Elizabeth Cullen shines in this indie horror. Diabolic is a bloody, gnarly clash between fundamentalism and a vengeful witch that’s flawed but effective.
As a horror fan who constantly scours the indie scene for hidden gems, I really wanted to love Diabolic. The premise of a religious horror centered on an FLDS-style fundamentalist compound immediately piqued my interest. There is something inherently unsettling about isolated, ultra-conservative communities, and adding a vengeful witch to the mix felt like the perfect recipe for a new favorite.
However, after sitting through its 90-minute runtime, I found myself landing squarely in the middle: it’s a solid, functional horror film, but it didn’t quite reach the heights I was hoping for.
The absolute standout of the film is Elizabeth Cullen. She brilliantly leads Diabolic from start to finish. Her performance is incredibly nuanced; she manages to be haunting, terrifying, and heartbreaking all at once. Watching her navigate the trauma of her upbringing while being literally haunted by a cursed spirit showcased her range. Even when the script felt a bit thin, Cullen’s presence kept me in.
What surprised me most was how much the religious aspects affected me. I’m not a religious person at all, but Diabolic did a fantastic job of making those fundamentalist elements feel genuinely scary and purposeful. The film’s core message – a witch essentially fighting back against the suffocating walls of fundamentalism – is easily one of my favorite things about the story.
It’s an intriguing subversion of the evil witch and possession tropes, framing the supernatural threat as something that perhaps isn’t the only evil in the room. Without spoilers, it is the third act that pushed things over the top for me, and made me really appreciate what was being done.
When it comes to indie horror, you truly never know what you’re going to get in the technical department. Thankfully, Diabolic delivered exactly what I wanted in terms of practical effects.
The bloody, gnarly visuals were impressive and didn’t shy away from the visceral nature of the curse. Plus, as a fan of the genre, I was happy to find enough well-placed jump scares to spike my heart rate up from time to time.
At just over 90 minutes, the film moves at a decent pace, but it isn’t without its stumbles. While the flow is generally good, there are several moments – mostly dialogue-heavy scenes – that tend to drag. There were times when I felt we already understood the subtext or the stakes of a conversation, yet the film insisted on lingering there for a bit too long.
Ultimately, Diabolic is an okay experience that is elevated by a stellar lead performance and some truly gnarly effects. It’s a respectable entry into the FLDS horror subgenre, even if it doesn’t reinvent the wheel.
About Diabolic
A woman must return to the fundamentalist compound where she was raised after she is haunted by the vengeful spirit of a cursed witch.
Directed by Daniel J. Phillips and starring Elizabeth Cullen (Elvis), John Harlan Kim (The Little Things), and Mia Challis (Outer Banks), DIABOLIC is a FLDS religious horror that follows a woman seeking a cure and becomes the target of a vengeful witch’s spirit.
Diabolic opens in select theaters on February 13th and will be available On Demand on February 20th.