Post by Rob W. Case on Oct 31, 2023 18:30:31 GMT -6
If you encountered another person who is demon possessed, how would you handle it? Would you believe them? What would it take for you to consider taking their identity seriously? What signs would you look for? What kind of questions would you ask? Such matters are what makes the film Nefarious so compelling, intriguing, and interesting.
The Story:
Following the suicide of a serial killer’s psychiatrist, Dr. James Martin (Jordan Belfi) takes over where his predecessor left off. Not realizing what he is in for, Dr. Martin arrives at a state penitentiary in Oklahoma, where the serial killer, Edward Wayne Brady (Sean Patrick Flanery) awaits a final psychiatric evaluation, ordered by a judge, to determine whether or not Edward Wayne Brady is insane (which will expunge his doomed fate, because he would fall under the category of “mentally ill”) or if he is rational enough to grasp the reality of what he did, which would mean that he must be held accountable for the 11 murders he committed. The penitentiary’s Warden, Tom Moss (Tom Ohmer) warns Dr. Martin that Brady is a “master manipulator. An absolute genius.” He adds, “[if] you listen to him, by the time he’s done with you, he’ll have your head so twisted around, you’ll think you’re the killer.” Since his predecessor was ready to declare Brady insane, Moss hopes that Martin will evaluate the matter to the contrary. If Edward is officially declared not insane, he will be executed via the electric chair by 11pm that night.
When Dr. Martin comes to sit down with Brady, what he sees is a man who is of two minds. In a very direct and coherent way, Brady tells Dr. Martin that he cannot die because he is a demon inhabiting Edward’s body. Dr. Martin doesn’t believe in demons, and thinks that this is a way of escaping his sentence. Brady tells Dr. Martin that his real name is in a Phoenician dialect that hasn’t been spoken in over 3500 years, but its closest English equivalent is the name “Nefariamus” or “Nefarious”. Brady then tells Dr. Martin that before the day is over, Martin will have committed three murders. Shifting his focus from knowing a lot of personal and professional information about Dr. Martin’s life, to being his personal accuser, Brady tries to gain access to the real Brady, who comes up as fearful, contrite, sad, and timid. The real Brady explains that he didn’t commit those murders himself, and that the demon who possesses his body made him do it.
As Dr. Martin addresses the shy, fearful, sad, and contrite man, the evil spirit changes Brady’s demeanor to confident, fearless, unrepentant, and unapologetic, thus showing us the Spirit of Nefarious. Throughout the movie, questions are asked to Nefarious about the world, creation, the fall, and how demons use human beings to execute their will to bring destruction to the human race as a way to hurt God (i.e. “the enemy”) who created them.
In the midst of these things, Nefarious brings out accusations against Dr. Martin, judging him based on what he knows about him, showing him how his actions have already killed one, is on the way to killing another, and is paving the way to being provoked to make the third and final murder, which Brady’s own evaluation will fulfill if he simply declares him not insane.
My Take:
This movie is very simple in its composition, but it is very well done. I would categorize as more of a supernatural/psychological thriller than a horror flick, but it is described as a horror/mystery film. The movie does a good job of staying real and not being cheesy, which adds real strength to the story. Sean Patrick Flanery does a phenomenal job portraying the dramatic difference in personality between Edward Wayne Brady and the evil spirit Nefarious, even though both occupy the same body. If one were to try to get a handle on the flavor of this film, I would say that it reminded me of C.S. Lewis’s “The Screwtape Letters” in the setting of Hannibal Lecter’s cell in “The Silence of the Lambs”. The movement of the story was really good. The points that the movie makes are very real, relevant, and comprehensible, and in that alone, it adds a chill that adds to the dramatic impact of this film.
Out of 4 stars, I give Nefarious 4 stars.
The film is rated R and runs 1 hour and 37 minutes.
To view a trailer, please click on the “Play” button below.
“Nefarious” is available on DVD and Blu-Ray, and is available on a number of streaming sites, which can be found HERE.
The Story:
Following the suicide of a serial killer’s psychiatrist, Dr. James Martin (Jordan Belfi) takes over where his predecessor left off. Not realizing what he is in for, Dr. Martin arrives at a state penitentiary in Oklahoma, where the serial killer, Edward Wayne Brady (Sean Patrick Flanery) awaits a final psychiatric evaluation, ordered by a judge, to determine whether or not Edward Wayne Brady is insane (which will expunge his doomed fate, because he would fall under the category of “mentally ill”) or if he is rational enough to grasp the reality of what he did, which would mean that he must be held accountable for the 11 murders he committed. The penitentiary’s Warden, Tom Moss (Tom Ohmer) warns Dr. Martin that Brady is a “master manipulator. An absolute genius.” He adds, “[if] you listen to him, by the time he’s done with you, he’ll have your head so twisted around, you’ll think you’re the killer.” Since his predecessor was ready to declare Brady insane, Moss hopes that Martin will evaluate the matter to the contrary. If Edward is officially declared not insane, he will be executed via the electric chair by 11pm that night.
When Dr. Martin comes to sit down with Brady, what he sees is a man who is of two minds. In a very direct and coherent way, Brady tells Dr. Martin that he cannot die because he is a demon inhabiting Edward’s body. Dr. Martin doesn’t believe in demons, and thinks that this is a way of escaping his sentence. Brady tells Dr. Martin that his real name is in a Phoenician dialect that hasn’t been spoken in over 3500 years, but its closest English equivalent is the name “Nefariamus” or “Nefarious”. Brady then tells Dr. Martin that before the day is over, Martin will have committed three murders. Shifting his focus from knowing a lot of personal and professional information about Dr. Martin’s life, to being his personal accuser, Brady tries to gain access to the real Brady, who comes up as fearful, contrite, sad, and timid. The real Brady explains that he didn’t commit those murders himself, and that the demon who possesses his body made him do it.
As Dr. Martin addresses the shy, fearful, sad, and contrite man, the evil spirit changes Brady’s demeanor to confident, fearless, unrepentant, and unapologetic, thus showing us the Spirit of Nefarious. Throughout the movie, questions are asked to Nefarious about the world, creation, the fall, and how demons use human beings to execute their will to bring destruction to the human race as a way to hurt God (i.e. “the enemy”) who created them.
In the midst of these things, Nefarious brings out accusations against Dr. Martin, judging him based on what he knows about him, showing him how his actions have already killed one, is on the way to killing another, and is paving the way to being provoked to make the third and final murder, which Brady’s own evaluation will fulfill if he simply declares him not insane.
My Take:
This movie is very simple in its composition, but it is very well done. I would categorize as more of a supernatural/psychological thriller than a horror flick, but it is described as a horror/mystery film. The movie does a good job of staying real and not being cheesy, which adds real strength to the story. Sean Patrick Flanery does a phenomenal job portraying the dramatic difference in personality between Edward Wayne Brady and the evil spirit Nefarious, even though both occupy the same body. If one were to try to get a handle on the flavor of this film, I would say that it reminded me of C.S. Lewis’s “The Screwtape Letters” in the setting of Hannibal Lecter’s cell in “The Silence of the Lambs”. The movement of the story was really good. The points that the movie makes are very real, relevant, and comprehensible, and in that alone, it adds a chill that adds to the dramatic impact of this film.
Out of 4 stars, I give Nefarious 4 stars.
The film is rated R and runs 1 hour and 37 minutes.
To view a trailer, please click on the “Play” button below.
“Nefarious” is available on DVD and Blu-Ray, and is available on a number of streaming sites, which can be found HERE.