An original idea is not necessarily enough on its own to ensure a successful film, but it certainly is a good start. Let’s call this half the battle, while the other half is the execution. This is where THE DIABOLICAL falls short. Despite this unfortunate set back, this debut film from writer-director Alistair Legrand has some commendable elements that make experiencing the film a worthwhile endeavor.
Aside from having a super cool name to plaster onto the title sequence of his film, Legrand also has some intriguing ideas. THE DIABOLICAL is, for lack of a more refined terminology, a mash-up of genres, namely horror and science-fiction. This is certainly not the first time these two genres have collided, but never quite like this.
THE DIABOLICAL stars Ali Larter (from TV’s HEROES) as Madison, a single mother raising two adolescent children while struggling to make ends meet. Her son Jacob, played by Max Rose, is trying to cope with some aggression issues, while their house seemingly is haunted by some pretty grotesque entities that come and go sporadically. She’s tried everything from the police to doctors and paranormal experts, but no one believes her story.
The audience, on the other hand, does get the pleasure of being thrown head first into Madison’s dilemma as Legrand wastes no time in establishing empathy in the viewer. In the first 5 minutes of the film, Legrand puts us face-to-face with a far from pretty apparition and we immediately expect to have a wild, terrifying ride. Shortly thereafter, the pace slows and the heavy burden of developing the mystery without giving away its golden cherry too soon begins.
Before we get started, let me clarify one thing… I hate the title of this film. Sadly, it’s yet another example of a title that not only has nothing to do with the film, but also presents the film in a false light. Granted, there’s a surprise twist to the ending that needs to be protected [no spoilers here] and perhaps the filmmakers chose the title to be typical of the haunted horror genre as to not give anything away.
THE DIABOLICAL is a film that suffers from its own setup. The first two acts are slow to develop. There is little of any significant interest in the first two-thirds of the film, while we watch and wait for some glimmer of hope that something cool and unusual will unfold… and it does, but you need to be patient for the payoff. In short, its like waiting in an hour-long line for that burger everyone is talking about, then once you finally get to eat the thing you realize its far from the best you’ve had, but still pretty good.
One of the biggest downfalls of THE DIABOLICAL is that the character development is weak. Legrand had such a cool concept for a story that he seems to have forgotten that a story needs good characters, even if the plot is spectacular. On the flip side, Legrand manages to start out with a fairly straight-forward, standard modern haunted house template and injects it with a wonderfully creepy, science-fiction undertone that builds gradually toward the final act.
THE DIABOLICAL has some decent jump scares and does build some baseline tension, but I would not go so far as to say the film is “scary” by horror fan standards. The most deliberate and readily available terror comes from piecing together the mystery and discovering the truth of what’s happening, not unlike watching an 86-minute long episode of THE X-FILES. Sure, Madison and her family are being terrorized by something unexplained, but that’s almost occurring in the background as we look past the primal fear factor and looker deeper into the clues and the curious differences in how the entities present themselves. That is key to getting the most out of this film.
The special effects in the film are pretty good, not spectacular, but well-done for what this film is and becomes. At first, the effects may seem confusing or misplaced at times, but stick with it and it all makes sense. I found myself frequently reminded of past classics throughout the film, from Cronenberg’s VIDEODROME to Wes Craven’s SHOCKER and even Geroge Lucas’ THX-1138, but they’re all small winks and nods, nothing major or heavy handed in how much is borrowed. Viewers will undoubtedly find other influences, but I’m purposefully refraining from revealing these as not to leak any of the film’s fragile leverage on the first-time viewer.
There is so much I want to discuss with you about this film, that while not flawless, is certainly a film I think will have people talking, especially genre fans. THE DIABOLICAL is the kind of film presents ideas that engage certain overactive, creative minds to discuss and speculate. As a first film, I admire what Legrand has accomplished in concept and shows me that, with more experience under his belt, could become a filmmaker to watch out for in the future.
THE DIABOLICAL releases in Theaters, on VOD and iTunes
on Friday, October 16th, 2015
Overall Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
