Everything I have heard from every Catholic source I trust says this movie is phenomenal and to go see it while it’s in the theaters. I’m going to see it tonight. Quick review from a friend who works closely with Fr. Ripperger: My review of the new Nefarious movie: I went and saw "Nefarious" last night with some of the older kids. It's in my top 10 movie list now. No blasphemies, not even any vulgarity. 99.9% accurate theologically. Riveting acting. Sean Patrick Flanery should win an Oscar for Best Actor. Of course, Hollywood would never allow that. It is as a lot of reviewers are saying, viz, a modern day screwtape letters meets The Green Mile. It openly exposes many demonic deceptions on mankind, including abortion, impurity, and even wokeness without the need to show any explicit content. The critics rate it 33% and the audience rates it 97% so that should tell you a lot. If you have teenagers that are mature enough, take them to see this. It rips the veneer off the modern methods of diabolical deception. If you go see it at the theater, show up 15 minutes late to skip the "R" rated previews. I had my kids covering their ears and closing their eyes.
Thanks for the info. I wonder if I should suggest this to my 32 year old atheistic daughter. Praying for a conversion.
https://www.ncregister.com/blog/nefarious-and-the-popes-exorcist Two New Films About the Devil — ‘Nefarious’ and ‘The Pope’s Exorcist’ I’m giving ‘Nefarious’ and ‘The Pope’s Exorcist’ qualified recommendations for adults in the name of ‘proper scaring.’ April 18, 2023 Sean Patrick Flanery (l) stars in ‘Nefarious’ and Russell Crowe plays Father Gabriele Amorth in ‘The Pope’s Exorcist.’ (photo: Soli Dei Gloria Releasing / Sony Pictures Entertainment) In Sheldon Vanauken’s wonderful spiritual memoir, A Severe Mercy, there is a moment when the committed pagan character, Davy, has her unbelief shattered. She has survived a sexual assault, and she notes that while looking into the eyes of her attacker she had seen demonic delight in her terror. Experiencing that level of evil shatters her sense of self-sufficiency and opens her to the good God who must be holding the voracious evil in check. Seems to me that through a Christian lens, this is the main justification for entertainment projects that feature the devil. Placing ourselves in the proximity of Satan, even just in a movie, is always going to be fraught. There is the potential glamorization of evil. There is the impropriety of reveling in human terror and suffering as a kind of spectacle to be consumed with popcorn and a Coke. The devil would rather none of us believe he exists. But once someone comes to the certainty that Satan is real and out there, “like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour,” then the devil’s approach can become trying to scare us into panic. It is a rush for Lucifer when we demonstrate we are more afraid of his power than of God’s. Still, there is a role for narratives that move us into a healthy awareness of the existence of Satan, and more particularly how he acts upon us. As Flannery O’Connor noted in the last letter she wrote, there are times when we need to be “properly scared.” There are two new films about the devil in theaters this week, which both carry an R rating from the MPAA. I’m giving the films Nefarious and The Pope’s Exorcist qualified recommendations for adults in the name of “proper scaring.” Nefarious is a very low-budget project that is produced, written and directed by the two men who performed all three roles in the film Unplanned, and wrote the script for God’s Not Dead. Their movies lean toward heavy-handed defenses of Christian thought which invariably delight Christians who feel oppressed by the culture, and infuriate non-believers. This latest film pits cinema history’s most loquacious demon against a hapless, mumbling atheist. This stacked-deck disparity is the reason most of the secular critics are hating the film. (See the 30% rating on RottenTomatoes.com.) The set piece is a sparely produced death row where a serial killer, Edward, ably played by a gurgling Sean Patrick Flanery, is about to be put to death, unless he can convince the court-appointed psychiatrist, not so ably played by Jordan Belfi, that he, Edward, is insane. What unfolds over the next 90 minutes is less of a story and more of a regurgitation by the clearly possessed Edward of fairly accurate Christian demonology and, eventually, moral theology. The interview wants to be Dostoevsky’s Grand Inquisitor, but it lacks the brilliant subtext and penetrating prose that makes that piece truly grand. Some big Christian fans of Nefarious are calling it “a modern-day Screwtape Letters,” even as it lacks the menacing wit and spiritual sophistication that defines that work. The devil in Nefarious is not at all the Father of Lies but rather a resentful interlocutor of reality. That troubled me a bit from a theological standpoint. Shouldn’t the devil be a liar in our literary