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A
Hi, I'm Gary Stearman. Welcome to Prophecy Watchers. We have a couple of really interesting guests today, along with Mondo Gonzales and the guest to my left, Chuck Konselman. Welcome to Prophecy Watchers.
B
Thank you so much.
A
And Carrie Solomon. Welcome.
C
Thank you for having us.
A
Now, gentlemen, you have produced a motion picture. This Making Waves, I must say. And Mondo, between us, we have here quite an adventure. The movie is called Nefarious. And let's just start by defining the word nefarious. What does that mean?
B
Well, wicked, really. Effectively. Just wicked. Wicked, yeah. And it's actually the name of the primary character of the piece. He's called Nefarious. It's the name of a demon.
A
In this piece, the name of a demon. He says Nefarious. I say Nefarious. We'll get it together somehow. But this movie has. Has made waves because it raises a number of questions, as questions like, can. Could the situation in this movie really happen in real life? Does it happen? Mondo, you've seen the movie?
D
I have, many times. And to me, this is an incredible movie because it. I think it opens up a window that we all believe as Christians, we all read the Gospels, right? We read that Jesus is going around, he's confronted by the enemy. And yet sometimes I think we sanitize that and keep it in the church. When reality, when we look out the world, we say, oh, that currently isn't happening. That was back in Bible days. And so what I thought was fabulous about the movie is, you know, there's a plot. Let's maybe. Let's. Let's establish maybe some of the plot and how it comes to. To be in a movie, because oftentimes people might say, well, I don't just want to watch a movie about demons, because that's not really what it's about. But let's talk about how it came to be a motion picture here.
B
Sure. Well, Steve Dase, who is a political commentator who is unique in the field in that he approaches things from a theological perspective. That's his whole thrust and mission. He was moved, I think, in the shower about 10 years ago to write a book. He wanted to do something along the lines of the screwtape letters. And the first line that came to him was words along the lines of the demons saying to the world at large, I'd like to thank all the useful idiots that made this possible for basically just not believing in us. And so he wrote the book, which was sort of a stream of consciousness, sort of manifesto from a demon about how he took down Western civilization. And we were fans of Steve and fans of the book, but we just said when we spoke with Steve, you know, we'd like to make this a movie, but we're going to need a story here. He's going to need somebody to talk to and he's going to need a set of circumstances, the imaginary circumstances surrounding this for a story to work. And so what we framed was we worked with Steve and he came to visit and we spent a few days. We said, okay, how about we do this? How about we set up that there is a condemned man in prison. Ironically, here in Oklahoma, we used Granite State Reformatory. And this condemned serial killer, his prison psychiatrist, has just committed suicide, calling all of his recent findings into question. And the state will not execute you unless you're sane. So they need a last minute evaluation. They bring in a progress, socially progressive atheist, brilliant psychiatrist who is going to analyze this criminal and determine whether he's sane. And the warden warns the shrink on the way in, this guy's gonna get in your head. If you listen to him, you're going to think you're the killer, not him. And very quickly, as the psychiatrist meets the condemned, the condemned says, basically, you got this all wrong. I want to be executed. I am a demon in full possession of a human being. And we're done with him. It's time for him to go to hell. And so the question becomes, is this all an act to avoid being executed? Or is the prisoner legitimately insane? Or is it a demon in full possession of the human being?
A
That's a great idea because it gives you all kinds of opportunity to talk about the demonic side of things without getting, I guess, crazy, I should say. But on the other hand, and you guys can comment at your leisure, but it hit me hard as someone who is a believer, as someone who believes in devils, demons, all sorts of, shall we say, the negative side of the spiritual world. And I think you've caught something that'll make people look again at what they really believe.
