5.7/10
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Diary of the Dead (2007)

R | | Fantasy, Horror, Thriller | 22 February 2008 (USA)
Diary of the Dead Poster
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A group of young film students run into real-life zombies while filming a horror movie of their own.

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
... Brody (as Todd William Schroeder)
... Bree
... Tracy Thurman
... Stranger
... Jason Creed (as Josh Close)
... Eliot Stone
... Debra Moynihan
... Tony Ravello
Philip Riccio ... Ridley Wilmott
... Mary Dexter
... Police Officer
... Gordo Thorsen
... Francine Shane
Scott Wentworth ... Andrew Maxwell
... Tattooed Biker
See full cast »
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Storyline

While filming a horror movie of mummy in a forest, the students and their professor of the University of Pittsburgh hear on the TV the news that the dead are awaking and walking. Ridley and Francine decide to leave the group, while Jason heads to the dormitory of his girlfriend Debra Monahan. She does not succeed in contacting her family and they travel in Mary's van to the house of Debra's parents in Scranton, Pennsylvania. While driving her van, Mary sees a car accident and runs over a highway patrolman and three other zombies trying to escape from them. Later the religious Mary is depressed, questioning whether the victims where really dead, and tries to commit suicide, shooting herself with a pistol. Her friends take her to a hospital where they realize that the dead are indeed awaking and walking and they need to fight to survive while traveling to Debra's parents house. Written by Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

hospital | mummy | film student | video camera | barn | See All (141) »

Taglines:

Where will you be when the end begins? See more »

Genres:

Fantasy | Horror | Thriller

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong horror violence and gore, and pervasive language | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Official Sites:

Bac Films [France] | Official site |  »

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

22 February 2008 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

George A. Romero's Diary of the Dead  »

Filming Locations:

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Box Office

Budget:

$2,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$275,061, 17 February 2008, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$958,961

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$5,364,858
See more on IMDbPro »

Company Credits

Production Co:

,  »
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Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

|

Color:

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Quentin Tarantino: Director of films such as Reservoir Dogs (1992) and Pulp Fiction (1994) cameos in a voiceover role as a newsreader. See more »

Goofs

At approximately 17:30 into the movie, an oncoming car beeps and passes by the van where everyone is introducing themselves. As we look at the passing car, its headlights reveal outside that the trees aren't moving and the van we're in is actually stationary. See more »

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?
See more »

Connections

Referenced in Midnight Movie Review: Halloween Horror Top 25, nr. 10: Rec (2010) See more »

Soundtracks

Any Other Way
Written by James Parker / Scot Thiessen / Alina Tringova / Tim Walker
Produced by James Parker
Performed by The Captains Intangible
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How does reanimation work?
Q: Is this a sequel to George Romero's 'Dead' films?
Q: Does this movie feature the old-fashioned slow zombies?
See more »

User Reviews

 
The weakest of Romero's zombie movies
19 August 2012 | by – See all my reviews

I really dislike the whole "found footage" genre, and I wish it would finally die. Luckily, this movie doesn't quite fit 100% into that genre, but it's close enough that I got fairly annoyed. Diary of the Dead is basically about some film school kids documenting the beginning of the zombie apocalypse, and thus it's more of a fake documentary than anything else. Unlike some movies shot in this style, one of the main themes involves criticism of the obsessive need to document everything rather than actually participating. There are also some shots at censorship, social media, and the propaganda potential for the mainstream media.

Unfortunately, Diary of the Dead feels like a watered-down reboot of his classic franchise, modernized and targeted at teenagers, with the requisite group of stereotypical dumb ass characters found in every direct-to-video slasher movie. The social criticism is blatant and lacks subtlety, and Romero resorts to outright lecturing the audience. I generally agree with Romero, but I prefer his older movies. He's never been particularly subtle, but this is just too overt and generic for my taste. He comes off as having been inspired by soulless ripoffs of his own work.

It's one of Romero's worst movies, but that still makes it better than much of the crap that litters the horror landscape. Hopefully, if we get any more movies from Romero, they'll be as uncompromising and powerful as his earlier work, but it seems as though Romero has had some real problems getting funding. Watered-down, mainstream Romero is better than no Romero, but it's difficult to recommend. This may be a good introduction to his material for younger audiences, though.
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