depictions of him? The film also surprisingly and, probably unintentionally, disparages Catholicism, in a brief scene in which a priest comes in and doesn’t recognize the devil, presumably from disbelief. That, plus an extended cameo by a weirdly-costumed Glenn Beck, is certainly one way to please the Evangelical audience that delighted in God’s Not Dead. Nefarious avoids all the conventions of the horror genre, except for a gratuitous, brutally graphic execution scene — sensitive viewers be warned. Overall, it is a competently-made movie, which is always a relief in the generally uneven faith-based space. The film is too didactic to be terrifying, but it does offer a compelling case for the existence of intelligent, personal evil, trying to orchestrate most of the movements of our sorry post-modern society. It may offer people who agree with its premises a heightened awareness that the devil is out there and has it in for us. The second devil movie out there right now is the much more conventional horror tale, The Pope’s Exorcist. The film purports to be loosely based on the writings of Father Gabriel Amorth, who served as an exorcist for the Diocese of Rome, although the narrative here is first and foremost serving the scares and not the facts of any actual case. With that said, this film is actually very respectful of the Catholic faith, and absolutely leaves the viewer with the sense that the only remedy for serious demonic possession is in the patrimony of the Church. The highlight of The Pope’s Exorcist is the central performance by Oscar-winning actor, Russell Crowe. He gives Father Amorth a warmth and gentle humor that still covers a core of steely-eyed faith and cognition of evil. His character is full of humility and nobility and courage — which we don’t see every day on the screen in clerical garb. The narrative is a contrived mishmash in which a clueless widowed American mother of two inherits a medieval abbey in southern Spain only to find her young son, Henry, possessed by the demon who calls the abbey home. There are smatterings of the Spanish Inquisition and hints of high Church intrigue, and lots of Latin and sacramentals. The devil afflicting Henry has super demon powers and Father Amorth nearly loses his soul in the struggle. At times the film feels like a valentine to The Exorcist, with people coughing up gross things, spewing crass language, crab-walking up walls and being hurled around like rag dolls. This movie knows what it is: a horror film first of all. If you like that kind of thing, then you will probably like this thing. So, if you are a grown up, and if you are spiritually mature enough not to get swept up in fear of the devil from the movie, and if you can watch horror film conventions without scandal and harm, then I recommend The Pope’s Exorcistas a basically competent offering. Barbara Nicolosi, Ph.D., is the director of screenwriting programs at Regent University in Virginia Beach, Virginia. She is on the board of the Catholic Art Institute. Sent from my iPhone
I saw this film last night and agree with Brian's friend: It's a must-see.. The dialogue and acting were superb (Sean Patrick Flannery deserves better than an Oscar). The movie was subtle yet riveting and -- other than the execution scene -- there was nothing gratuitous or explicitly vulgar. Very refreshing. My one criticism is reserved for the epilogue scene in which the psychiatrist is interviewed by a talk show host played by Glenn Beck. The dialogue and acting seemed stilted and disjointed from the rest of the film. Although I don't dislike Glenn Beck his appearance also overshadows and discredits the film in some way which is unfortunate. Regardless, I recommend this thought-provoking film to everyone. One other thing I noticed: The name of the psychiatrist in the film who is an avowed atheist is James Martin. Coincidence?
Well, after seeing this clip I should definitely encourage my daughter to see it. So far I don't see it in my area or hers.
I listened to three discussions of Nefarious. One with Fr Charles Murr and one with Jesse Romero and Kyle Clement. One with Father Morlino advisor to the film.. All discussions gave high marks to Nefarious and low marks to The Pope's Exorcist so there ya go. I tend to rely on the Jesse Romero Kyle Clement and two priests. Not saying I will watch it. But I might.
Tonight I watched Nefarious. And I do recommend everyone to see it. It’s not scary at all. It’s makes you think. And it’s very accurate to what’s happening today with our lukewarm priests and society. People just don’t see the evil. The world goes round and round, life goes on, routine continues, and people just stop caring. Sin is no longer that important. I believe it was Cathy, who mentioned Glenn Beck, and was right about him. I also kinda wish he wasn’t part of the movie. Not that I don’t love Glenn, but it was too much Glenn. Lol! And it’s a shame, cause it changed the tone of the movie and made it less serious.
