Review of "Nefarious": It's Not a Movie About the Devil

Let me preface this post by saying that as a practicing Catholic, I absolutely 100% believe that the devil is real, that he is the avowed enemy of Jesus Christ and His Followers, and that demonic possession is just as real. 

I also believe that most Hollywood movies about the devil and demonic possession are way over the top and that their main purpose is just to scare people.  Movies are not a place anyone should go to learn about the reality of Satan and the role he plays in the world.  

Now on to my review of the movie, "Nefarious."

In April of 2023, a movie entitled "Nefarious" was released.  It is a completely fictional story purporting to be about demonic possession.  The poster for the movie would indicate it is to be considered a horror film.

The plot:  a possessed serial killer, Edward Wayne Brady, has been sentenced to death.  The psychiatrist examining him declared him to be insane and therefore ineligible for the death penalty.  However, the psychiatrist committed suicide and therefore, a new psychiatrist was brought in to re-examine the condemned man to judge his sanity.

The new psychiatrist, Dr. James Martin, comes to the prison to perform the examination mere hours before Brady is scheduled to be executed.  Martin is given a few short hours to determine if the condemned man should live or die.  At one point, Brady threatens to end the session, and Martin says that would be unfortunate because he would have to make his determination on limited information. 

That is our first clue that this story is completely unrealistic.  Are we really supposed to believe the State would execute a man just based on a hunch that the man is sane, but they're not sure?  Please.

When Martin sits down with Brady, there is immediate confrontation between the two men.  This would not seem to be the way a real psychiatrist would interact with someone to determine his sanity.  Psychiatrists do not make judgments as people speak.  They just let them speak.  How else can they determine the mental state of a person?

As the conversation begins, we find out that Martin knows very little about Brady.  Nor does he try to actually learn anything at all about Brady. There is never any real conversation about Brady's past, about any abuse he may have suffered as a child or adult, no talk about any drug addiction, etc.  Martin says he read the files from the previous doctor, yet he seems completely ignorant of everything about Brady. Clue number 2 that this story has no connection with reality.

But it turns out that Brady knows all about Martin. Brady knows Martin is a young man in his 30's and graduated from  prestigious schools with honors.  Brady also knows that Martin is an atheist, completely rejecting God and anything spiritual.  Seems kind of weird that the patient being examined knows more about the doctor that than the doctor knows about the patient, don't you think? 

A few minutes into the "examination", the demon reveals to Martin that Brady is actually a victim of demonic possession. The demon not only freely shows himself, he gives Martin his name, Nefarious, and his whole history.  Martin acts surprised, even though he says he read the files on Brady, and Martin later reveals that the files said exactly this.  

This was clue number 3 that this movie has no connection to reality.  Anyone who has ever heard talks by exorcists knows that demons would never willingly expose themselves and say, "I'm a demon."   And demons would absolutely NEVER want to reveal their names because knowing their names gives the exorcist power over them. In fact, even the demon in this movie says that names are important and they have power.  Father Vincent Lampert, an exorcist in Indiana, says that when a demon names himself, he is submitting to the power and authority of God and demonstrating weakness.

Nefarious then goes on to explain demons and how they work. Really?  A demon is going to voluntarily educate a human being on the tricks of the trade?  This movie just gets more and more ridiculous.

However, Nefarious does give some correct information when he says that demons don't just possess someone all at once, that it is a series of "yeses".  Here is the scene.

Alas, although this is mainly correct, it still has errors.  What Nefarious lists as "stages" of possession would more correctly be labeled as different kinds of demonic interference.  

I believe Nefarious is correct when he says absence of baptism does leave us more vulnerable.  Baptism is the sacrament that actually snatches us from the devil and gives us to Jesus Christ.  Fr. Vincent Lampert says the youngest person he ever did an exorcism on was 4 years old.  The child's parents were deep into the occult.  That is why babies should be baptized as soon as it is possible.  It is the most important spiritual protection their parents can give their child. The child, of course, retains free will and can go its own way, but at least there is still some protection.