C
I think that people have to realize that the demonic exists. And that was the goal of the movie, to show that God is not evil. Because a lot of people blame God for everything and that the devil exists and he's the one that you should be taking that anger out on. So there is good and evil, and in this struggle, you know, it's sad, but we use the demon. And I know this is going to sound crazy to the audience, we use the demon to preach the gospel. Now you're going to say well, I'm not going to see that movie because that's obviously way too far. But in reality, it's not. Because today in our society, our society is so lost, people are so forsaking God that if a pastor or a priest or even somebody of authority would say these things that we have him say, no one's going to come to the movie and no one's even going to listen. But ironically, because we have the demon say it, people are listening to it. And so we use the demon in a way where he's angry at the gospel, so we have to justify it. So, like, the atheist will say something at one point like, you believe in God, and the demon will look at him and say, you're a fool. He says, of course he exists. Unfortunately for both of us, he. Of course he exists. So the demon is validating everything we all know.
B
As the demon points out, too, the psychiatrist, he says, I know more theology than any human being who's ever existed. He knows every word of scripture and he believes every fact, historical fact in Scripture. He questions the Creator's motivation. He can never say the word God. He never ever says that word. He never, ever says the name Jesus. He refers to God as the enemy. He refers to Jesus as the carpenter. That's as far as he'll go. But his bile and his anger at the gospel message, ironically, are what's so convincing for the audience.
A
Indeed.
D
Yeah. I think it's fascinating when you, as I was watching it, it's so thoroughly scripture. I mean, I think about Ephesians 6:12, why we wrestle not against flesh and blood. And Paul lists out all these principalities, but even James 2. Right. James 2:19, that the devils believe in God. I don't say they have faith, but they tremble. And so the idea of Satan quoting scripture to Jesus in Matthew 4, well, I can, you know, it is written. I can@psalm91. So you have all this. It's so thoroughly biblical. And what I found fascinating was, again, it's not just some treatise on demonology that wasn't the point, but how it interacts with the daily things of life and how this war that we're in, this warfare that we have is so pervasive in every way. And I think even as Christians, we tend to forget it again. We leave, we walk out and we think, oh, yeah, the world's pretty sanitized. But in reality, the battle is waging constantly at every turn.
C
Absolutely. I think one of the things that the audience should know as well is that you're Going to think of this as a horror movie. It's not a horror movie. It's two guys in a room. One who says he's a demon and one who's there to investigate whether he is. And it's CS Lewis screw tape letters, but a mature version of that. The reason the poster with the triple face and the trailer has intimidated a lot of believers. We actually made a mistake on this. We wanted to bring 15 to 29 year old young kids into the theater because they're obsessed with this demonic satanic garbage that's in the theaters, right? And so we figured if we showed them a trailer like that, they would come in. What happened was the reverse. The church didn't come at all. They were scared of it. They said, I don't watch that stuff. But I can promise you, we promise you that that is not what this is about. It's more of a thriller than it is a horror movie.
B
We're the guys that wrote God's Not Dead. And this movie ironically has more direct quotations of scripture and more riffs on scripture than that film did. It's just they're almost invisible to the audience as they're going by because it's in the heat of this argument, this, this, this grappling between the psychiatrist and the demon as far as what is, what are the great issues, what are the, what are the meta issues of our existence?
A
You make an excellent point about the reality of demonic inhabitation habitation in a human being. Still though, And Mondo, how did you react? It's got some, some rather dramatic scenes at the end.
D
Well, I want to kind of hold that as a cliffhanger because we're going to. Because it's good. We're going to take a little break here where you can see how to get our magazine again where we address all the issues of our day. Current events as we know right now are heating up in so many ways. So take a listen.
E
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D
Well, welcome back. And Gary, before the break here we were talking about just the way that again the at the end of the movie you have what the demon wants and an execution of his host. And again when you look in scripture, this isn't anything new. That's why we can't be scared of this because it's in the Bible. Talk a little bit about you will for a moment as we were talking off air that talk about some of the interesting things that happened during the filming. I mean you guys are promoting truth, scriptural truth. Here was the spiritual battle real behind the scenes of the filming.
