Devil's Diary

This made for tv film was a favorite of mine as a preteen, and after watching it again as an adult I still hold the same love for it. Honestly better than a lot of horror/thrillers that make it to theaters, keeps you interested and is fun all together.

I didn't have real high hopes for this movie, even though it had some pretty high ratings, I never go buy these couch critics ratings because they're usually so far off I can't even believe they wrote them!

The acting was superb in this movie, The actress that played Dominique is a brilliant young actress, and I have a feeling we're going to see much more of her in the future... This movie was evil incarnate, not huge on a effects, just pure Evil! GREAT Premise! And GOOD Acting! Everything Evil the bearer writes in the book comes true, and some of these little teenage girls have got some very evil Imaginations running around in their little heads LOL so give this movie a try I think you'll like it! I enjoyed the hell out of it (Pun intended)

Teen school kids find themselves up to their necks in trouble when an evil book lands in their very incapable hands, bringing forth Dominique the Diabolique.

I have to admit, the story itself got my attention as it is a good one even though we've seen this type of thing a thousand times over. The characters, Ursula and Dominique introduce things with good humour and edginess, both providing an interesting start to the movie. But, as is often the way with teen horrors, Devil's Diary does the usual nose dive on ideas in the second half and quite literally dies in the dirt unceremoniously. One part that worked was when the book left Ursula to entice other ill-prepared characters, giving some further interest in the story, leaving a path of calamity in the book's wake. It all sounds quite silly when we consider a book's ability to cause people's demise, but actually it's the silliness that keeps things fun and watchable. It kind of reminds me of a Scooby Doo episode for some reason, with it's playfully not-to-spooky scenarios. I'll give it just a pass mark of 5 stars, because the second half is very tropey and by the numbers, but I enjoyed Ursula and Dominique in the first half.

So two high school girls find an evil demonic book in a graveyard while performing rituals in the graveyard like normal high school girls do. Much hilarity ensues.

And really, it did not exactly go how I figured it would. I wish it would have had some TA or some great lines, but overall watching it certainly didn't make me miserable. 6/10

Two outcast teen girls find a mysterious book with blank pages. As one of them (Magda Apanowicz) uses the 'diary' to get revenge on adversaries at school, the other (Alexz Johnson) starts to see negative changes in her friend. As they say, power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

"Devil's Diary" (2007) is high school horror in the mold of "Christine" in which a persecuted misfit gains an advantage from some dubious source and proceeds to wreak vengeance on his or her harassers. "The Rage: Carrie 2" and "The Unhealer" are other examples of this subgenre.

While this one isn't as good as those three films, it thankfully breaks from formula 40 minutes in, which places it in the ballpark of TV occult horror flicks like "Bay Coven" and "Satan's School for Girls" (2000). Although it's not as good as the former, it's superior to the latter (the 1973 version as well). As a television production, there's a simplicity and comic book air to the proceedings. Don't look for cinematic artistry.

So, whereas the set-up is too brisk and by-the-numbers prosaic, "Devil's Diary" should be respected for trying something different and adding to the hackneyed recipe. In addition, Deanna Casaluce is a highlight on the feminine front (Georgia) while statuesque Laura Carswell is worth a mention (Lisa).

If you liked "Bad Girls From Valley High" or "Disturbing Behavior" you'll probably appreciate this one, although it's a notch or two lower on the production level.

The film runs 1 hour, 34 minutes, and was shot in Vancouver, British Columbia.

GRADE: B-