The phrase ‘The following story is inspired by true events’ is a double-edged sword. It can serve as useful marketing, but the presence of such words can smack of lending your film additional gravitas, which raises the question why do we need that gravitas? The phrase will likely invite accusations of playing fast and loose with the truth, and if the events of the film’s narrative are so distant from the true events as to be entirely invented, the opening words seem dishonest and pointless.
While real events did inspire Diabolic, the second feature from director Daniel J. Phillips, their actual relevance to the plot seems insignificant. This is partly because the film is atmospheric in its own right, and the very context of the narrative is chilling enough. We open with supertext that introduces the Fundamentalist Church of Latter-Day Saints, with mention of ominous practices such as ‘polygamy, underage marriage and cult behaviour shrouded in mystery’. This is unsettling but not necessarily surprising, as there have been reports and documentary series about this disturbing organisation. Perhaps Diabolic might prompt a viewer to at least watch the Netflix series Keep Sweet, Pray and Obey.
None of this need matter, because Diabolic is a fiction that simply refers to the FLDS as background for the story of Elise (Elizabeth Cullen), a woman who escaped from the church after enduring strange and disturbing baptism rituals. Ten years after her escape, Elise is experiencing blackouts and inexplicable behaviour, causing considerable worry for her and her partner Adam (John Kim). Desperate for answers, Elise and Adam, along with close friend Gwen (Mia Challis), head back to the site of Elise’s trauma. What could possib-lie go wrong?
Narratively, the film is rather messy. Phillips and co-writer Mike Harding, working from a story by Harding and Ticia Madsen (whose real-life experiences in the Mormon church provide the distant inspiration) present an initial scene, then jump forwards, with the bulk of the narrative concerned with digging into the past through some unorthodox methods, and then discovering things largely through info dump and flashbacks. The abruptness of these elements is jarring, and the unorthodox methods might lead to viewer scepticism. As a result, the storytelling is rather circular and somewhat undoes what came before. There is also a third act reveal that seems largely present for the sake of plot mechanics, as well as a largely redundant coda scene.
The reputation of the FLDS notwithstanding, religious abuse as well as psychological suffering and supernatural brutality all get their licks in, resulting in an often genuinely unnerving atmosphere.
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While the writing of the film is dubious, the direction, design and style are impressive. The aforementioned coda scene is redundant because the film has already ended on an effective final image, one that has grown organically from the atmospheric surroundings. And these surroundings are among the best things in the film. The majority of the action takes place in spooky woods and, wouldn’t you know it, a cabin! Our characters at least have a slightly different set-up, camping near the cabin rather than inside it, but still do the standard stupid things of not leaving when they should and going off alone, although at least no one says, ‘I’ll be right back!’
The cabin is effectively designed and more distinct than your standard Evil Dead set up. The religious iconography adds to the visuals, in terms of candles and an ominous baptistry (move over, haunted bathtubs). Images of snakes and other animals pervade the film (which occupy specific places in Mormon mythology), including an unexpected skeleton and a recurring carving. The production design by Jonah Booth-Remmers is tactile and discomfiting, the spaces eerily shot by cinematography Michael Tessari with varying depths of field that keep the viewer guessing about what might in the shadows.
The combined effect of these different aspects is to create highly expressive spaces, space being the film’s primary concern, both of the mind and of the surroundings. The domestic space of Elise and Adam, as well as the home of helpful but guilty followers of the church, Hyrum (Robin Goldsworthy) and Alma (Genevieve Mooy), are framed and lit invitingly, in sharp contrast to the interior of the cabin as well as a subterranean space with an earthen floor, the discovery of which mirrors Elise’s unearthing of memories. Despite being largely set outdoors, the film often functions as a chamber piece, the campsite as well as the cabin operating as inescapable spaces where crucial discoveries are made. The practical effects, including prosthetics and make-up lead to horrific images reminiscent of (a) Nightmare on Elm Street, Wishmaster and (perhaps inevitably) The Exorcist, but while their appearances may not be startling, they are gruesome, especially in terms of their moisture, as skin glistens and various liquids leak from bodies.
This moisture is accompanied by an evocative score by Will Spartalis, as well as some genuinely unsettling sound design, always a crucial aspect of horror. The sounds extend to some moments of wince-inducing body horror punctuated by effective screams, conveying that fundamental aspect of horror – the expression of victimhood. And it is fair to say that Diabolic does express the position of the victim and indeed different forms of victimisation. The reputation of the FLDS notwithstanding, religious abuse as well as psychological suffering and supernatural brutality all get their licks in, resulting in an often genuinely unnerving atmosphere.
Diabolic is far from perfect and does rely on cliches and plot conveniences. The religious horror element could also be explored in more interesting ways. However, despite these problems, this stylistically atmospheric occult horror of repression and revelation manages to play unnervingly with inner and outer spaces, and highlights its director and star as figures to look out for in the future, possibly in the shadows.
DIABOLIC IS OUT NOW ON DVD, BLU-RAY AND VOD FROM LIGHTBULB DISTRIBUTION