Nefarious then states that there are "stages" of possession, the first being "extreme temptation."  This is where the movie starts to give misinformation.  Temptation is part of the normal human condition. Temptation is considered normal activity of the devil.  It is actually something every human being, from the worst sinner to the holiest person, must deal with.  Even Jesus Christ had to deal with temptation.  Being tempted does not mean the devil has any kind of hold on you at all.  It merely means that you are human.  Often God allows temptation in our lives to make us stronger.  

Nefarious states the next stage is "obsession."  Yes, obsession is an attack from the devil but an exorcist is not required for this.  Obsession is not possession.  A person dealing with demonic obsession can obtain blessings and prayers from any priest.  This is a definition of demonic obsession from an article in  Catholic Exchange written by Father Paolo Carlin, a member of the International Exorcist Association:

There are demonic assaults that, although they do not block the person’s intellectual powers and free will, succeed in inserting thoughts or obsessive images into the mind (the imagination and the memory) that the victim is not able to expel. In these cases, the person feels tormented by a fixed idea that he knows is foreign to him and seeks to find a way to reject it. But it is so deeply imprinted in his mind and spirit that it seems to be really his.

Nefarious states that the next "stage" is infestation.  Infestation has nothing to do with the devil possessing people.  It is all about possessing things or even animals. Like obsession, any priest is allowed to pray over such an affliction.

From Father Carlin:

The extraordinary action of the Devil that causes disturbances and nuisances in places, houses, and objects is called diabolical infestation in a locality. It also includes diabolical action on animals, which, in the last analysis is directed at man. The manifestations of such action are unexplainable noises, apparitions of objects or changes of their location, music or odd noises, phosphorescence (emission of light without any perceptible heat), odors, lights, animals that react as if they have seen someone or that are in an excited state, shadows, silhouettes, faces, and so forth.

Nefarious says the third stage is demonic vexation.  As with obsession and infestation, any priest can pray over and bless a person who is so afflicted.

This is the definition of vexation from Father Carlin:   

Diabolical vexations that appear as physical attacks on a person are cuts, burns, scratches, punctures, writing on the skin, bites, beatings, blows that leave bruises, swellings, bloody sores, broken bones, incisions on the skin that spell words or form signs that persist for a certain time and then disappear, and illnesses with unknown causes and unknown cures. Obstacles also occur in the workplace and among affective relationships without logical explanation.

And finally, actually possession.  Only a priest who has received permission from his bishop can perform an exorcism.  Exorcists say that demonic possession is actually very rare.  Father Vince Lampert says it is one in 5,000 cases that he sees.  

From Father Carlin:  

Possession is not a splitting of the personality. Rather, it involves a temporary displacement of the person, during which a brutal and violent demonic spirit takes control. Acting from within the body, the demon makes the helpless victim speak and act as he wishes: such a phenomenon can be defined as the moment of crisis.

The Devil dominates the body of the person in order to annul his faculties of self-determination and control. The presence of the demon in the human body neutralizes the person’s ability to direct himself, so that he becomes a blind, docile instrument that is fatally obedient to a perverse and despotic power.

Nefarious then tells Martin that he pushed the previous doctor to commit suicide because he wanted Martin.  The reason?  He wants Martin to publish his story.  This is another clue that this movie has no connection to reality.  Demons never want notoriety or publicity.  They don't even want people to believe they exist.  It is achingly clear that no exorcist was consulted in the making of this movie.  

Martin then calls a chaplain into the room.  At first the demon is threatened by the chaplain and backs away, but the chaplain reveals that he does not believe in demons and this puts Nefarious at ease.  In real life, the demon would have known this immediately when the chaplain walked into the room.  The demon would have known the chaplain had no authority over him and would never have backed down to him in any way.  The demon would just laugh at him and mock him.

It is also at this point that Martin reveals he is an atheist.  For anyone who knows anything about the devil, this movie has become completely unbelievable.  The devil would never bother with an atheist.  Why?  Because he already owns that person.  The devil would not want to do anything that might make the atheist start to question his rejection of God. And yet, as we shall see, Nefarious actually tries to convince Martin that not only is there is a God, but that God loves human beings.  No demon would ever willing testify to this.  It is, in effect, preaching the Gospel.

