Uncovering the Independent Horror Film 'Nefarious' and Its Source Material

The Gist:

• The independent horror film Nefarious sees a demonic entity possess a convicted death row inmate.
• Despite some speculation, Nefarious is not based on a true story.
• The flick is, however, based on Steve Deace's acclaimed 2016 novel A Nefarious Plot.

One of the most popular sub-genres of horror films is demonic possession — from Hereditary to Paranormal Activity, these types of terrifying movies will always have people in movie theater seats.

The latest installment in this sub-genre is the independent horror film Nefarious, which revolves around a psychiatrist who must determine if a convicted death row inmate is faking his alleged demonic possession. For some reason, this sounds like a realistic scenario — well, is it? Is Nefarious based on a true story?

Although there are several reasons why movie fans might think Nefarious is based on a true story, let's get one thing straight: It's not. Yes, you read that right — Nefarious is purely a work of fiction.

Now, though it's not based on a true story, Nefarious is, in fact, based on a book. For those curious, the horror movie's source material is none other than talk show host Steve Deace's 2016 compelling novel A Nefarious Plot.

Following the film's release, Steve spoke with The Stream and dove into the inspiration behind the story.

"The book is the culmination of all theological training/mind-renewing I had undergone in my faith walk at the time I wrote it," Steve told the outlet. "So, everyone from Augustine to Josh McDowell influenced my writing."

Steve continued, "I also drew on Paradise Lost to try to add some context to the Biblical narrative without (hopefully) violating it, as well as C.S. Lewis' classic The Screwtape Letters. In fact, I wrote my book to serve as a sequel/homage to his."

As for how Nefarious is different from the book, Steve claimed it "serves as a prequel." He pointed out that many lines from his book are quoted in the movie but reiterated that the flick shows fans "the origin of my book."