My quick rating - 5.4/10. That poster caught my eye a few months back when I popped Diabolic on the weekly slider. What we have is hope for a miracle cure, which eventually turns into “maybe let’s not mess with cursed witches today.” Inspired by true events, right after a quick and deeply disturbing Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints fact drop, the movie opens with a creepy ritual full of ominous chanting and imagery that screams, “This will not end well.” Spoiler: it does not.
We jump ten years ahead to Eise (Elizabeth Cullen), who is understandably still haunted by her past. Earlier, we saw that she was forced into a baptism at a remote cabin. So naturally, the adult solution is to… go camping outside that same cabin. Nothing says emotional healing like pitching a tent next to your trauma.
The plan involves some kind of séance-slash-drug-induced spiritual ceremony designed to confront the past head-on. If you’re a fan of unexplained black ooze, shadowy demon figures, and “what exactly are we summoning here?” energy, you’ll get your fix. The visuals in these moments are effective, leaning into that grimy, occult aesthetic. When the horror shows up, it shows up.
But getting there takes a minute. Actually, it takes most of the runtime. The story moves at a slow simmer until the final ten minutes suddenly decide, “Oh right, we’re a horror movie.” The last stretch cranks up the intensity with some painful-looking practical effects and bursts of violence that feel appropriately nasty. If the entire film had matched that energy, we’d be talking about a much stronger flick.
John Kim plays Adam, the supportive boyfriend, while Mia Challis plays the best friend who, intentionally or not, looks genuinely bored for large portions of the movie. It almost becomes its own subplot: “Is she possessed, or just over this camping trip?”
Director Daniel J. Phillips does a solid job maintaining suspense within a very by-the-numbers cult framework. There’s some witch lore sprinkled in, but it never fully digs into anything fresh. The film hits most of the horror tropes you’d expect. Isolated cabin, ritual gone wrong, stupid decisions, you get the idea.
Visually, though, it’s strong. Michael Tessari makes South Australia convincingly stand in for Utah, and the cinematography gives the film a polished, moody look. The practical gore effects are well done; they’re just used a little too sparingly to leave a lasting mark.
Overall, Diabolic is watchable and competently made, but it doesn’t do much to stand out in the crowded “cursed cult witch” subgenre. A couple of decent jump scares, some solid practical effects, and then, and you knew this was coming, an ending that lightly teases a sequel. Apparently, evil black ooze is a franchise opportunity now.
No comments:
Post a Comment