My wife and I rarely go to the theater anymore...maybe once a year. We met our quota this week with "Nefarious."
Three friends from church praised it, and when Rotten Tomatoes showed a 33% critics' rating and 95% audience, that cinched things. Whenever you see a gap like that between elitist critics and normal people who buy tickets, you know it's probably a movie worth watching.
The plot revolves around a conversation between a jailed mass murderer facing imminent execution and an atheist psychiatrist sent to the prison as per state regulations to confirm the man's sanity...and thus eligibility for the death sentence.
Most of the movie consists of a gripping dialogue between these two people...but the defining element is the killer's claim that he has been possessed by a demon named Nefarious. Indeed, the dialogue itself takes place between the doc and the alleged demon.
During the conversation, the demon claims the doc himself will kill three people before the day is done. I won't say more than that so as not to spoil things for anybody who may yet see the flick.
It's an unsettling and at times chilling movie with a most unfashionable theological outlook, which of course is why the critics sneered at it.
Also, it received an R rating though there's nothing super graphic in it. That said, it's very intense...and the execution scene at the end is not for delicate sensibilities.
My wife and I disagreed regarding the movie's suitability for teenagers. She said no way. However, I think maybe on a case-by-case basis. For sure, parents should see it first to make their own judgment on that score.
The factor of kids aside, this is a good flick. It won't receive any awards. It won't be a smash hit with the general public. However, on various levels it's well worth seeing.
Three friends from church praised it, and when Rotten Tomatoes showed a 33% critics' rating and 95% audience, that cinched things. Whenever you see a gap like that between elitist critics and normal people who buy tickets, you know it's probably a movie worth watching.
The plot revolves around a conversation between a jailed mass murderer facing imminent execution and an atheist psychiatrist sent to the prison as per state regulations to confirm the man's sanity...and thus eligibility for the death sentence.
Most of the movie consists of a gripping dialogue between these two people...but the defining element is the killer's claim that he has been possessed by a demon named Nefarious. Indeed, the dialogue itself takes place between the doc and the alleged demon.
During the conversation, the demon claims the doc himself will kill three people before the day is done. I won't say more than that so as not to spoil things for anybody who may yet see the flick.
It's an unsettling and at times chilling movie with a most unfashionable theological outlook, which of course is why the critics sneered at it.
Also, it received an R rating though there's nothing super graphic in it. That said, it's very intense...and the execution scene at the end is not for delicate sensibilities.
My wife and I disagreed regarding the movie's suitability for teenagers. She said no way. However, I think maybe on a case-by-case basis. For sure, parents should see it first to make their own judgment on that score.
The factor of kids aside, this is a good flick. It won't receive any awards. It won't be a smash hit with the general public. However, on various levels it's well worth seeing.
