The Critics Hate "Nefarious," and it's Hilarious

“Nefarious” Film 2023

The critics hate Nefarious, a new supernatural thriller, and I think it’s hilarious. First of all, if not for the 33% score on Rotten Tomatoes, I probably wouldn’t have gone with my family to see it last night. There was so much commentary on social media laughing over the stark difference between the critics and the audience score of 96%, and once I found out why, I wanted to own the libs.

The story follows a psychiatrist who has to evaluate whether a prisoner soon to be executed is mentally competent enough to face the electric chair. The prisoner claims to be a demon inhabiting a vessel. Not only does he want to be sentenced to death; he claims to have chosen the psychiatrist for a special purpose. He also claims before the end of the day, the psychiatrist will have killed three people.

Critic Cody Leach said, “Nefarious advertises itself as a possession thriller but pulls a bait & switch to deliver a Christian and Conservative propaganda piece. Flanery does his best to elevate what is otherwise a 90-minute sermon on abortion, euthanasia, and the death penalty.”

Sean Patrick Flanery does a stellar job switching between the demon and Edward Wayne Brady. You truly do feel for the inmate who has been tortured up until the very end. If you’ve seen the film, you know the cheeseburger scene is the most disrespectful thing ever to grace the screen. Flanery was pitiful, malevolent, and everything he needed to be in between. It was an excellent approach and performance of demonic possession. The rest of the cast did a fine job. The quality of the film was good, and the directors and writers did a great job making the conversation between the demon and Dr. James Martin entertaining.

But it is hilarious how much the critics hate the content, vindicating the monologues of the demon. Nefarious argues the beauty of their evil plot is that humans can’t even recognize what evil is. So, when they tackle the subject of abortion in the film—in a very honest manner—the critics see it as “propaganda.” There was even a scene when Dr. Martin tries to virtue signal to the demon about how humanity is actually winning because it’s so inclusive now!

Was it subtle? No, but I don’t think it was supposed to be. And even still, critics like Carla Hay dismissed the film as “preachy propaganda for right-wing beliefs.” Josh Goller said it was “…tedious, heavy-handed and indoctrinating.” Dennis Schwartz said, “The film’s heavy-handed and bogus message tells us that Hollywood is immoral because it acts to corrupt its viewer’s minds.”

You’re gonna have to show me the lie.

If you thought this was going to be a horror film demon possession like The Conjuring, this isn’t the right film for you. If you’re looking for a psychological thriller and you’re open enough to challenge your thinking, you’ll enjoy it like the Youtuber Are You Not Entertained? Yes, the movie adapted from conservative commentator Steve Deace’s book has a particular narrative. But as far as demonic behavior from a Christian perspective, their endgame, and their desire to destroy and torture humans along the way, I think this movie nailed it.

Christian films are known for being cheesy, poorly acted, with subpar quality, and cringe-worthy dialogue. This was an entertaining indie film. There was a lot on the line since I picked the film, so I’m glad my mom didn’t give me a side eye for picking a dud. As a matter of fact, she was quite vocal and enjoyed herself.