Hahaha "33% from critics, and 97% from humans" such an underrated jab at critics. We love you Andrew 😂

"The descent to hell is easy and those who begin by worshiping power, soon worship evil." C.S. Lewis

Yep. Pope John Paul II talked about this in his letter to artists. He discussed how it is legitimate for artists to depict evil so long as it points to redemption.

SEAN PATRICK FLANERY DESERVES AN OSCAR NOMINATION. But in the likely event that he won't, the producers of NEFARIOUS should still engage in a media campaign during awards season if only to get many more people to watch their film or simply remind the public that Hollywood rejects and hates them. Instead of "FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION", the ads would declare : "NEFARIOUS TERRIFIES HOLLYWOOD" and "OSCAR FEARS NEFARIOUS".

Imaginary evil makes for good storytelling. Real evil is stale. Imaginary good is stale. Real good is divine.

I’m not a “twilight zone” expert, but I’ve seen a few of those stories, and to me it seems that they also use horror or fear to share a moral message. I really enjoy them.

This reminds me of when I was a teenager, I subscribed to Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine. I ended my subscription when it got to the point that most of the stories in the magazine were not mysteries, but murder stories. You would see the murderer’s motives, watch him plan the murder and carry it out. Then the story just ended there. There was no mystery, only evil.

Having played Sweeney, the value is showing how revenge leads us down a road of self destruction- it’s all about intent- the cautionary tale.

"Now it is a strange thing, but things that are good to have and days that are good to spend are soon told about, and not that much to listen to; while things that are uncomfortable, palpitating, and even gruesome, may make for a good tale, and take a deal of telling anyway." - JRR Tolkien, the Hobbit. I first read this when I was twelve and it's stayed with me ever since because of the truth of it.

The critics were probably rooting for the demon.

Dean Koontz depicts evil VERY CLEARLY and from the sympathetic vantage of INSIDE the evildoer's head... good wins in the end but its quite difficult and evil has the upper hand until it loses... like the CS Lewis quote about dragons

I loved Nefarious so much I'm going to see it again. Probably one of my favorite movies of all time!

EXCELLENT point about small budget films! In the end, it's THE QUALITY OF THE WRITING that counts. And you write in the knowledge that the budget is what it is.

WAIT...this was made by the filmmakers of God's Not Dead, and yet somehow it's GOOD? And it specifically AVOIDS all the creative sins of the God's Not Dead films?!😳

My favorite villains are the ones that are evil because they want to be. It makes their downfalls all the sweeter.

Nefarious was really well done, and the acting is top notch. It’s really more of a psychological thriller than a horror movie. It’s real purpose is to show that what we’re truly up against is evil itself.

Klavan is one of the best philosopher/writer of our time.

13:11 So, what I hear you saying is that evil, in art as in life, should illuminate the good in the same way that Anna Karenina, even in the first chapters, illustrates the goodness of marital fidelity by showing how nasty and selfish adultery is.

I wasn't the only one watching the psychiatrist thinking "Michael Knowles is acting again"! 😄

I love your analysis. Please keep it up.

Art is long, and time is fleeting, And our hearts though Stout and brave Still, like muffled drums are beating funeral marches to the Grave,,, (from) - HW Longfellow, A Psalm of Life

What an excellent video. Just the most thoughtful analysis of these important ideas. Everyday conflict mixed up with spiritual warfare mixed up with art. These are things that pass through my own mind frequently, as a Christian artist and writer, but I've never strung them out so neatly and logically. Thank you for this, Andrew.

15 minutes well spent as always, ty Andrew

I'm fine with Satanic elements being in a show so long as it's the good guys' punching bag.

The problem with many of Christians ✝️ including yourself is that you find goodness in weakness and 🐑 sheep or lamb 🐑 is definition of goodness for you. The good man is a capable man who craves power and executes it in righteously 💪🏼 a warrior for the sake of righteousness like King David But Christianity ✝️ historically tends to find its virtue in weakness and That is a big factor that differentiates Judaism with Christianity

Summary was generated by Summatim, let us know if there are any inaccuracies! 🤖 0:15: Movie Review: Nefarious 10:50: Depictions of Evil in Storytelling 11:47: Sweeney Todd and Love 12:49: Sweeney Todd's desire for revenge 12:58: Love your enemies 13:08: Enjoyment of corruption 13:18: Horror of revenge 13:37: Retreat into the world of the spirit 14:18: Conservative art

Klavan, you still impress me with your insight. It's important not because of your knowledge, but your contribution to actual self realization of true conversation. Let us consider the truth of the matter.

