Diane is a 2017 American supernatural thriller drama directed by Michael Mongillo, who also produced the film[1] and wrote the film's screenplay.[2][3] The film stars Jason Alan Smith, Carlee Avers, Margaret Rose Champagne, and Dick Boland.[4][5] It was produced by Mean Time Productions and distributed by Random Media.[2][6]
The film premiered in London at the London FrightFest Film Festival on August 26, 2017.[7][8] It was nominated for the 2018 Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Award for Best Independent Film.[9]
Plot
editSteve is a wounded Afghanistan War veteran who suffers from PTSD, walks with a limp, and lives a dull, lonely life. One day, he finds the dead body of a young woman murdered with a screwdriver in his backyard. Struck by her beauty, he takes a photo of the corpse before reporting it to the authorities. Steve learns that the corpse belongs to Diane, a local singer.
He becomes the prime suspect in the investigation of her murder and is harassed by police and local townspeople who believe he is guilty. Steve becomes obsessed with Diane's image and also begins experiencing strange visions of Diane. He is visited by Diane's widower, who believes she was having an affair with him.
Steve finds himself getting stronger after his visions of Diane. Eventually, he is able to walk without a cane and is strong enough to fight his harassers in town. It is revealed that Steve and Diane were having an affair and he is being haunted by her spirit. Steve faces Diane's spirit in a final confrontation.
Cast
edit- Jason Alan Smith as Steve
- Carlee Avers as Diane
- Dick Boland as Detective Bernard
- Margaret Rose Champagne as Detective Phillips
- Jim Thalman as Sergeant Winslow
- Davis Mikaels as Lenny
- Ryan Barry McCarthy as Mal
- Doug Tompos as Markus
- Kathy Searle as Sally
- Sewell Whitney as Skip
Release and distribution
editThe film premiered at London FrightFest 2017.[7][8] It had its United States premiere at the New York City Horror Film Festival[10] before having a limited theatrical run in 2018,[11][12] released in theaters on September 7.[13][14][15]
The film was released on video on demand on September 17, 2018.[11][16][17]
Reception
editOn the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 88% with an average rating of 7.3/10 based on 8 reviews.[18]
Frank Schek of The Hollywood Reporter gave the film a positive review, calling it "atmospheric and intriguing".[2] Noel Murray of the Los Angeles Times wrote a more mixed review, praising the film's "strong performances and some memorably dramatic moments", but criticizing the film for lacking focus.[3]
References
edit- ^ "Diane | Film Threat". September 17, 2018. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
- ^ a b c Scheck, Frank (September 5, 2018). "'Diane': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
- ^ a b Murray, Noel (September 5, 2018). "Review: Thriller 'Diane' doesn't go the distance". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
- ^ "Meriden resident's latest film gets positive reviews from critics, audiences". Record-Journal. October 6, 2018.
- ^ "Diane (2017) Film Review". Eye For Film. August 25, 2017.
- ^ "Movie Review: Romancing the dead proves complicated in the smart, nuanced 'Diane'". Rue Morgue. September 13, 2018. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
- ^ a b "FrightFest 2017: Cult of Chucky's World Premiere Leads a Stellar List of Horror". Dread Central. June 30, 2017. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
- ^ a b "StackPath". The Hollywood News. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
- ^ "The Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards – Honoring the best in classic horror research, creativity and film preservation". Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
- ^ "Diane". NYC Horror Film Festival. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
- ^ a b "Horror Film 'Diane' Coming to Digital, VOD Sept. 17 From Random Media – Media Play News". Retrieved April 23, 2022.
- ^ "Virtually every film coming out this fall". Los Angeles Times. August 30, 2018. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
- ^ "Virtually every film coming out this fall". Los Angeles Times. August 30, 2018. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
- ^ "Diane (2017) Movie Review from Eye for Film". Eye For Film. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
- ^ Delia, John (September 7, 2018). "'Diane' at Death do we Part". Aced. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
- ^ 52weeksofhorror (August 15, 2018). "Michael Mongillo's Haunting Feature 'Diane'". 52-weeks-of-horror. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Unravel the Mystery of 'Diane' in Theaters and On VOD". PopHorror. August 18, 2018. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
- ^ Diane, Rotten Tomatoes, retrieved April 23, 2022