B
It was amazing. I mean it made one, you know. We also filmed Unplanned, the story of Abby Johnson who was a Planned Parenthood surgical clinic director who changed her mind and became is now the most well known pro life advocate. We thought that was a struggle. It was nothing compared to nefarious. If I just limited some of the stuff to the mark. Well, we were on set, we had two ministry teams. We had a husband of a husband and wife team. He's an ordained minister. She's in ministry. We had a Catholic priest for Catholics. He's a trained exorcist. During our shooting, the exorcist had an emergency appendectomy and his appendix burst during removal.
C
You almost died.
B
Our building was groaning we were told that the day that we shot the discussion of how the devil operates was the highest sustained winds in the history of the state of Oklahoma. This is Oklahoma, where, like the song says, the wind comes sweeping down the
C
girders are literally moaning and groaning like we're in hell. The crew that are not believers literally stop and they look up and, like, they say, that sounds like we're in hell. And it just so happens that we're shooting the scene that we're talking about the devil. When we go to a normal scene, it stops. We take a break. Not shooting, it stops. We go back to the scene with the devil. Ten, 20 minutes later, here it comes. And. Unbelievable. I mean, and it's obvious that they're like. I mean, these kinds of things. Emails, texts, cell phones, all don't work. 12 car crashes, total cause total. And yet not one scratch on any single person. We got hit with COVID wiped the crew out. The building we're in in Burbank, California, which is doing post, had the chosen and us working in it during a rainstorm. Now, this doesn't happen during rainstorms, especially in la. Okay. What happens is the roof of the building gets ripped off. Now, this is a Post House, so everything is electrical. So if three. Okay. The roof literally falls into the parking lot outside the building, fills with water, wiping out the building and all the electrical stuff and trying to take out the stuff. It's unbelievable. We went to an Office Depot on the way out to Texas because we were driving, we were bringing gear, and all we wanted was a yellow pad. A yellow pad and a pen. Because we get creative when we drive. And we had some great ideas for the movie. We go to the door and the manager says, you can't come in. All the electricity just went out. We can't take your money. Okay, we're in the Post House, this humongous post house called Deluxe. Ready to roll it for, like, the first time.
B
The first square feet. Highest tech facility in the world.
C
Backup generators. The electricity goes out, the backup generators go out. Right when we're about to press the button, we leave. Our final question. We leave. Everything is normal again. So we are bombarded.
B
Here's the best one. So the night of our premiere, we had double. Double instances of demonic manifestation. So we're in a suite, we're doing the interviews of the stars and the producers and things. And all the equipment is malfunctioning. The sound mixer is. And eventually gets to the point where there's a voice coming out of a couch. So we had. Father Carlos Martins was one of our guests.
C
Let's just repeat that for a second. So you always say voices coming out of the couch.
B
Yeah. So we had. We happened to have, shortly before that, interviewed Father Carlos Martins. He does a thing called the Exorcist Files podcast. It's one of the better known podcasts. So we called him up, we said, we need you back at the suite. So he shows up, and he looks like out of a movie. He's got the purple stole, he's got the whole thing. He's got the Latin, right? And he's got the holy water. So he comes into the suite, which is on the fifth floor. He's got French doors to a small balcony behind his back. There's no room for a person back there.
A
And.
B
And if there was a person, we would easily see him or her. He starts performing the rite in Latin. And when he's done, he said, I was troubled for most of it. I had a female voice chanting in my right ear from behind me in a language I couldn't quite discern until he said, and he kind of smiled, he said, until I got to the portion of the rite where it says, bow now before the holy and terrible name of Jesus.
C
And this is in Latin.
B
Let us be alone.