I thought he looked like Knowles too while watching the film! Glad it wasn't just me. I really loved the film and think it has one of the most powerful pro-life scenes I've seen on the big screen.

When a Jewish woman, Eliza Davis, who bought Dickens’ Tavistock Square house, chastised him, “whose works plead so eloquently and so nobly for the oppressed of his country,” for “encourag[ing] a vile prejudice against the despised Hebrew,” Dickens denied having anti-Jewish feelings and then went on to create the highly sympathetic Jewish character Riah in Our Mutual Friend, to alter some of the language in reprints of Oliver Twist, and to reckon more honestly with the run-of-the-mill antisemitism of his day. (“Charles Dickens and the Jews” by Lawrence Bush - June 11, 2017).

i think what he's describing about the boring, plodding sensation of evil reminds me a ton of how Crime and Punishment feels. the tedium and dullness of a life full of a slow march towards evil. never noticed that before

🙃 I would like to tell you a story of nothing, but with everything positive: Once Upon a Time, everything was as it should be. There was nothing that was broken and no one needed to repair it. There was nothing that was lacking and no one needed to find it. There was nothing that was imagined and no one needed to discover it. With everything done there was no doing, and nothing was done. No one needed anything, and no one was needed,,, So, in the end, there was _Nothing..._ Not even the evil that sought to feed It. This is the NeverEnding Story. .....

I like it when evil wins at the end of a movie. Stories should not be so predictable. The Omen was a good example.

After watching Tim Burton’s adaptation of “Sweeney Todd”, I loved it even though the themes of cannibalism are disturbing. It’s a fantastic cautionary tale of the cost of revenge!

Re: submission in marriage: You have to remember that it's more a _dance,_ than a _drill._ If you see someone getting frustrated, it's generally because one partner or the other _refuses to learn the steps._

Considering how you've discussed the character Renfield at length in the past, can you review the new action/comedy Renfield with Nic Cage?

Love, love, love Sweeny Todd. It is ultimately tragic, which as you said, really drives the deeper moral point home. I very much enjoyed Nefarious. Sean Patrick Flannery did an absolutely stellar job. I thought there were a couple of moments that I was saying were kind of like political talking points, but I think you found the right word which is "preachy." My only criticism of those moments is that someone looking to have a critical eye of the messaging, might easily fixate on those moments. But hopefully, the average movie goer hoping to see a horror flick, will come out thinking differently about the reality of the interaction between the spiritual and physical realms.

I appreciate this video but I also feel that a lot of art glamorizes evil behavior and justifies it by showing that the villain fails at the end. There is so much screen time demonstrating how fun and attractive the evil behavior is. I loved Sweeney Todd as an adolescent but looking back it's extremely graphic with gore and murder and you're rooting for him to get his revenge. Breaking Bad is one of my favorite shows of all time but the concept certainly glamorizes the lifestyle regardless of the ending.

"Evil makes for good storytelling." It's almost as if, to enjoy a good dragon-slaying, there first _has to be a dragon._ Go figure!

I appreciate the quality of thought in your videos so much. Your analysis on power and the infatuation with evil characters explains a lot. Thank u

Seriously love this type of content from Klavan!! Thanks again!

I get what you're saying- and I've thought similar things about context and message of bad and vulgar things used for a story, but even within using it from the realm of love and that perspective- isn't there still a line to be drawn within that as well? For example: I've always said that the villian song in a musical doesn't have to be as bad as many of them are just because it's the bad guy, but then as I watched clips this past Easter from Transformation church with so many villian songs....there seemed to still be an element of glorifying that, even as they had a consequence in the end. I had never thought of the 2 realms thing though, that makes a lot of sense. As someone getting more into screenwriting I would read a book on that if you wrote it!

Drew you should review Bram Stokers Dracula.

A demon in possession of a man would desire his destruction, it wouldn't want to extend a life. So, I'm already over it. Theology is deep and beautiful enough to provide entertaining content, without distorting truth.

I loved the movie. And Sean Patrick Flannery would win awards for his acting in it if it was a secular film.

👏👏👏Well done! You really parse ideas clearly.

The dialogue is outstanding.

I don't mind of an Athiest makes a strong case as religious people can make an equally strong case. but in both scenarios neither will EVER prove their point. You cannot prove or disprove the existence of a being so omnipotent and superior it exists beyond your comprehension.