Next, Nefarious tells Martin to "invite him in."  Again, a complete disconnection with reality for all the reasons just stated.  A demon would never waste his time possessing an atheist because the atheist is already doing the devil's bidding and is on his way to hell unless he repents.  The story line of this movie is completely implausible. 

However, Martin agrees to being possessed with the caveat that he gets to make a request as well.  Nefarious does not possess him.  

Nefarious then begins to taunt Martin about the events of his life, starting with the death of Martin's mother. Nefarious reveals that Martin's mother died by assisted suicide, assisted by Martin himself.  Martin feels no guilt about this, does not seem haunted by it in any way.  This is just the way the real devil would want him to feel because it completely disconnects him from God.  

Yet, Nefarious is trying to induce guilt and shame, which could very well drive Martin to God.  No self-respecting demon would ever engage in such activity.  Demons only point out guilt when a person already feels guilty, in an attempt to drive them to complete despair.  There was no need for this in Martin's case.  

After this, Nefarious says "Ready for round 2?"  Martin replies "I didn't know this was a fight."  Nefarious: "That's why you're losing."

Huh?  Martin was an atheist.  He was already lost.  The devil, at that point, had already won.  Nefarious seems to be trying to change Martin from an atheist into a believer.  This movie just gets more and more ridiculous, as we see in the next scene.

Nefarious tells Martin that God exists. Gives Martin a lesson in theology and how demons came to be.  Here is the scene.

Would someone please explain to me why a demon would want to shake an atheist out of his rejection of God?  This makes absolutely no sense.  

It gets even worse.  The demon explains that the devil wants to destroy mankind.  Why?  "To hurt Him [God], to punish Him, by destroying what He loves, which is you."

Of course, I have no problem with this message that Satan wants to destroy us while God loves us.  But a demon would NEVER say this, and he sure wouldn't say it to someone who doesn't even believe in God.  I would say Nefarious here is one of the best evangelizers of the Gospel ever.  

At this point, Martin decides Brady is insane.  Nefarious reacts by exposing the fact that at that very moment, Martin's girlfriend is aborting their baby.  Martin of course had no problem with that.  But Nefarious keeps pushing and pushing and suddenly, Martin wants to stop the abortion.  

This is a total fairy tale.  First, no demon would ever, ever, ever want to stop an abortion.  They would never say things like this:

I speak from experience, having prayed outside abortion clinics for 10 years.  People who have decided on abortion never suddenly decide that it is murder and must be stopped.  If Martin had been expressing doubts up to that time, then it is a remote possibility he would feel guilt.  But that is not the case here. 

The movie then has Martin flying out of the room in an attempt to contact his girlfriend to stop her.  But it's too late. She has already had the abortion.  Martin feels deep remorse and guilt.  If only this could really happen.  But if it could, it certainly wouldn't be the result of a demon's actions.

This next clip exposes what this movie is really all about.  Watch it carefully.

In this clip, Martin lists all the "good" things he believes is happening in the world:  literacy at an all time high, working to eliminate racism, eliminate intolerance, gender inequality.  People can love who they want, do what they want.  Diversity is no longer a dream.  Hate speech is no longer tolerated.

Nefarious laughs at all of this.  He counters with: average high school graduate reads at a 6th grade level (true), basketball players making $30 million a year decry racism (total non sequitur.  Black people making money has nothing to do with racism).  Basketball players wear sneakers made from slave labor (in essence, true, but again, what does that have to do with racism).  The world currently has 40 million slaves, 20 million of which are sex slaves (actually there are an estimated 50 million slaves in the world, and 1 million of them are in the United States).

Then Nefarious makes this comment:  "As for hate speech, here's some irony.  We didn't even come up with that one.  You did it all by yourself."

