiosity. It is very dangerous. They are actively seeking authority from us.
Anyone having encountered this activity in a meaningful way will tell you the same thing. Pray daily as it says in the Lords Prayer to ‘deliver us’ from the evil one. At the fourth watch (3 AM) it will start all over again. Pray daily.
Focus instead on Jesus and receiving the Holy Spirit. All these other understandings will be added to you.
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