Dickens ran into this dilemma. He was confronted that his widely remembered Fagin is anti semiotic. In response he created a good Jew, Riah in “Our Mutual Friend” No one remembers that character.

Milton answered this centuries ago in the Areopagitica. It's only through the knowledge of evil that we can know good.

AUSTIN BURKE TRIGGERED BY NEFARIOUS. Just mention Sean Patrick Flanery as a potential Best Actor contender in his Oscar predictions video and he gets so angry.

That was a great commentary. Thanks.

Philip Larkin said the reason for the darkness of his poems was that it is very hard to write white on white…..

Klavan is the man.

🤔

I find that very interesting, because Andrew Klavan wrote the script for the American adaptation of the J horror movie one missed call.

Klavan - I appreciate you so much

Gyah, nowhere to watch this near me, can't wait for it to get to streaming, looks awesome.

Simon Weil a beautiful soul like Sir Klaven a Jewish convert to Christianity the great T S Eliot read her work and loved it.

Evil ... Have seen it several times in my life films have a hard time actually depicting it , I think because it is felt as much as seen and sometimes not seen till it's to late. But one of the few times I have truly felt it in a place was the old concentration camp Dachau.. I started to go thru it and got about 1/3 of the way and physically got sick . You could feel it . Heard the same and a couple of the others to . Now I've been thru combat and killed had no problem with that. But there are some places that are bad places and I personally believe it has to do what has happened there and made those bad/evil places

I have little interest in seeing this movie, especially considering the people who made this made God's Not Dead, but you make interesting points about power and love. The phrase "rest in power" instead of "rest in peace" always rubbed me the wrong way because it implies that there is no peace without power. That is a recipe for corruption and evil, and it reminds me of the saying (which I will probably butcher) that the person who cannot control or find peace within himself will exercise domination and control over those outside of himself to find it. I don't begrudge the innocent intent of those who use phrases like "rest in power," but the root of that idea is toxic and harmful to the soul. A good marriage is a perfect example to how things ought to be. Feminists hate the idea of submission in a relationship because they only think in terms of power and the belief that hierarchical reality is purely about power and is inherently oppressive (as all radical leftists believe). When hierarchy becomes all about power, that is when it becomes abusive, corrupt, and tyrannical, but that's not the way it is supposed to be. That is how sin and evil corrupt reality and human relationships as they were intended. Hierarchy (and reality itself, which is inherently hierarchical) is properly ordered by love and service to others. In a healthy relationship, one does not submit to power. You are supposed to submit to love which is displayed through affection and self-giving service and received with gratitude and honor. I think both men and women are supposed to both give and receive love and honor, albeit expressed in their own ways, but this reality is why Paul tells wives to honor their husbands and tells husbands to love their wives. Love and honor are supposed to go hand in hand where you are meant to freely give and receive both, a kind of exaltation through submission to goodness.

Given the premise of the story, the light bulb bursts and the connecting thought is it must be a coincidence. The imagery is a whole story in itself. Archetypical stories are fascinating and often contain evil as an intrinsic part. Without it the story becomes meaningless like a light bulb in a person's head that has nothing happening to it.

Klavan seems like such a great guy! Would love talking with him with some good coffee

The Exorcist is a good example imo, which is a horror movie but the foundation is based on goodness. Spoiler for those who haven't watched it yet In the end father karrus sacrifices himself to save Regan. That, for me, beautifully depicts how to love your neighbor, atleast an aspect of it. Some might disagree as art is subjective but Atleast that's how I saw it. And it often tears me up.

Don't you think they would have examined the defendant before he even went to trial to determine if he was insane? He couldn't even stand trial if he was adjudicated insane. So this fiction of examining him before the death sentence is a pure fiction for fiction purposes. AND you miss that?

loved the insight

Why do I often confuse Klavan with James White? :)

See Revanche 2008 Austrian film. Not for the faint of heart but riveting. (Revanche = revenge)

I'm glad I'm not the only one that couldn't stop seeing Michael Knowles lol.

"Evil makes for good storytelling." I like your perspectives! The problem with "Christian" movies however isn't that they are "sugary sweet," but that they portray the wrong theme. The Gospel isn't about good vs evil-that is what the law is about. The Gospel is about law vs grace.

one of the most challenging things to do is to integrate the desires of the body and the desires of the spirit.. much easier to be a prude (domination by the spirit) or an atheist (domination by the material.) Ultimately, the prude is being dominated by fear of the matter he's made of, and therefore is being dominated by the material as much as the atheist. the best writers make their villains exceptional and their heroes unexceptional save for their example of goodness. if a writer has no faith in their OWN ability to reckon with evil, they they make their heroes overpowered and their villains one dimensional. embodiments of evil/self serving force in film show a condensed version of the world we must contend with, and so we find them interesting. we don't find unsolved problems interesting.

