Nefarious Review

By: Myriam Akbar

I most definitely saw the poster for Nefarious floating around, but it stayed under the radar for me. It wasn’t until recently that I decided to give it a try. Although a few aspects threw me off, I enjoyed it more than I was expecting to. The religious horror film follows a psychiatrist who sets out to prove that a death row inmate is faking his possession. 

For the most part, I’m a fan of dialogue-heavy storytelling. I feel when the pacing and runtime is right, it can be an effective technique. Nefarious does a good job of this, considering the protagonist’s career involves interviewing. The back and forth kept my interest and wasn’t so complex that I needed to decipher the language. Although a few lines were thought provoking, the subject matter isn’t necessarily new but entertaining. 

The antagonist didn’t bring the fear factor for me and that’s my biggest issue. The actor’s performance was underwhelming and strange in the way that I viewed Nicholas Cage’s performance in Longlegs. I didn’t find the acting of the protagonist here either, for me it felt like over-acting although a second watch might change my mind. The concept didn’t scare me because I've watched a ton of films that correlate multiple personality disorder with demonic possession. However, the ending and very last scene gave me chills. I even considered turning on the light, but was too spooked to get out of bed. The plot twist is predictable but better than a boring ending. I see it as a mix between The Traveler, Frailty, and The Man From Earth. If you’re a fan of the religious horror subgenre or any of those films, this just might be a hit for you!

Photo Cred: Wikipedia.com