"Nefarious" film: Directors reveal spiritual warfare that occurred during filming

Overview

The directors discuss filming “Nefarious” as an extended period of spiritual opposition, which they interpret as direct attempts to derail the production and disrupt public release. They frame the events as a form of “spiritual warfare” in response to making a film that addresses the devil and demonic themes.

Reported incidents during production

Early timeline disruptions

• After the script period, they say “weird/crazy things happened” from the first moment they began working on the project.

Property damage

• Their office roof was ripped off during torrential rains in California.
• They emphasize it was unusual because rain “doesn’t rip off roofs.”

Premiere-related crises

• A marketing chief allegedly suffered a severe injury on the night of a premiere. They claim an earlier plane incident allegedly caused an ear drum perforation.
• Steve Dace (author of Nefarious) allegedly became critically ill shortly after arriving on set:
  • It allegedly began with a cyst that returned,
  • then escalated to MRSA bloodstream infection,
  • requiring emergency surgery.
• They say this contributed to cancellation and delays.

COVID and personnel losses

• A first shooting attempt was interrupted when key crew members fell ill.
• They claim COVID wiped out the crew, leading to additional cancellations and recovery time.

Production and venue complications

• They rented a large arena set location (a former pro basketball arena) for months while recuperating from setbacks.
• They claim they faced demands for roughly $600,000 extra.

Accidents

• In the first ~11–12 days, they report eight car accidents, mostly involving vehicles being totaled, with no injuries.

Escalation attempts tied to the film’s demonic subject matter

Labor dispute / government interference

• They claim a major film-industry union (IATSE, described as highly powerful for trades) struck without:
  • a formal strike vote, or
  • a clear grievance.
• They also claim they attempted to get the federal government to shut down the movie.

On-set “devil” scene effects

• During filming of a scene where characters discuss the devil, they claim the convention center building groaned (vibrations/girders sounding like “hell”).
• They assert the effect correlated with the dialogue:
  • whenever they stopped speaking about the devil, the groaning stopped,
  • and vice versa.
• They say the audio couldn’t be used directly and was later replaced/merged into a storm/thunder effect during post-production.

Exorcism sequence and technical failures

Interview with a priest (Father Carlos Martins)

• During filming / interview prep, they report immediate disruptions:
  • lights flickered
  • the sound mixer died
  • recording discs/cameras became corrupted, wiping captured footage

Claimed exorcism intervention

• They state the priest allegedly began an “old school” Latin exorcism after noticing the situation.
• They describe a woman’s demonic chanting occurring during the prayers.
• They say that after a specific prayer phrase—“bow… before the great and terrible name of Jesus”—the disruptions ended and equipment returned to normal.

Post-production re-corruption

• They add that even after recovery attempts, footage reportedly became corrupted again after returning to Los Angeles, requiring additional retrieval efforts.

Ongoing disturbances into promotion and theatrical run

Press junket / media interview failures

• They claim a Newsweek interview had to be repeated multiple times due to recording problems (batteries/recorders failing even after multiple attempts).

Theaters and showings

• They claim fire alarms triggered in multiple theaters.
• They also claim computers went down.
• They say screenings were sold out while disturbances occurred, including:
  • growling,
  • dramatic audience reactions (e.g., vomiting/passing out),
  • and audiences forgetting what happened afterward.

Projector incident

• They describe an unusual incident in Grand Rapids, where a screening reportedly couldn’t proceed because someone allegedly placed a lens cap on a stationary projector—which they say was unprecedented.

Interpretation

• They conclude these events increased their faith, viewing the film as drawing escalating opposition.
• They contrast it with other projects, which they claim had stronger protection.

Overall takeaway

The directors portray the production and release of “Nefarious” as a prolonged campaign of sabotage/disruption they attribute to the devil. They emphasize perseverance, stating they believed those involved were protected, continued despite repeated setbacks, and saw the final theatrical experience as validating their interpretation of spiritual warfare.

Presenters / contributors

• Unnamed interviewer (host/questioner in the subtitles)
• Directors of “Nefarious” (speakers not individually named in the subtitles)
• Steve Dace (author referenced in the account; later also referenced as unable to attend a hometown showing due to surgery)
• Father Carlos Martins (priest interviewed on set; identified as having a podcast, “The Exorcist Files,” and as an exorcism authority)