Diablo creators, Blizzard has an art book out for their new game Diablo IV. Extremely cool

Please do a video on Flannery O'Connor!

What is the act of courageous virtue in the background of Glengarry Glen Ross?

5:23

Klavan is such a philosopher.

Planning on watching it seems cool.

Looks Great.... And Yeah, He Looks Like Knowles.

just finished it, really make you think

Questioning if "evil in art" can "be used for good" is a part of why Christian movies and shows aren't as good as they could be, and I hope more of Andrew Klavan's audience take his advice. Story is about a character trying to do something. If we add an adjective to that, then we can say that a good story involves obstacles, conflict, dramatic action, and dilemma. Andrew Klavan is right to point out how much of Christian media isn’t very good, but it’s not because of the parts that are too “preachy.” Christian media’s problem is that it lacks any real stakes for the religious elements. Instead of presenting a challenge and depicting a character facing those challenges and overcoming it, we get over protected garbage like the kind that Marge Simpson forced the makers of “Itchy and Scratchy” do, only worse. Because the Bible and Chrsitian faith are not allowed to be depicted in an honest, critical, or vulnerable way, therefore, the strawman “Atheist” in “God’s Not Dead” had to be someone who was just mad at God because of course he couldn’t -- in the sensibilities of the authors -- have made those conclusions had he just read and studied the Bible. I suspect it has to do with Christian ignorance of the Bible and the much more elusive and mysterious but heretical textual criticism, and the fact that most believers are actually atheists when it comes to the God of the Bible based on their literacy. However, by protecting the religious elements of their stories, “Christian artists” become propagandists for Dormammu. Just because an individual chooses faith over sight, darkness over light, and wants to pretend that there are no errors in the Bible or with faith in God, it doesn’t make it so. Even in a broader context there are greater concerns about faith in a Higher Power and religion than just the tragedy of existence or existence of evil in the hearts of other people. When artists don’t know the boundaries and definitions of the possible errors of their own religion, they can’t produce anything remotely resembling compelling conflict involving these elements. They end up just protecting anything religious instead of allowing actual dilemma to bleed its way into their narrative. It’s what made Superman boring (except for “Man of Steel” in this way in my opinion), it’s what makes Captain Marvel boring and Rey Palpetine (according to critics like the Critical Drinker). They were never in any real danger, and they don’t have anything to learn. As a matter of fact, everyone needs to learn from them the way that we’re just supposed to learn from God, the Bible, faith, religious figures, or religious rituals like prayer in Christian media. Artists have to be comfotable being vulnerable, and without actual stakes, we just end up watching Itchy pass Scratchy some lemonade.

Looks good!

This movie isn't yet on streaming platforms, right?

Nefarious was great!

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Ephesians 6:12 What is left out of this powerful, but a bit confusing passage is the spiritual battle itself takes place in the physical world, in the flesh as it were. That's what makes it so compelling to us, the smirk of schadenfreude glee when a bully gets his or her comeuppance.

Nefarious was great. Not too preachy.

Best horror movie I have watched in a very long time.

The Glenn Beck conclusion is soo cringe😂

Andrew there are stories of good vs evil that were written before the Bible was, you know that right?

No such thing as good and evil. We just are.

"God's not dead" was a complete cheese factory and drove me kinda nuts (Christ follower here). i'm surprised it's the same director guy that made this!

Is the Sweeney Todd movie any good?

Love Sweeney Todd! Or do I hate it? Both. 😉

Don't you think we should be ruthless with evil?

What an amazing video, so in depth and illuminating. Thank you Andrew!

when i can tell your pushing a agenda in a movie it goes from interesting to boring real quick as soon as the explanation of atheist started i new something was up, more straw man arguments from the right, atheist don't reject the concept of a God/creator they reject the claims as they always come up short, if there's a list of explanations for the universe God/creator is on there but it's way low on this list and the top is always we don't know.

Leave a comment for the algorithm

Glad you got over your bias long enough to watch it.

Nefarious. Best acting I’ve seen in a long, long time!

Read berserk

This was excellent and thought provoking. I still don't want to see the movie. The news is stressful enough

I thought the movie kinda sucked.