"A
hodgepodge of ghost story, time travel and family drama.”
An unknown malevolent force is haunting a mother and her two
children in The Diabolical. Unfortunately, director
Alistair Legrand’s debut feature is a convoluted and muddled mixed-up of horror
tropes, sci-fi elements and a family drama.
Madison (Ali Larter) single-handedly runs her household.
Other than financial burdens, Madison is also concerned with her two children
who claim to have seen apparitions in the house which also vanish without
harming them. Big brother Jacob (Max Rose) is a smart kid but is having
problems controlling his temper that he goes into a fight with another kid who
bullies his baby sister (Chloe Perrin). The kids have gotten used to the
vision, thinking that the ghost is of their departed father.
As Madison copes with the concerns of a social worker
(Merrin Dungey) who see her children and resists the tempting offers of a real
estate agent (Patrick Fischler), the spectre becomes more physical in form and
throws random violent acts. After bringing in priests and psychics who all fail
to give plausible explanations, she enlists the help of her boyfriend and
Jacob’s science teacher Nikolai (Arjun Gupta). Madison also does her research
and is stunned to discover the phenomenon’s connection to top-secret
teleportation experiments.
The Diabolical opens
quite promisingly with a strong visual sense of the face of terror. It’s an
ugly monster indeed, complete with its seemingly decomposing skin and gouged
eyes. However, the movie is disappointingly slow as the first half is filled
with jump-scare appearances of the unknown entity but with no significant
progress in the narrative. We know there are problems in the family and this
monster is an additional baggage. The film keeps reiterating this point and it
soon becomes tiring, especially when you are clueless as to where things are
headed to. Finally, a mysterious sales agent appears with irresistible offers
of buying the house. When Madison does her investigation, she coincidentally
links the happening with her Google search find. At this point, the film
evolves into a sci-fi thriller involving time travel and uncomfortably, it
races against time and rushes to a confounding ending.
Admirably but unfortunately, the movie is a futile attempt
to remake and remix tropes from different subgenres. It re-creates
teleportation elements as the bridge connecting the future’s ghost to the
present. Yet, the hybrid is not a remarkable product as solved mysteries and
twists only lead to more confusing questions. In the end, the movie looks like
a hodgepodge of creepy visuals, jumpy score, far-fetched ideas and illogical
subplots that never efficiently gel.
Nonetheless, the film has a heart-warming subtext as a
psychological drama. The parent-child theme is strong and in essence, the
family of three are prisoners of their own home. First, Madison is in the
dilemma that her son will inherit his father’s violent and angry nature.
Secondly, the mortgage in their house has piled up already, trapping them in a
financial crisis. Plus, there is this apparition from the future which intends
to keep them within the corners of the house. It is a complex domestic setup
which the movie, sadly, is not able to give a satisfying denouement.
The Diabolical has
a lot of problems except for its paranormal effects. It has too much on its
plate which after feeding little by little to the audience, rushes to throw
them all away. The performances range from mediocre to passable. Lastly, the
film just fails to generate genuine terror and leave memorable marks.
Production
company: Campfire
Cast: Ali
Larter, Max Rose, Chloe Perrin, Merrin Dungey, Patrick Fischler, Arjun Gupta,
Joe Egender, Wilmer Calderon
Director: Alistair Legrand
Screenwriters:
Alistair Legrand, Luke Harvis
Producers: Ross M.
Dinerstein
Executive producers: Jamie
Carmichael, Joel Henry, Kevin Iwashima, Andrew Schwarz
Director of photography: John
Frost
Production designer: Mona
Nahm
Costume designer: Michelle
Thompson
Editor: Blair Miller
Music: Ian Hultquist
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