Thanks for the update. I still plan on watching when it gets just a little closer to my area. I'm in Grant Co WV and don't want to drive to Winchester.
One interesting thing about the movie is that some young people who watched it went into the kind of fit people who are possessed throw. The demons who have a hold in them reacted to the film. We had similiar reports when the film, 'The Exorcist', was shown. So interesting.
Just my own input/opinion: I did saw the movie. Inside my purse, I took along my rosary and a small bottle of exorcised Holy Water with me into the theater. This movie does make you think. It is more of a psychological thriller-kind. I only closed my eyes during the execution action on the prisoner. I would say this movie is good for non-believers, for those who've drifted away from God, and for those who don't believe that the devil/demons/hell is real. But I, as a practicing Catholic; I would have enjoyed it more if I could tweaked the movie more to my liking. Just one example here among many other examples... Beside the lukewarm Priest already in the movie... Have another Priest in there, the one who is a holy, reverent Marian Catholic Priest who carries a rosary on him in plain view and brings up about the Blessed Virgin Mary. That the devil and demons are terrified of Our Lady. This way, maybe the movie could have ended with a more of a redeeming value for the viewers. Let us continously pray for many conversions to happen for all poor sinners. Well, maybe in hindsight, this movie is alright with the way it is. To begin with the first small beginning steps to bringing viewers back to God, no matter what their religion status is and the atheists, too. To let God do the rest after they've seen this film.
I've heard a lot about how this movie has the unbelieving priest in it. I'm struggling with whether to recommend the movie to my siblings (one with an atheist fiance, the other with a non-Catholic husband, the other very slowly trying to grow in his Catholic faith after being fallen away for years), because of this fact. Is this the only way Catholic priests are portrayed in the film? Can anyone tell me how the movie shows the Catholic Faith in a good light, or does it not? My worry is that, say my sister takes her non-Catholic husband, or my other sister takes her atheist fiance, and the impression they leave with is that the Catholic Church doesn't have any real faith and doesn't do much about evil. Are my fears unfounded?
I haven't seen the movie so it is a more than a little bit cheeky of me giving it the big thumbs up, nevertheless I do. It was never made as any kind of horror movie or pscyho mind game. It is meant to spread the Gospel by portraying the Devil as a real thing. In other words to make people think of the Gospel Truths. As far as I can see it gets ten out of ten for that. I hope so much to see it if it ever gets round to coming to Ireland. I would say if you are hoping to see the Light of Conversion dawning in any soul point them in the direction of this . It may well happen. The God of Surprises is doing surprising things these days, but then again He always was surprising. I was listening to the story of the conversion of St Paul in the reading at Mass this morning. Paul was blind for three days. Where did we hear that before? Jesus was lost in the Temple for three days. Jesus was in the tomb for three days. ..and we hear of those same three days over and over again in Scripture like a drum beat. Genesis 30:36 And he put a distance of three days’ journey between himself and Jacob, and Jacob fed the rest of Laban’s flocks. Exodus 3:18 They will pay heed to what you say; and you with the elders of Israel will come to the king of Egypt and you will say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. So now, please, let us go a three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.’ Exodus 5:3 Then they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please, let us go a three days’ journey into the wilderness that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God, otherwise He will fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword.” Exodus 8:27 We must go a three days’ journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the Lord our God as He commands us.” Exodus 15:22 Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness and found no water. Numbers 10:33 Thus they set out from the mount of the Lord three days’ journey, with the ark of the covenant of the Lord journeying in front of them for the three days, to seek out a resting place for them. Numbers 33:8 They journeyed from before Hahiroth and passed through the midst of the sea into the wilderness; and they went three days’ journey in the wilderness of Etham and camped at Marah. Genesis 40:12 Then Joseph said to him, “This is the interpretation of it: the three branches are three days; Source: https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/Three-Days
I couldn't agree more. Hypocrite in Greek means 'actor', so the main insult that Christ used while on earth was to call people 'actors'.