C
Okay? And by the way, the. The lights were all flashing while this is going on. The sound machine breaks down, does not working, the cameras are not rolling. This is this thing. But I will tell you, everyone in the audience, that the hammer and the authority of God, when he brings that forward, the minute he said that about Jesus, the power phrase, for them to bow down to Jesus, the voices stop, the lights stop, the cameras work, the sound mixing comes on, all the voices are gone. And you can feel it. It's like a crackle. You have to be there. But to see the authority, it is in no way comparable. I mean, there's nothing to describe the power of the Lord throwing out evil and, like, they flee in terror. And we've dealt with this for months, and it's just unbelievable. And, you know, praise be to God. I mean, we have nothing to fear. But if you go to these places and play with tarot cards and fortune tellers and horoscopes and Reiki and yoga and all these crazy things. That's how the demons come. And they get permission that way. You're calling me.
A
I have to ask a question. Chuck and Carrie, what has been the public reaction to this film? Positive and negative. It goes both ways.
B
What's happened is, originally the church was Scared of it. Now the church is embracing it. We had Pastor Jack Hibbs from Calvary Chapel out in Chino Hills in California. He showed it to, I believe, 6,000 people. I think 5,000 in the sanctuary and 1,000 in the overflow rooms. A number of pastors. The most popular, as I understand it, Bible study course right now, or Scriptural theological course, is a course on nefarious. It's a video discussion between Dr. Jeremiah Johnson from Prestonwood Baptist down in Dallas, where we are, where we newly are, and Steve Dase. And they have about a six part study on that. And so the church's discovery. So. Well, the best example I can give is this on Rotten Tomatoes, which rates films, the audience rating positive floats between 96 and 98.
C
And the critics, which is crazy high.
D
That's crazy high.
B
Right. And the critics hover of 25 to 30.
A
Right.
C
Because they hate it, obviously. Because the haters hate the pride, the negatives of all this. And by the way, people are going to see this movie 3, 4, 5 times. We have the data. Everybody goes. Because they're using it as a theological tool. The first time they see it, their eyes are open. They're like, that was great. I got to go back. I'm going to bring my friends. And then they do it a second. Then they. They're buying it for Christmas. I mean, it's crazy. The negative on this is, of course, what you would expect. If you kick the bumblebee hive, what happens with the bumblebees? They get angry. Right. Well, and this has been our career. When we did Unplanned, we've done God's Not Dead, do youo Blood, etc. You cannot just do this kind of thing without being prepared and praying for protection. But God is with us. And so the haters, all of the civilized world, what did the Lord say? If the world loves you, you're doing something wrong. So, like, people would come up to us and say, oh, you should win an Academy Award. I'm like, you know what? Don't go there. Because if I do that, I have done something very, very wrong.
A
You know my reaction to the film, I'm serious now. I watch the film and my reaction is I'm watching the psychiatrist interview the prisoner. And the more I watch the film, the more I'm saying to myself, I really wish I could sit across the table from that psychiatrist and tell him what's real and what's not. In other words, this psychiatrist is a highly educated man, but he is clueless about spiritual things.
C
That's what we find in the world.
A
And the dramatic potential there is enormous. I mean, this is a very moving film, wouldn't you say?
D
I would say that, you know, we kind of joke with Bob, because I've gone to a movie several times, Bob. And he's asleep in five minutes.
C
Okay.
D
But this one was riveting. I mean, he's like, it's the only movie I've been to where I was riveted from the beginning all the way to the end, because the conversation is so powerful. And again, for those that are. For those of you who think in spiritual terms, you're going to be blown away because you're going to be like, oh, that's scriptural. And, oh, look at the way that the world is here and there's no greater time. I think that the dialogue and the script was so appropriate to match what is happening right now in our culture.
C
Absolutely.
D
And to provide a scriptural response and to see, again, the way that the enemy is the root of all these lies that we see.
