The Diabolical (2015)

This movie tries to hard and fails miserably at being a horror, (?) or even to make sense. It is beyond dull and will lose your interest within 15-20 minutes. The 'entity' is neither scary or convincing. The effects/makeup are overdone and look very plastic and cheap. The direction is terrible and it seems as if they couldn't decide on what genre they wanted to make this movie to be...Horror? Sci-fi? Suspense? There are plenty of movies that can pull off the multi-genre pretty well. This is not one of them. This movie pulls off nothing in fact. I really could not recommend this movie to anyone other than someone who is having a hard time falling asleep. This would be sure to cure anyone with insomina. Yes, it is that bad....

Fmovies: First of all, there is nothing diabolical about this movie, so I am not sure why this title is chosen to be put as a representation of this movie!

It is maybe diabolically empty and meaningless film.

If I am not giving one star rating or two is because I think the boy actor is good. The scientist / lover is cute. The woman is interesting. But all this just if viewed for themselves.

My main problem is ... the movie starts with this creature coming after the woman and she is repeating: It is not real, it is not real ... and the creature disappears. And if I understood correctly that is what happened some time after the movie really begins. Because why she is running away and does what she does if she knows that is not real?!

And plus, if a little girl knows who is the 'diabolic' and later the woman too knows... why she is doing all those meaningless things like fighting the creature, doing tests, calling help and so on ?!

Really don't know what to think about all. I believe the story ( which is kinda explained in the last 5 minutes of the film) is interesting but the film itself is poorly done and does not hold your attention. I would not say it is boring, but completely flat and not interesting.

3 from me. Though 2 may be more correct.

I'm sorry but this film wears a hat way too big for it, and clearly oxygen didn't get to its brain anymore.

If you decide to watch this, you should be prepared to get quite annoyed by the plot, like it really is too much for such a little movie and and keeps getting worse and worse by each frame. It was rather difficult to watch it entirely and I fear you will be experiencing the same thing too. One pill hard to swallow!

Positive aspects? Not that many. Acting was decent, actors were OK, movie itself tho, gets a 4 from me. It was one bad movie, and I tend to be quite tolerant to the horror genre.

Cheers!

The Diabolical fmovies. Allow me to dissect "The Diabolical". Don't be distracted by the definite article "the" in the title as though the movie is about a diabolical being or entity exclusive to all other diabolicals. You might be disappointed if you don't find THE Diabolical.

The movie is about a single mom and her two kids experiencing some strange poltergeist type phenomena at their home. The boy, Jacob (Max Rose) has the very practical and logical idea of moving (it was quite refreshing to hear someone say, "Let's get the bleep outta here"). When the mom, Madison (Ali Larter), decides that her son may actually be on to something it is too late.

With all haunting movies there is always the "why" that must be unearthed. In the midst of finding out the "why" we are to be treated with some delectable scares and some spooky stuff along the way. "The Diabolical" is not a true poltergeist movie although it flows like one. Delightfully it breaks the mold just a wee bit and gives us something more than just a frolicking angry ghost.

If the movie didn't work out as it was expected to, it's only because it has nothing to do with the amount of """scary""" movies we're watching for years. But when it comes to this movie, it's a total different thing.

At first, it starts like a more intelligent horror movie because the characters show smartness, are interesting and even if you feel like you can predict what's happening next, it won't change the fact that there is a feeling that it ain't any ordinary horror film.

Then, searching for explanations, we finally manage to make our own idea of what's going on and it might be on of the most interesting strength here : it's open to suggestion.

Whether you might not like the movie because it's too different in some way and not surprising enough during most of the film, i felt like i was thrilled to watch a movie way more original and creative than most of those i watch.

If you haven't watch it yet, start it with the idea that it won't be casual horror. And then you might enjoy the surprise the movie is.

The Diabolical is Alistair Legrand's debut feature, and right out of the gate he's made quite a memorable film. The strengths of the film lie in the look of the film and the writing. This low budget feature looks far better than it has any right to. In this era of found footage horror it is refreshing to see a debut that goes for a cinematic look as opposed to a thrown together shaky cam look. The story is very solid, though hard to speak of without going into spoiler heavy territory. Legrand has taken a standard ghost tale and added some fun twists to the third act that elevate The Diabolical well above its brethren. We'll leave it at that so as not to spoil the fun.

The movie is great for those that want a mix of horror with sci-fi and a focus on character. If you are looking for someone to get offed every 10 minutes this movie is not for you. This is not a slasher, or even a traditional ghost story. It takes its cues equally from ET as it does from Poltergeist. If you want great atmosphere, characters you feel for, and a plot that engages your mental faculties you will have a great time with the movie! Looking online it seems some folks have been a bit confused by elements of the plot, but if you are a viewer of any sophistication that should not be the case. You don't get a Psycho shrink laying it all out for you at the end, but the plot twists in the third act are clear if you're paying attention.

If this first feature is any indication, we have a lot to look forward to from Legrand! Here's hoping this unique take on the ghost story manages to find its audience.