Movie Review: Nefarious

Rating: Great
Suggested Ages: 18+

This film is quite unique on multiple levels. First, the stylistic category some could label this as is "Christian horror" or "Christian psychological thriller", both of which don't have many, if any, other films that could be categorized similar. Secondly, a large portion of the film is centered around a conversation between the two lead characters, which normally you wouldn't think would make for a good movie. But in this case, you'd be wrong.

The performance by the actor portraying the demonized man is absolutely stellar (beyond Oscar-worthy in my book) and the other performances are also high quality. This is a very well-made film and could be an excellent evangelistic tool for some people.

This is a pretty theologically-accurate film that in somewhat similar fashion to the C.S. Lewis book "The Screwtape Letters" seeks to expose and wake up people to the reality of the demonic and their plans against humanity. And I think it does this pretty well. The only real exception I caught (there's a lot of dialogue so it's possible I missed some others) is there is a point at which the demonized man basically offers the world to the psychiatrist, just as satan did with Jesus in the wilderness. This encounter with Jesus is explicitly brought up in the film and it correctly points out that Jesus did not dispute that the devil had that right. However, while that was true before the cross, on the cross Jesus legally disarmed the devil and legally took back ownership of the earth. Now, in God's patience to see many more people enter the Kingdom this has not been enforced by God yet and the devil still roams about as he did before and probably does believe he is still the rightful ruler (this will get settled when Jesus returns). But in actuality what the film portrays as the devil being able to offer, he really can't. But this is overall a relatively minor point because one could either just attribute it to the demonic lying (which is a core part of who they are) or just plain being deluded.

This film is rated R for "some disturbing violent content", which I think is pretty much due to one significant scene and that scene does merit this rating in my opinion (I found it hard-to-watch and do wish the filmmakers would have toned this scene down). Without that scene, I suspect the film would have garnered a PG-13. Outside of that, the intensity of the dialogue (which I think might contain a bit of mild language also) and just overall premise make this a film that is not appropriate for kids. Mature teens might be able to watch and it could even be a real "net positive" for them, but I definitely suggest that adults watch the film first and then use their best judgement in concert with prayer before showing it to them, and then follow-up afterwards would be a must to ensure they understand that if they are "in Jesus" there is nothing to fear.

And that goes for any Christian adults watching this film too. Please remind yourself while you are watching that the devil does not have power over you if you are a follower of Jesus - it's the opposite, you have authority over him! One of the most fascinating scenes of this film is when a priest enters and the demonized man initially is antagonistic and wants him to leave, but once he realizes the priest has no intention of using his authority (and that the priest doesn't even really realize he has the authority) to cast out the demon, he relaxes and is fine with him being there. Don't be like the priest. If you are a born-again believer in Jesus, the Bible calls you "in Christ" and tells you in the books of Ephesians and Colossians that you are seated with Jesus in heavenly places and that the devil is under Jesus' feet and thus under your feet. Your identity as a son or daughter of God means you have authority over the devil because Jesus has given you that authority. So there is no place for fear with the devil. For a Christian, the devil can only take the ground that the Christian allows him to have. The devil is very much afraid of Christians realizing they actually have authority over him and that they can command him to go. If you submit to God and resist the devil by using your authority and commanding him to go in Jesus' name and you believe it and stand in that, he must obey. He only has power over believers that believers allow him to have. So just don't allow him and you've got nothing to worry about. Presuming you are a true born-again believer in Jesus, do not allow this film to in any way cause you to have one iota of fear in regards to the devil. Rather, let it strengthen your resolve to rise up in your identity in Jesus and use the authority you have. For much more explanation on all of this, please see the article "Understanding Your God-given Authority".

In addition to the film itself, it is recommended that afterwards you watch the bonus features including a 15-minute one with an actual priest who has done numerous exorcisms. These make mention of Catholic-church traditions of using holy water and salt (this is not from the Bible, but church tradition), but the real issue is the authority taken by the believer and the priest specifically mentions how really what he does is get the person to come out of agreement with the demonic. A very interesting follow-up watch.

Reviewed by Christopher Long,
BodEquip Ministries