Devil's Diary

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-

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.

DEVIL'S DIARY (TV MOVIE 2007)

BASIC PLOT: On a strange night, in an abandoned cemetery, two teenage girls, Dominique (Alexz Johnson) and Ursula (Magda Apanowicz), see a grave get hit by lightening. When they approach it, they see it's a minister's grave, and on top of it, still smoking, is a strange book. It appears unharmed by the lightening strike, and is full of blank pages. Dominique is unfazed by this odd occurrence, but Ursula is intrigued. There's an inscription inside the book's cover. It reads, "Who shall ever freely give thy soul in these pages, shall be requited with a power. The word is thy bond." Ursula feels a strange pull coming from the book, and when she returns home, she begins pouring out every negative and hateful feeling she has ever had, onto it's pages. Most of her thoughts are on the "popular bullies," the cheerleaders, the jocks, all of which have made her life a living hell. The next day, the head cheerleader, Heather (Miriam McDonald), has her legs crushed in a freak accident. The day after, Heather's boyfriend is burned in chemistry class. Ursula's behavior is becoming increasingly bizarre. Dominique knows she has to get help, and soon. A strange title appeared on the cover of the book, after Ursula began writing in it. When translated from Latin, it reads, "Devil's Diary." Dominique's only hope is Father Mulligan (Brian Krause). Can the two of them discover what's happening in time to save Ursula's immortal soul?

WHAT WORKS: *This is a great atmospheric! The location management team (Jamie Lake -location manager and Kimberly Lozinski -location scout) deserve real accolades for finding these creepy locations. The cemetery, the old church, even Dominique's house, all give this film a disturbing vibe.

*John Benjamin Martin does a great job writing believable characters. Anyone who's ever been to high school will recognize these people. It's a much better effort than his later work, I'd recommend you avoid Le bijou maudit (2008), one of the worst movies I've ever seen. But here he shines, giving a dark interpretation of a supernatural teen scream.

WHAT DOESN'T WORK: *Why doesn't Father Mulligan (Brian Krause) come to Dominique's aid at the end of the movie? He would be able to help her formulate a story, so she wouldn't be trapped in the nut hut. His character in general, is not needed, and never materializes to anything.

TO RECOMMEND, OR NOT TO RECOMMEND, THAT IS THE QUESTION: *I would recommend this to anyone who is a fan of supernatural teen screams. It is a bit dark, but a worthwhile effort, especially for a made-for-tv movie.

CLOSING NOTES: *This is a Made-For-TV movie, please keep that in mind before you watch\rate it. TV movies have a much lower budget, and so your expectations should be adjusted.

*I have no connection to the film, or production in ANY way. I am just an honest viewer, who wishes for more straight forward reviews. Hope I helped you out.

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)

I wasn't going to write, but when I saw the low score, I had to add my two cents. I found it an interesting occult movie. There are several movies that are similar. The general plot is a Devil's book is found and used to kill or hurt anyone that hurts the writer/holder/owner of the book. I kind of suspected the end but not until the end of the movie I could say 'I told you so' moment. I wish there was more gore and more images of the injuries sustained. I actually enjoyed it & recommend it to anyone that enjoys a good occult movie.