C
I would just like to say, though, so that the audience understands that when we wrote it, you know, we wrote it, produced it, directed it. When we wrote it, when we were in the room. I will tell you, we're two guys from Jersey. We can't do dialogue like this. So this is the spirit. This was way beyond us. And I will tell you, we're in the room working one night late, and there's a scene about abortion. We reveal what abortion is and so on and so forth, as well as we take on the woke agenda and everything in this film. Euthanasia. But we're in the room. And as we're in the room, the spirit drops in the room. It's palpable. And we start speaking out dialogue to each other. And one of the lines was the line at the end of the abortion sequence where they're talking, all hell rejoices. That was straight from God. And it was that he basically is saying, when a child is aborted, all hell rejoices. I want you to think of the power of this. I would say to everyone, do not fear this. Be not afraid. This movie is designed as a tool.
B
It's to reinforce your faith. You know, one of the folks from Movie Guide, it wasn't the reviewer, but it's one of their guys, one of their executives on staff. He came to a premiere and he smiled after our premiere. And he said, this movie is a theological drive by shooting in a good way. And I'm like, you know what? I'LL take. I think that and the other compliment I'll take is Jim Caviezel, the actor who played actually Jesus and the Passion of the Christ, he went to go see the movie three times at the theater in one week and he brought everybody he could get hold of and he just thought it was the best movie he'd seen since, you know, he's driven since the Passion. So that's kind of our quiet urging to your audience to not be afraid of this.
A
You have touched a nerve with this film, there's no doubt about it, and it's got a message that needed to be said. I'm really happy that people are reacting in the way that you describe because in a way when I saw this, this is a very, very tough subject. I wonder if people can actually take this. But now I've seen it like three times myself and after examination and self examination I've said to myself this is a message that really needs to be heard. You know, it takes the Screwtape Letters to another level, right?
D
It certainly does. And I mean, as you know, I'm a Screwtape Letters fan and you will see this movie multiple times as I did. And we want to take a little break here where you can see how to get the movie because again, I promise you, you will be blessed by it.
E
It's a rare occasion when prophecy watchers becomes emotional about recommending a film, but the story you've heard today is life changing and every Christian should want to see this movie. Don't let the DVD cover scare you away. It's not a horror film. It is an intimate look at the ancient battle of good versus Evil. I've heard Gary say on more than one occasion that one of the main problems in the church today is that they do not believe in a real Satan, and if they do, they choose to dismiss him as a weakened, defeated, defeated foe as opposed to a roaring lion whose mission is to separate mankind from spending all eternity with a loving God. Nefarious is available from our ministry in either DVD or Blu Ray format for your gift of $30 or more with shipping included anywhere in the USA. It also includes a free bonus DVD. Included is our way of thanking you for supporting the work of Prophecy Watchers for our international friends. Please note that all prices quoted are in US dollars and additional shipping fees may apply. Visit us at ProphecyWatchers TV or call us toll free at the number you see on the screen. Thanks for tuning in today. If by chance you don't know the Carpenter personally, we've prepared A special video on our website introducing you to your roadmap to eternal life, all through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Visit us@precywatchers.com and may God bless you on your journey. Nearly 800 fellow believers from across the nation will gather in Colorado Springs this June for the world's premier prophecy event, Rapture in the Rockies. For one focused purpose, to hear from 16 of the most trusted Bible exploits, experts and speakers committed to teaching prophecy with clarity, accuracy and conviction, covering a wide range of topics, everything from Israel, the Dead Sea Scrolls, UFO disclosure, AI and the coming Antichrist, the fast approaching Rapture, and so much more. Don't wait. Register today at raptureintherockies.com and be a part of this life changing event.
D
Well, welcome back. And we're talking to the producers, writers, directors, all the above of Nefarious the movie and, and we've kind of established really again the plot and really the spiritual warfare, not only again in a, in a fictional environment of the movie itself, but also coming around the entire production of it. You know, at the end of the day, what's your guys, we got, you know, another minute here. What's your guys goal for this movie? What would you like to see?
B
Just more souls in heaven when all is said and done. I mean, it's just, you know, scripturally if we perform, you know, you Hope for the 30, the 60 or the hundredfold. I think this movie could go beyond that. And Carrie a few years ago got from his sister a gift. She was not aware of the context, but she was awakened and told to get him a particular thing that she. It's a giant picture and then the image there is irrelevant other than the part at the bottom where it says, well done, my good and faithful servant.
