Nefarious on child sacrifice.

Throughout the new film Nefarious, the demon possessing the prisoner on screen will only refer to the Son of God as “the carpenter.” He also briefly mentions “that obnoxious fisherman,” Saint Peter. He refuses to mention their names, he won’t even say God but rather “the enemy.”

This is one of my favorite details of this truly genius film. The demon is terrified by that which is holy. He displays true fear, almost agony, at the presence of a priest. “Have you come to torture me before the appointed time?” Only when that priest is revealed to be a false teacher who ignores the Word and the reality of demonic possession, the demon retains his smug, cavalier, fearless attitude.

The diminishing presence of God within our culture is what allows evil to thrive, it’s a perfect correlation. Although this film is a work of fiction, this truth is our reality.