Nefarious

Nefarious

On the day of his scheduled execution, a convicted serial killer gets a psychiatric evaluation during which he claims he is a demon, and further claims that before their time is over, the psychiatrist will commit three murders of his own.

  • Released: 2023-04-14
  • Runtime: 98 minutes
  • Genre: Horror, Thrillers
  • Stars: Sean Patrick Flanery, Jordan Belfi, Stelio Savante, Tom Ohmer, Cameron Arnett, Eric Hanson
  • Director: Cary Solomon, Chuck Konzelman
 Comments
  • petegallows - 25 June 2024
    Zero special effects
    ...yet so very effective.

    The demon actor takes the cake, so does the writing - for the most part.

    I will get the bad out of the way first, as there's very little of it.

    1) The detective with a gun viewing the execution - would he be really allowed to have a gun on him? What for? So that was convenient, also very unnecessary. The breakdown could have been done differently.

    2) The bum/demon in the end - totally unnecessary. Demon should have just taken the psychiatrist because 3) the psychiatrist already invited the demon in - which is my third point - why did the demon need another agreement for the book, the psychiatrist already let him in, so the demon doesn't need any other permission. With so much thought put into the writing and the character, this to me seems like a serious flaw.

    These points almost make me want to rate the film a 9, but the demon actor was so good and the back and forth conversation was just so well written, that I am going to let it slide. Maybe I would rate it a 9.5, but tha can't be done.

    It wasn't the original Exorcist - the best horror movie ever made and one of the best movies overall, it wasn't Rosemary's baby, or Omen, it was a totally different kind of a horror.

    No special effects, just a very strong character, playing mind games, controlling everyone around him, destroying his poor vessel Edward, whom he makes suffer the most - because he's evil and it gives him pleasure.

    Some say, that this film can't be a 10, because it's not Citizen Kane - I agree, it's not, as I didn't fall asleep 20 minutes into watching this film.

    This film was actually captivating, so incredibly "simple" - taking place mostly in one room, most of it is just a conversation, most of which a monologue and most of the acting done by the demon actor.

    There were plenty other movies about demon possession, mental illness, multiple personality disorders - this one was the most well played evil/demon character I've ever seen, in about 30 years of watching horror movies on a weekly basis.

    This has to be the best new/current film, that I've seen in last 20 years. Don't get me wrong, I've seen many fantastic films - but all of them are older ones, new films don't tend to impress me at all, so this was an unexpected surprise. Most of the horror movies on Prime are so weak, that a 6 rating here, is a 3 rating from me.
  • djheftydh - 28 May 2024
    GOTTA LOVE THE IGNORANT!
    One of the funniest, saddest things ever spoken was said by the pathetic psychiatrist at 53:10 starting with the words "WE'VE NEVER BEEN MORE FREE...." I laughed so hard I almost cried. If you are a lover of the world, and your religion is science, you are the ones this is for. Unfortunately, you will probably miss the point. Don't worry, though, you will eventually have no choice but to believe. The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the ignorant he doesn't exist. It takes a special kind of pathetic ignorance to be as blind as most people are. My favorite thing in this world is watching people whose religion is science, face reality & can't handle it. If you want to see the first movie about demons & humans that is as close to the truth as you're going to get, this is it. If you really want it to be special then find a dumbed down, ignorant dolt who believes anything & everything that their precious "science says" & watch it with them. Let them do what they've been conditioned to do & laugh, joke, and be ignorant about it, because those are the ones who are going to be bothered the most when they can no longer hide behind man's self-made religion, and have no choice but to believe.
  • thalassafischer - 8 May 2024
    Unnerving
    Nefarious is unnerving and is a succinct explanation of how Roman Catholics perceive evil and demonic possession. It is a high quality film for that reason, as an educational medium (or just as an intellectual curiosity for people who are not excited about learning these things). Sean Patrick Flanery is convincingly icky and pitiable by turns as he changes between Edward and the demon (I felt so bad for Edward when the demon cancelled his last meal order, seriously).

    However, the film only works if Dr. Martin is an inherently sadistic and evil-natured person. That put me off because it made the plot too "convenient" as a teaching tool for Catholicism. Not that I have anything against educating people about theology, but because THE DOCTOR HAD TO BE BAD for the film to continue. When Edward/Nefarious starts breaking his own fingers and has asserted beyond a shadow of a doubt that he believes he's demonic, to the point of choosing the electric chair instead of lethal injection and denying the bodily host a last meal, any decent psychiatrist with morals and ethics would have declared him insane. Especially since the prior doctor who committed suicide also held that professional opinion. It makes the film null and void, or at least the demon's nefarious plot is ruined, if Dr. Martin had just declared him mentally ill a little over halfway through the movie. The film is not excellent for that reason, just mean-spirited and cynical.