Diary of the Dead (2007)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

Director:

George A. Romero

Writer (WGA):

George A. Romero (written by)

Release Date:

7 March 2008 (UK)

Genre:

Fantasy | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

Shoot the dead.

Plot:

A group of young film students run into real-life zombies while filming a horror movie of their own.

Plot Keywords:

Professor | Film Student | Car Accident | Suicide | Pistol

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Michelle Morgan	...	Debra Moynihan
Joshua Close	...	Jason Creed (as Josh Close)
Shawn Roberts	...	Tony Ravello
Amy Ciupak Lalonde	...	Tracy Thurman (as Amy Lalonde)
Joe Dinicol	...	Eliot Stone
Scott Wentworth	...	Andrew Maxwell
Philip Riccio	...	Ridley Wilmott
Chris Violette	...	Gordo Thorsen
Tatiana Maslany	...	Mary Dexter
Todd Schroeder	...	Brody (as Todd William Schroeder)
Daniel Kash	...	Police Officer
Laura DeCarteret	...	Bree
Martin Roach	...	Stranger
Megan Park	...	Francine Shane
George Buza	...	Tattooed Biker

Also Known As:

George A. Romero's Diary of the Dead (USA) (complete title)
Land of the Dead 2 (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong horror violence and gore, and pervasive language.

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Canada:14A | USA:R | UK:18 | Ireland:16 | Argentina:16 | Portugal:M/18 | Australia:MA | Taiwan:R-18 | Finland:K-15 | Singapore:R21 (cut) | Japan:R-15 | Netherlands:16 | France:-12

Filming Locations:

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Company:

Artfire Films

Trivia:

Cameo: [Guillermo del Toro]Director of films such as Blade II (2002), Hellboy (2004), and El laberinto del fauno (2006) (a.k.a. "Pan's Labyrinth") cameos in a voiceover role as a newsreader.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: Scranton is 122 miles northeast of Harrisburg; it does not make sense traveling from Pittsburgh (in the western most part of Pennsylvania) to drop a character off in Scranton before swinging down to take another to Harrisburg.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Police Officer: 628 Tremont. 6-2-8. Three dead. No, just the usual. Fuck. Usual. It's no big deal these days, right?

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Siskel & Ebert & the Movies: (2008-02-23)" (2008)

Soundtrack:

Prelude in D Flat Major

Romero Romances YouTube Generation

I'm going to start this review by saying point blank and period that I liked this. It lacked a certain finesse, but had its own style and form. It felt more like Romero went back to the original Night of the Living Dead, and attempted (successfully in my humble opinion) to capture the suspense of that brilliance. He may not have completely succeeded, but the suspense is tangible, nonetheless.

The acting has been hit pretty hard in other reviews, but aside from the usual stereotyping to which this type of film almost always subscribes, the performances were pretty believable...IF one can suspend belief long enough to enjoy a feature length film, that is.

As far as zombie films go, this wasn't bad. It was entertaining, visceral, and made me squeal (yes, the Fiend squealed) at least twice, to my chagrin. There are a few "scare you" moments, and a lot of "things jumping out at you" moments, with some "gotcha!"s and a couple of red herrings. As far as Romero goes, this was bread and butter.

It rates a 7.2/10 on the movie scale.

It registers a 9.1/10 on the Romero scale.

It rates an 8.8/10 on the splatter scale from...

the Fiend :.