nayXnay Productions return to FRIGID New York’s 2025 Days of the Dead Festival with One-Man Exorcism: Francis Grey and the Case of Demonic Possession, written, performed, and directed by Nathan Tylutki.
Serving as a sequel to One-Man Whodunnit: The Tale of Francis Grey and the Case of His Dead Boyfriend, the piece picks up immediately after the earlier play’s events, plunging us back into the eerie confines of Mistyfield Hospital for the Criminally Insane.
Rebecca, the would-be murderer from the previous story, now sits imprisoned – yet she is no longer merely human. A destructive demon has taken hold of her, intent on erasing Francis Grey’s very existence.
It falls to Francis to confront both the external threat posed by this malevolent force and the internal turmoil he has carried since the first instalment.
His desperate attempts to save Rebecca and himself lead him into increasingly surreal territory, including a playful yet pointed nod to Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Tylutki once again anchors the narrative with a performance that juggles humour, unease, and emotional weight.
As a live-streamed production, however, One-Man Exorcism encounters technical limitations. The sound quality in the prerecorded video segments is often unclear, undermining some of the tension the piece is designed to build. Audiences unfamiliar with One-Man Whodunnit may also find themselves without the necessary context to grasp the full emotional stakes.
Even so, the play crafts a vivid atmosphere of dread within its compact one-hour running time. Its exploration of mental illness (through the mirrored struggles of Francis and Rebecca) adds a compelling psychological dimension.
Tylutki’s blend of live acting, multimedia elements, and even moments of puppetry creates a chaotic, energetic world populated by characters both real and recorded. Though the streaming format ultimately limits the production’s impact, the inventive multi-roling and eerie tonal landscape still deliver flashes of genuine chill.
3 stars.