C
I think what we wanted to do is we wanted to say and let the world know there is a God. And especially. And if you play with the occult, you're not going closer to God, you're going closer to the devil. So if there is a God and there is a devil and you go consistently close to the devil, you're going to be devoured. And I think that the importance here of this movie is that we basically point out there is good, there is evil, there is a mighty struggle going on. We know who wins in the end. Jesus wins in the end. But the problem is how many people are going to be lost between here and the victory. Right? And so you have to reach down. We wanted to reach down and show people. Open your eyes and look at something that you've never seen before. And this is a powerful way to do it, save souls.
A
Chuck and Carrie, thanks so much and keep up the good work.
C
Thank you.
B
Fab. Thank you so much for having us.
A
I'm Gary Stearman. This is Prophecy Watchers.
B
Hey, you keep watching.
A
We are.
E
Thank you so much for joining us today here at Prophecy Watchers. We would truly be grateful for your financial support you can give easily by visiting prophecywatchers.
C
Com.
Episode Title: A Demon Preaching the Gospel? The Truth Behind Nefarious
Podcast: Prophecy Watchers
Hosts: Gary Stearman & Mondo Gonzales
Guests: Chuck Konzelman & Cary Solomon (Writers/Directors of "Nefarious")
Release Date: May 3, 2026
In this episode, Prophecy Watchers hosts Gary Stearman and Mondo Gonzales sit down with filmmakers Chuck Konzelman and Cary Solomon to discuss their provocative and spiritually charged film, "Nefarious." The conversation delves into the film's theological foundations, portrayal of demonic realities, on-set spiritual warfare, and the unexpected impact it's had on audiences—both in and outside the church. The team explores how "Nefarious" goes beyond horror thriller conventions to become a tool for awakening believers to the reality of spiritual battle and the presence of evil in modern society.
Quote:
"So the question becomes, is this all an act to avoid being executed? Or is the prisoner legitimately insane? Or is it a demon in full possession of the human being?"
— Chuck (03:49)
Quote:
"We use the demon to preach the gospel… if a pastor or a priest would say these things, no one's going to come to the movie and no one's even going to listen. But ironically, because we have the demon say it, people are listening."
— Cary (05:10)
Quote:
"He knows every word of scripture and he believes every fact, historical fact in Scripture. He questions the Creator's motivation. He can never say the word God. He never ever says that word. He never, ever says the name Jesus."
— Chuck (06:08)
Quote:
"The power phrase, for them to bow down to Jesus, the voices stop, the lights stop, the cameras work, the sound mixing comes on, all the voices are gone."
— Cary (16:25)
Quote:
"If the world loves you, you're doing something wrong. So, like, people would come up to us and say, oh, you should win an Academy Award. I'm like, you know what? Don't go there. Because if I do that, I have done something very, very wrong."
— Cary (19:47)
Quote:
"When a child is aborted, all hell rejoices. I want you to think of the power of this. I would say to everyone, do not fear this. Be not afraid. This movie is designed as a tool."
— Cary (21:53)
Quote:
"Just more souls in heaven when all is said and done… We wanted to say and let the world know there is a God… If you play with the occult, you're not going closer to God, you're going closer to the devil."
— Chuck & Cary (26:47–27:18)
"Nefarious" is presented by its creators as more than a film—it's a confrontational, faith-reinforcing wake-up call about good, evil, and the battles raging in both culture and individual hearts. The episode blends testimony, theology, and true-life accounts of spiritual warfare, challenging Christians to recognize the fierce reality of the unseen world and the necessity of spiritual vigilance.
Message to listeners:
Do not fear. The movie is meant as a tool to awaken, equip, and embolden believers for the spiritual struggles of our age.
For more information or to obtain the film, listeners are directed to visit Prophecy Watchers’ website.