The Midnight Horror: 'Dear Diary' (2019)

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You’d think a horror film that snagged a flurry of festival awards would at least manage to be somewhat entertaining, right? Well, think again. Dear Diary (also known as “Wake Up”) is a low-budget supernatural snooze that I regrettably forced myself to endure for today’s Midnight Horror segment, and let me tell you, it’s a ghastly experience that leaves you questioning your life choices.

Co-written and directed by Joe Nowland, the plot unravels like a bad dream: A psychiatrist named Phillip Tanner ventures into the twisted world of a young girl's diary, searching for answers about why she brutally slaughtered her family. As he reads, he begins to spiral into the same insomnia and madness that haunted her. But instead of gripping tension or spine-tingling horror, this film delivers a tangled mess of incoherence that made me wish I had a diary to record my own suffering.

It’s hard to fathom how someone on Amazon could describe it as having “Talented Actors in a Breathtaking Plot.” Perhaps that reviewer is involved in the production, related to someone who is, or simply must have watched it through a haze of intoxication. Trust me, after enduring this cinematic dumpster fire, I’m convinced that they must have been in a stupor. The entire cast delivers performances that could be mistaken for a class on how to act stiffly while grimacing at nothing. Was it the actors’ inexperience, a director who couldn’t coax a spark from them, or a script that should’ve been left in a drawer? My bet is on a trifecta of failure.

Is Dear Diary a student film? The cinematography is an insult to the eyes, with shots that awkwardly crop faces out of the frame and clumsy long takes that seem to be begging for a good editor. Speaking of editing, it’s a horror show in itself—an unrelenting nightmare of disjointed cuts. As for directing, Joe Nowland would do well to study the craft a bit more; a child could whip up something better with a low-quality smartphone.

I hated every torturous second of this poor excuse for a horror flick. It’s a story that dares to explore darkness, but instead just kindles boredom. Consider this a warning: steer clear of Dear Diary! Save your sanity—there are far more interesting ways to spend your time. ╌✰✰✰✰✰

〜B.J. Burgess