Really?  Modern liberals made up "hate speech"?  Then what did Jesus Christ mean when He said, "But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell."  (Matt 5:22).  Sure sounds like condemnation of hate speech.

And what about this warning from Jesus Christ:  "For I say to you that every idle word that people will speak, they will give an answer for it in the Day of Judgment."  (Matt 12:36)

Actually, criminalizing hate speech is one way in which society has actually caught up to Jesus Christ. Our words are powerful.  Words can destroy. As James wrote:

All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. (James 3:7-10)

When this movie makes light of racism and then laughs at the idea of hate speech, it all become abundantly clear.  This is not a movie about the devil.  And even though it does get many things right, it is not a movie about good and evil.  It is a movie about the political Right condemning the political Left.  

As can be seen from this scene, this movie is all about an attack on liberals and their ideology.  That is why they use an atheist as the main character.  The movie would have you believe that liberal and atheist are one and the same.  After all, who can be more liberal than an atheist?  Who can be more off track or more evil than a liberal atheist?  Watching this movie would lead one to believe that the modern liberal is more evil than the devil.  

Far Right Wing activist and conspiracy theorist Glenn Beck shows up as himself at the end of the movie, putting the exclamation point on the fact that this is nothing more than a Right Wing propaganda movie. 

This movie was taken from a book written by Steve Deace.  Who is Steve Deace?  He is a far Right political activist who works for Glenn Beck. In 2016, Deace worked on Ted Cruz's campaign.  In 2020, he supported Donald Trump and was an election denier.  He is a vaccine skeptic and pushed the belief that Covid 19 and the vaccine were part of a depopulation conspiracy theory.  He believes people like Dr Anthony Fauci should be tried for crimes against humanity, like the Nuremberg trials. In other words, Deace is a far Right kook.

Deace was intimately involved in the making of this movie.  

Do you really need to know any more?  

There is enough truth in this movie to make a Christian think it is a "Christian" movie.  In fact, there is more truth in it than lies.  The lies are very subtle (just as the devil is), and you have to really understand how the devil works in order to see the lies.  But you only need a small amount of arsenic to kill someone.  And that is the way the real devil always works.  

The purpose of this movie is to divide people even more than they already are.  The purpose is to validate the Right and harden them in their positions while looking at everyone who disagrees with them as being in league with the devil, and therefore worthy of nothing but contempt.  The theme of this movie is the devil may be bad but at least he tells the truth, which is a whole lot more than you can say for all those libtards.  

SPOILER WARNING.  Nefarious pushes and pushes Martin and finally out of fear for his own life, Martin signs a statement declaring Brady to be sane and eligible for the death penalty.  In all other exorcism movies, the devil always loses and good wins.  But in this movie, the devil wins and yet, far Right Christians everywhere praised it as one of the best movies they ever saw.  Why?  Because it promotes their beliefs, makes them look like angels of light and condemns everyone else.  

The execution scene was done very realistically and was very grisly.  And the movie makes it clear that an innocent man was executed, as Brady had no control over what Nefarious did through him.  Yet not one of these "righteous" Christians said anything about that.  Nowhere did I read that maybe we ought to rethink the death penalty.  These "Christians" love the death penalty and think it is a sin not to use it, even when innocent people are killed.   

There is evil in the world.  The devil controls the vast, vast majority of all societies, and that includes both the Left and the Right. As the Bible makes clear "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).  Our job as Christians is not to stand in condemnation of sinners but to preach repentance of sin and the love, mercy and forgiveness of God.  And you don't do that through belittling and condemning them.

As stated above, unlike most other exorcist movies, the devil wins in "Nefarious."  He gets exactly what he says he wants - the execution of Edward Brady and the publication of his book.  The very last scene shows him possessing a homeless black woman who is still harassing Martin.  So according to "Nefarious", evil is stronger than good.  

If you want to see how the average person views this movie, and how it completely fails to accomplish any of Steve Deace's "goals", read THIS.  As the reviewer said, "nothing that played out on the screen convinced me of the error of my beliefs or had me perched on the edge of a precipice."

I bet the real devil loves this movie.