I thought of an interesting choice for tonight; the 2023 movie “Nefarious.” I hadn’t watched the movie since it came out last year. I had forgotten how good it is. The malevolence and twitchiness of the Nefarious character and the step-by-step demolition of the psychiatrist’s composure and then his mental balance is fascinating to watch. The creative team (including the actors) crafted an intricate little machine that advances the plot one ratchet tooth at a time and then brings us to the electrocution room in the penultimate scene.
And the electrocution of the demon’s host provides all the horror that is needed for a Halloween movie. They even have to “fry” him twice for good measure. And even though this film was made by a “Christian” production studio and has a clear message concerning the reality of evil in the world, that messaging does not overpower the dramatic balance. The story works as a story for any audience. I guess for non-believers they’ll just have to chalk up the strange events to psychological phenomena, such as multiple personality syndrome and autosuggestion.
Comparing this movie to other films I think the confrontation with Nefarious is somewhat akin to Agent Starling interacting with Hannibal Lector in “Silence of the Lambs.” Of course, not exactly because there was a certain sympathy that Lector felt for Starling. Whereas Nefarious is wholly bent on the destruction of everyone around him including the psychiatrist. But there is the same sense that a malevolent genius is toying with his jailors.
And the other comparison that this movie conjures up in my mind is C. S. Lewis’s “The Screwtape Letters.” In both works you get to see the demon’s point of view. Nefarious at a certain point has to prove to the psychiatrist that there is a logic to the whole idea of demonic possession. He has to explain how it’s done and how it advances the goals of Nefarious’ master. And from what I can tell I think he used pretty orthodox doctrine on how and why Satan carries out his war against Heaven and mankind.
So, all in all I think I made a pretty good choice for tonight’s movie. Of course, whether I watch the movie for Halloween or Easter is a matter of mood. After all, you really can’t consider Hell without contrasting it with the establishment run by the power whom Nefarious calls “the Enemy.” But even for atheists I think Nefarious is a pretty good choice for this time of year. And to round off this post I’d like to say that all of the actors in this little teleplay acquitted themselves very ably. But the actor who portrayed Nefarious was especially good. If they gave Academy Award nominations to actors in movies made by Christian production companies then he would have deserved one for the performance he gave. And the actors who played the psychiatrist and the warden were also top notch.
Well, if you’re looking for a good scary movie, I highly recommend Nefarious. Give the devil his due.