Why, oh why, do so-called "Horror Fans" insist on choking any potential originality out of their favorite genre? Personally, I consider myself a horror fan, but I hesitate to use the term because of what associations people might make about me - namely that I'm a gatekeeping fanboy who is only satisfied when horror films retread established territory from the '70s and '80s. In truth, however, I appreciate films that deal with the macabre. I have a morbid sense of taste, and that's what draws me to stories about mayhem, murder, and monsters. Not an allegiance to a clique which mostly wears its horror fandom on its sleeve like an identity.
All that being said, I feel like The Diabolical has been grossly misjudged by the aforementioned so-called "Horror Fans." Actually, that's not surprising, since that's literally what they do; undermining the horror genre is literally the defining characteristic of many "Horror Fans." What director Alistair Legrand has tried to do here is provide a science fiction explanation for what first seems to be a paranormal event. Which is...well...pretty cool! It may not be the first time we've seen this done (Beyond the Black Rainbow comes to mind), but it's certainly less tapped than the standard "Indian-burial-ground," "something-terrible-happened-here," "vengeful-ghosts" explanations present in most haunted house films. It may not always work perfectly (some things are left unresolved), but there are so many good things about this film (the cinematography, the music, the practical effects, good child actors, Ali freaking Larter!), it seems a shame to obsess over its faults. Especially when such an attitude seems to be directly born out of a reluctance to allow new ideas into the genre. Some of the most celebrated scary movies of all time are riddled with flaws (Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, Suspiria, The Sixth Sense, Carrie). So why do they get a pass but not this admittedly imperfect attempt to breathe new life into the genre? My guess? Narrow-minded nostalgia.
Review of The Diabolical
