Diabolic

by Mike McGranaghan

Diabolic is yet another horror movie that claims to be “inspired by actual events” even though the things that take place are physically impossible. This overused gimmick has become an insult to the horror audience’s intelligence. But that’s not the biggest problem here. Daniel J. Phillips’ film has an interesting take on religious horror that it regrettably doesn’t follow through on.

His topic is the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints, an offshoot of the Mormon religion that allows polygamy and child marriage. Elise (Elisabeth Cullen) was raised in the FLDS and somehow managed to escape. The trauma she endured there continues in the form of nightmares and memory loss, so she decides to return to “healers” within the organization to undergo a form of hallucinogenic therapy designed to unlock the mysteries of her past. (Great idea! Surely nothing could go wrong with that!) Boyfriend Adam (John Kim) and bestie Gwen (Mia Challis) come along for support.

The extremist nature of fundamentalism is inherently scary. Rather than digging into what the real-life horrors may be, Diabolic uses the concept for a series of cheap jump scares. Elise eventually remembers an old friend named Clara (Luca Asta Sardelis) who may have suffered a grisly demise. Mostly, however, we get a bunch of scenes where she sees creepy visions very similar to those seen by hundreds of other characters in hundreds of other horror films. Lasting scars created from being forced to live within a restrictive religion could be integrated with the traditional scary stuff, but that isn’t what happens. Half the picture feels like a cliched chiller, while the other half feels like a cinematic grudge against the FLDS.

It’s aggravating how contrived the plotting is. Instead of getting in their car and leaving at the first sign of trouble, the gang sticks around. Elise says she wants to see if any more memories can be triggered, so she wanders off on her own, leaving Adam and Gwen to wait for her. Once she finally comes back, she immediately announces that she just needs to “be alone for a little bit,” then wanders off again. We get it. If they leave, the movie’s over. Also tossed in is a completely unnecessary, utterly routine development among the main trio that opens the door for some carnage.

The best thing that can be said for Diabolic is that Elizabeth Cullen is very good in the lead performance. Despite weak material, the actress does a commendable job conveying Elise’s trauma. She deserves better than the movie’s ending, which is wildly unsatisfying considering the initial premise. With this subject matter, the cop-out conclusion is the biggest bummer of all.

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