PopHorror Let's Get Scared
Organized religion is frightening enough in reality. With its mysticism, power structures, and potential for corruption, it’s a natural fit for the horror genre. Most films tend to center on Catholicism or Judaism, leaning into exorcisms, rituals, and ancient doctrine. Diabolic (2025), however, turns its focus to Mormonism — territory that, to my knowledge, hasn’t really been explored in horror before. The question is: does this offer a genuinely fresh take on religious horror, or is it just retreading familiar ground with a different doctrine?
Synopsis
A woman’s hope for a miracle cure turns into a nightmare when she confronts the vengeful spirit of a cursed witch, determined to claim her as a vessel for her evil power.
Diabolic (2025) was directed by Daniel J. Phillips. It was written by Mike Harding, Ticia Madsen, and Daniel J. Phillips. The stars of the film include Elizabeth Cullen (Elvis 2022), John Kim (Paper Tiger 2020), Mia Challis (Killer Nurses 2024), and Luca Asta Sardelis (The Devil’s Work 2023).
What Works
Elizabeth Cullen delivers a phenomenal performance as Elise, drawing the audience deep into the character’s psychological torment. She navigates the film’s emotional arc with remarkable precision and authenticity. The bursts of gore land with unrestrained intensity, hitting their peak in the film’s climactic final moments.
The film immediately establishes its foundation, making it clear that the story will revolve around a fringe sect of the Mormon church. It then plunges viewers into a grim opening scene, where masked men surround a young girl being forced underwater in a dark ritualistic baptismal ceremony. The narrative then shifts to the present day, allowing events to unfold gradually before ultimately circling back to that haunting introduction. This was superb storytelling at its finest!
What Didn’t Work
I’m hard-pressed to say much beyond the surface. To be honest, my knowledge of fundamentalist Mormon sects is fairly limited. I’ve only seen fictionalized or reality-TV portrayals, such as Sister Wives (2010) and Big Love (2006), and those tend to focus more on the interpersonal drama and corruption surrounding polygamy than on theology or ritual. That leaves me wondering whether elements like baptism by proxy for the dead—or the alleged use of hallucinogens—have any basis in actual practice within certain sects, or if they’re purely fictional embellishments. My hope is there is some basis in reality like other religious horror films.
Final Thoughts
Diabolic (2025) carves a chilling new path through religious horror, prying open the shadowed mysticism of Mormonism and twisting it into something far more sinister and unnerving. “God Forgives….Evil Doesn’t “
