New ‘scary hidden gem’ available to watch at home from next week

If you like spooky mystery movies, don't let this pass you by.

Not to be confused with the similarly titled Italian comic series, Diabolik, the film follows Elise (Elizabeth Cullen), a young American woman who grew up a member of the Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints (FLDS), a fringe offshoot of the Mormon Church, before leaving as a teenager.

Now, working as an artist and living with her boyfriend, Adam (John Kim), Elise suffers from mysterious blackouts. During these episodes, she has been committing increasingly disturbing and violent actions, which she has no memory of when she regains consciousness.

Convinced by her therapist that the blackouts are a result of repressed unresolved trauma from her upbringing, the artist decides to return to her former FLDS compound in a search for answers, joined by Adam and her friend Gwen (Mia Challis).

As the trio investigate Elise's dark past, it becomes clear that her troubles may not just be of this world.

Watch the trailer for Diabolic:

Elizabeth Cullen has already been tapped to be one of the stars of the upcoming horror sequel Evil Dead Wrath, and one can see why based on Diabolic. She's so expressive, often conveying wordlessly Elise's struggles in a way that makes the audience instantly care and root for the character.

While Diabolic is dabbling in well-trodden horror territory - creepy cabins in the woods, religion and the occult - it hits the familiar beats with enough pace and craft that one doesn't really care, while also throwing in a handful of minor surprises to keep the viewers on their toes.

The movie is only director Daniel J. Phillips' sophomore feature, after 2019's Awoken, but he's already got a flair for mood and set-pieces. In fact, Diabolic is pretty effective as straight-up drama about a woman trying to overcome her trauma for its first 40 minutes.

That's before an ayahuasca trip - with the goal of stirring up Elise's lost memories - sends the story into the direction of body, folk and supernatural horror. This eventually culminates in a hard-hitting, blood soaked, splattery climax that also has echoes of the Evil Dead franchise.

Even more impressive is how well-rendered the Utah setting is given that Phillips and his three leads are Australian and the movie was shot in Adelaide.

The film is billed as being "inspired by true events". The film's co-writer Ticia Madsen reportedly had a similarly upbringing to Elise, sans the supernatural elements.

That said, the FLDS aspect curiously winds up not being as important in the grand scheme of Diabolic's story, in that this tale feels like it could take place in any reclusive religious community.

Yet, maybe that's the point. Phillips and his co-writers seem to be making the more general point that if you don't have a strong support system around you - whether that be your community, your friends, or your partner - it opens the door to trouble, an argument the horror follows through on to its natural, dark conclusion. All in all, an effectively scary hidden gem.

Diabolic is out on Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital from Monday, 25 May.

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