Nefarious 2023

In a state penitentiary, the psyche of death-row inmate Edward Wayne Brady becomes the center of attention as a new evaluation unfolds. The prison’s Warden Tom Moss warns the visiting psychiatrist, Dr. James Martin, that Edward is a master manipulator who can “get inside your head,” and that the execution by electric chair is scheduled for 11:00 that night. Dr. Martin has been asked to decide whether Edward is legally sane or mentally ill and unfit for execution, a verdict that could overturn the previous assessment by Dr. Alan Fischer, who committed suicide after interviewing the inmate.

From their first conversation, Edward lays bare a disturbing claim: he is inhabited by a demon named Nefariamus who answers to the name Nefarious. He asserts that the demon chose him precisely because he was not baptized and had sins in childhood, such as stealing. Contrary to expectations, Nefarious says he does not want to escape punishment; he longs for the host’s execution. He even predicts that three murders will occur before the day ends, challenging Dr. Martin’s belief that such acts are impossible within the time frame.

Nefarious is relentless in turning the interview toward Martin’s own life, detailing intimate aspects of the doctor’s personal and professional world. The demon’s strategy is not merely to persuade but to destabilize the physician’s judgment, pressing Martin to confront beliefs about evil, faith, and the nature of possession. The doctor, an avowed atheist, contends that Edward’s beliefs are delusional and unhinged, yet the unsettling presence of Nefarious keeps eroding Martin’s certainty about Edward’s mental state.

As the day progresses, Nefarious accuses Martin of euthanizing his terminally ill mother to secure an inheritance, a charge that forces the doctor to defend decisions made under medical care and grief. The dialogue grows increasingly tense, with Martin retreating to questions of morality, faith, and guilt. The demon’s influence widens as Edward begins to speak in Latin, and Nefarious presses Martin to become the author of an already-written Satanic book titled The Dark Gospel, presenting a chilling counterpoint to the Gospel and implying a long-standing, manipulative plan that predates their current encounter. The claim extends beyond a personal vendetta; Nefarious suggests a grand scheme meant to deceive humanity.

A crucial reveal arrives when a scrapbook of Martin’s life and the manuscript for The Dark Gospel are discovered in Brady’s cell. The discovery strengthens the tension between the investigators and the inmate, and Brady, through Nefarious, compels the doctor into moments of fear and vulnerability. When confronted with the evidence, Brady dislocates the digits of his own hand, breaks free from restraints, and attempts to strangle Martin, forcing the physician to confront the possibility that the prisoner’s threats could become deadly reality.

The confrontation culminates with Martin signing a document declaring Brady sane enough to be executed, while Nefarious proclaims that the doctor has committed three murders—his mother, his unborn child, and the prisoner—turning the doctor’s own life into a potential confession. In Brady’s final moments, the inmate pleads for mercy, insisting that the murders were not truly his, and the electric chair becomes a crucible for proof, fear, and faith.

The execution scene is harrowing, with Brady’s pleas and the demon’s taunts entwined in the electric current. Nefarious offers Martin a final, chilling choice—accept the demon’s earlier bargain to publish The Dark Gospel in exchange for power—but Martin refuses. Brady dies in excruciating detail as the demon’s influence burns away the last of his humanity. In a startling twist, Nefarious possesses Martin, momentarily turning the doctor’s actions toward a violent impulse before a misfired gun interrupts the act.

A year later, Dr. James Martin appears in a television studio, promoting his new novel, A Nefarious Plot, presented as a cautionary tale about the reality of demonic influence. Although he acknowledges a perceived miracle—the gun having misfired during the possession—Martin adopts a measured, agnostic stance, expressing a curiosity about God and Christian faith while insisting the truth remains unsettled. The interview ends with an ominous sign: a homeless woman, now identified as the possessed host of Nefarious, addresses him by name, hinting at an ongoing connection between the doctor and an unseen, malevolent force. The post-credits audio seals the tension with a Latin message from Nefarious:

You have been weighed in the balance and found wanting, but you are stupid that you do not understand. It is to be continued!

Throughout, the film threads themes of belief, possession, and moral responsibility, using a clinical setting to explore how fear and faith can influence judgments about sanity and guilt. Supporting roles, including figures like the guards, physicians, and administrators, enrich the atmosphere with procedural detail and a sense of looming consequence, while the antagonist’s manipulations underscore the fragility of human certainty when confronted with darkness.

Note: The homeless woman in the final act is portrayed by Sheran Goodspeed Keyton.