A sinister, dark tone is not one you would expect when walking into a film loaded with Christian themes, but that is exactly what you get with Nefarious. The melding of the horror and Christian genres seems off, but actually mixes pretty well in co-directors Chuck Konzelman and Cary Soloman's production. There is a risk taken here that seems almost impossible to have been given the green light, but Nefarious opens the door to a very niche sub-genre that could prove popular for its target audience. Unfortunately, the product itself is barely passable, hindered by monotone performances (except for one) and an overabundance of theological scare tactics.
Dr. James Martin (Jordan Belfi) is an ambitious, young psychologist, who is told to sign off on a brutal serial killer's sanity on the day of his scheduled execution. Edward Wayne Brady (Sean Patrick Flanery) has been convicted of 6 murders and has been sitting on death row for the last 11 years. With his execution on the docket, the only thing standing between him, and death is an interview with Dr. Martin. As the interview goes on, Dr. Martin starts to see that Edward clearly has some sort of multiple personality disorder; Edward is convinced that a demon who goes by the name of Nefarious has taken hold of his life.
Most of Nefarious takes place on a single stage, the massive (and loud) interrogation room where the main characters have a conversation. Flanery actually does a good job playing the possessed killer, but the solid performances end there. Everyone else that graces the screen lets you know that they are acting, and their performances come across as stiff and uninspired.
The acting won't fully turn off everyone though, because there is an intriguing plot underneath it all. At its core, Nefarious is a horror film, and the directing duo centers their vision around that. Of course, they sprinkle in views on abortion, creationism, and more, but this is done through the eyes of a demon. As the story unfolds, there is some very gruesome imagery and language, something not expected even with the film's 'R' rating.
Nefarious is definitely a movie for a target audience, but it doesn't have to necessarily be so. There are layers underneath it all that suggest there could be some interesting stories to be told in the future, as long as Konzelman and Soloman tone down the overarching theme. Highlighted by Flanery's psychotic performance, Nefarious will definitely have some leaving the theater a bit shaken. It's just too bad the rest of the cast throws the movie off.