Nefarious is one of the most accurate and unsettling interpretations of demonic possession since at least the Exorcism of Emily Rose, another famous and historically accurate exorcism movie. This is not a happy, feel-good Christian movie. It is a dark movie, but is not needlessly so. It seems to be made with the modern, "enlightened" person in mind who typically fails to recognize the spiritual battle that rages around them, and I think this is an eye-opening movie for those people. It interestingly portrays the growing struggle between the traditional Catholic church that retains its mission and values, and the modern church that emphasizes inclusivity, tolerance, and diversity. That is a topic for another day, however I will say that the more the church and her priests deviate from the explicit mission of bringing people to God, the less of God's authority they can expect to wield. There is a great scene in the movie that exemplifies this.

The movie does justice to Satan's point of view as those not familiar with Theology (the study of God) can understand the points of view of the characters, and it is an excellent crash course to the bigger conflict on which this movie is predicated without being preachy, cringe, or out of place.

I have heard a number of criticisms of the movie Nefarious, including that it is not representative of the battle between God and Satan, and that the directors and creators of the movie are Mormons and either cannot understand or seek to deliberately confuse various theological points.

First,

spoiler alert. As for the first argument against the movie, I do not think it is wrong in to portray Satan as victorious as long as it is for a greater purpose. For example, the movie does not portray the un-repentance and death of Edward Wayne Brady as a good or positive thing in any way. The bleakness of Brady's condition in prison and his fate at the end of the movie strip away the appeal of living an immoral life, perhaps to obtain money, power, or influence. His death is gritty and hard to watch, and any religious person watching the movie hopes for a last minute change of heart, but are disappointed with his choices despite many opportunities. A number of people have told me that they went to confession immediately after watching the movie.

This raises a question about whether that is a good thing since confession done out of fear does not involve genuine contrition for sins and rather a sense of preservation for self, but I suppose only God knows what goes on in the soul. I personally think that this movie has merit in that area.

The Exorcist Files is an excellent podcast on Spotify that describe some of the more memorable exorcists that a Catholic priest has undertaken. They include Catholic theology and have religious merit, but one should be cautious not to seek to acquaint oneself too intimately with demonic powers.