The Diabolical ***
Dir: Alistair
Legrand. With: Ali Larter, Max Rose, Chloe Perrin, Wilmer Calderon. 86 mins.
Cert: 15
Though that title’s
asking for trouble, this is, in fact, serviceable sleepover fodder in the post-Insidious mode, with bankrupt single mom
Ali Larter finding the wolves at her door are as nothing compared to the
suppurating demons crawling through her kitchen at regular intervals. Possessed
tumble dryer aside, there’s barely an original idea in it – the big reveal
cribs from an established sci-fi touchstone, offering the comparative novelty
of a house haunted by the future – but writer-director Alistair Legrand
fashions something brisk and modestly atmospheric, resisting the quiet-quite-loud
mechanics of recent forays into paranormal activity to dig into the mystery of
why this family’s underlit suburban home has become a portal for flesh-ripping
spectres: here, Larter – joining Sinister 2’s Shannyn Sossamon among the ranks of millennial postergirls turned
worryworn maternal presences – gives a strong and sympathetic performance.
Nothing out of the ordinary, but it’ll keep anyone planning a Hallowe’en
all-nighter awake and interested.
The Diabolical is now showing in selected cinemas, ahead of its DVD release tomorrow.
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