Nefarious (2023) 🌟
Genre: Thriller/Horror
Release Year: 2023
MPAA Rating: R
Directors: Cary Solomon, Chuck Konzelman
Content Warnings: disturbing subject matter, gruesome death scene, grim tone
This film is a Charpentier’s Choice pick. 🌟
Overview
When a novel about a hellish entity corrupting America from within hit shelves in 2016, God's Not Dead (2014) directors Cary Solomon and Chuck Konzelman adapted the story's spirit to the screen. Following nightmarish filming sessions and various setbacks, Nefarious (2023), their daring new theological thriller/horror, swept into the public eye.
It's been hammered and pooh-poohed by a portion of the unbelieving (read: not Christian) moviegoing populace, settling just north of 30% on Rotten Tomatoes. However, general audiences could hardly rate Nefarious higher. Atheists, pagans, and wayward Christians alike have attested to the power of this rousing, slim-budgeted indie flick. If the directors wanted to expose the sinister core of worldly wickedness in an edgy Screwtape Letters-like fashion, Nefarious faithfully achieves that end.
Plot Recap
A serial killer, Edward (Sean Patrick Flanery), faces death row for a recent murder spree, but his justice is postponed: his sanity appears jeopardized, requiring a psychiatric evaluation from Dr. James Martin (Jordan Belfi). Dr. Martin's judgment alone can spare Edward from the electric chair, but when Edward begins to reveal things he shouldn't know about the doctor's life and claims to be a demon named Nefarious, Dr. Martin enters a dangerous spiritual conflict against an opponent smarter and more ruinous than he could ever dream. A tense conversational drama layered with suspense and theology ensues, pitting an analytical atheist against an ancient supernatural being hell-bent on his destruction.
Dr. James Martin (Jordan Belfi) faces his client, Edward/Nefarious (Sean Patrick Flanery), Soli Deo Gloria Releasing
The Charp, the Dull, & the Recommendable
Nefarious sees Cary Solomon and Chuck Konzelman abandon their cheap, happy-go-lucky-Christian roots in the God's Not Dead saga and embrace frightening bold-faced honesty instead. If the God's Not Dead flicks were inadequate pictures with a few bright highlights, Nefarious, a stellar production, faces only a handful of notable flaws.
This picture radiates power. Like a live wire pulsing with electricity, Nefarious shocks and startles, delivering jolting truths and dauntless call-outs that will make some think twice about humanity's supposed inherent goodness.
The film cleverly weaves an exposure of humanity's pitfalls and Hell's hand in these sinful endeavors into a plot helmed by an unbelieving protagonist who embodies everything unflattering his demonic charge describes about society. Nefarious, using host Edward's mouth and body like a sock puppet, mocks mankind's many dark proclivities: selfishness, murder, willful blindness to evil, desensitization, indulgence in immoral entertainment, and ultimately, its rebellion against God.
The not-man himself, Soli Deo Gloria Releasing
In one heart-stopping scene, Nefarious, who has been stalking Dr. Martin for years, accuses the doctor of murdering his preborn child. He then draws ugly parallels between modern "reproductive health" and the barbaric child sacrifices of old, sneering when Dr. Martin — who protests that it's his life, and he can do what he wants with it — insists that his lady's upcoming procedure is no big deal. It is during the real-time scheduled abortion, taking place as Dr. Martin evaluates Edward, that Nefarious whispers, "Can you feel it, James? It's starting to happen." He rises slowly from his seat in the prison room, shackles jangling. "Your unborn son is now on our altar." Dr. Martin flees the room to call the woman bearing his child and tries to stop the abortion.
These sorts of scenes pack a reeling emotional punch. Their unflinching delivery will cause serious viewers — those willing to listen and watch open-mindedly — to pause and solemnly consider certain perspectives they may hold. Nefarious shares beliefs some will find disagreeable, but its execution is so skillful, so chilling, that even people opposite the filmmakers' worldview can, and should, see this movie and honestly evaluate where they stand.
Edward preparing for the chair, Soli Deo Gloria Releasing
On the more technical side, some acting misses more than it hits. But Sean Patrick Flanery expertly assumes his dual roles as a psychologically damaged man and a vicious demon lord. He deftly swaps between both personas in his portrayal of the true Edward — a feeble, deeply tormented serial killer — and the cunning, unflappable Nefarious. Flanery's acting cuts to the marrow of this film's spooky message, delivering one of the most inspiring lead performances I have ever seen.
Most interesting is how economical and resourceful this film is. On a mere $2 million budget, Nefarious, using primarily one room and verbal back-and-forth as a plot foundation, creates an earnestly stirring thriller. Except it isn't explosions or one's faulty psyche that antagonizes the audience here; it's theology and a forthright glimpse at demonic powers as they gleefully explain their (thus far successful) world subjugation schemes.
The filmmakers utilize colors (dark and drab where appropriate), the occasional eye-catching camera angle, and elements of isolation and loneliness to invest their viewers as Dr. Martin, woefully unarmed, fights Nefarious's psychological attacks with mortal logic.
Demons don't perform clichéd Hollywood actions here, nor is there much physical violence (excluding one major scene) or many traditional horror tropes at play. Rather, Nefarious takes an intellectual, atmospheric angle with its thrills. It seeks to scare one's soul, dangling eternal damnation over the audience's head. This and the film's sincere, straightforward intentions pave a refreshingly unique approach to horror.
Atheist vs. demon, Soli Deo Gloria Releasing
Despite its phenomenal production quality and brilliant horror subversion, used in service of the ultimate Message, Nefarious fails on one crucial point: it never explicitly states how a non-Christian or demonically terrorized person can receive freedom and salvation. The film dances around the subject — one man tells Edward that "there's nothing you've done that can't be forgiven" — and Nefarious himself frequently mentions "the Enemy" (God) and "the Carpenter" (Jesus) — but keep's the Lord's name out of its mouth. Fortunately, the film's numerous indirect references to God and Christ, likely used to prevent atheists and people of different religions from immediately dismissing it, hint at the Answer enough for reasonably informed viewers to understand their next steps. But even just one direct mention of Jesus Christ and His redemptive power would have been welcome in this unhappy story.
Faults aside, Nefarious marks a massive and successful tonal shift in the often lackluster, overly cheery Christian entertainment genre. It isn't an easy watch, nor is it advisable for young eyes and ears or weak stomachs — certain scenes and discussions more than earn their "R" rating — but the ground Nefarious covers feels absolutely necessary. Not only for non-Christians: for everyone.
Verdict
Intelligent, insightful, and astonishingly entertaining despite budget and setting limitations, Nefarious proves that the horror genre isn't an automatic no-go for Christians. If anything, it's necessary for sharing the Good and the Bad News to spiritually starved audiences who, often unknowingly, crave the honesty this film generously delivers. Nefarious achieves two exceptional feats with its powerhouse themes nourishing its skeletal budget: a decisive elevation of the Christian film genre and an attainment of Fantastic Film status.
