Unsettling. I hate this movie. Hate is a strong word, but it perfectly describes my reaction to this movie. The word is deserved. I can't understand why any pastor would recommend this movie. I think it's as dangerous as recommending Tarot Cards.
There are some strong performances in the movie, but I think it's dangerous and should come with a warning - like a pack of cigarettes. I came out of the occult. I've been on the wrong side of the table. I see the occult in this movie far more than I see Christ. Actually, I don't see Christ in this movie at all. How can something be a Christian movie without Christ?
There are plenty of people walking around with the same view of God that this demon has. I was one of them. I know many who still are. The movie feeds into their viewpoint. It doesn't starve it.
Click here for the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBVAqvrS8gc
Nefarious is directed and written by Chuck Konzelman and Cary Solomon. It is based on the book A Nefarious Plot by Steve Deace. The performance by Sean Patrick Flanery was brilliant and convincing. Jordan Belfi's character was not likeable, yet I still wanted him to be okay. He is an excellent actor, and he had an amazing script and a talented fellow actor to work with, but his character was overshadowed by Nefarious. And for a smart man, Belfi's character did some really stupid things. Besides giving permission he never should have given, he left his pen and radio on the table when he greeted the priest. Both of those were easily within reach of Nefarious. Pens are deadly weapons in the wrong hands, and that radio could have brought the whole prison to a standstill.
I rarely watch horror movies, and I have a short attention span, but I did finish this psychological horror story. It stayed in my mind, but not in a good way. I put off watching it for over a year because of the subject matter, and now I wish I'd never watched it at all. I certainly should not have shown it to any of my loved ones or even allowed it in my home. I got rid of all occult material when I became a Christian, and this belongs in occult material in my opinion. Did I mention that I really hate this movie? It's in the trash as I write this.
Christian audiences loved it for some strange reason, and even the critics begrudgingly admitted that it was well acted. I was not fond of the appearance of Glen Beck. He gave the least believable performance in the movie, even though he played himself. I realize he promoted Deace's book, and it seems his inclusion in the movie was a reward, but he didn't do the movie any favors. The man can't even play himself believably. I see no difference between Beck and the priest. They both strike me the same way. Posers. That whole interview scene with Beck was cringe inducing. It also detracted from Belfi's performance and reduced it to the acting it was. I could not suspend my disbelief during that scene, and up until that point, I'd been able to. But I admit I have a strong dislike for all things mormon, and I have issues with catholicism as well. Neither of them are Biblical. They are somewhere between anti-Biblical and unbiblical.
The next part might contain something of a spoiler.
I do not recommend this movie. I think it is like the movie Silence of the Lambs. The performance by Anthony Hopkins was so compelling in that movie that he became an anti-hero. There were many who walked away from "Silence" admiring and having sympathy for a serial killer. I think the same danger exists here. The performance by Sean Patrick Flanery is so compelling that he stands out as the more interesting and brilliant of the two characters. That can easily morph into an unbeliever admiring a demon. I know at least one unbeliever that I will never show this movie to - for that very reason. I fear the movie could reopen a door that should remain shut. I know another unbeliever who watched it with me and felt Nefarious was far more interesting than James. I suspect, given today's culture, that there are many other young people who would feel the same way. That is a great danger. Nefarious could easily be an anti-hero for them - someone to be admired as superior, funny, and cool. Someone who expresses their own thoughts. I think the movie does the very thing Nefarious wanted James to do. Tell his story and bring people to his master.
I don't think the creators of the movie realize that there are a lot of people, especially satanists, who believe in the God of the Bible and hate Him. They hate Him for the same reasons the demon hates Him. Why give a free will if it can't be used and punish anyone for the choices God makes on their behalf? No one asked God to be born. Edward Young’s 1742 poem "Night Thoughts" expressed it well.
“Father of Mercies! why from silent earth
Did you awake and curse me into birth,
Tear me from quiet, banish me from night,
And make a thankless present of Thy light,
Push into being a reverse of Thee
And animate a clod with misery?”
There is no redemption in the movie, and it just leaves a sense of hopelessness. Because the creators wanted to continue the story, they did not end on a note of redemption. Instead, they ended on a note of triumph for a demon. The demon wins in this movie, and his victims lose in horrible ways. Bad message! But, then again, it is horror. I think this is as much of an open door to the demonic as a Ouija board is. In the end, I think the makers of the movie have done far more to serve satan than to serve God. Despite two brilliant performances, I do not recommend this movie to anyone. Like I said, I think the movie serves satan far more than it serves God.
No comments:
Post a Comment