Chernobyl Diaries (2012)

Six tourists hire an extreme tour guide who takes them to the abandoned city Pripyat, the former home to the workers of the Chernobyl nuclear reactor. During their exploration, they soon discover they are not alone.

Director:

Bradley Parker (as Brad Parker)

Writers:

Oren Peli (screenplay), Carey Van Dyke (screenplay)

Stars:

Jesse McCartney, Jonathan Sadowski, Olivia Taylor Dudley

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ingrid Bolsø Berdal	...	Zoe
Dimitri Diatchenko	...	Uri
Olivia Taylor Dudley	...	Natalie
Devin Kelley	...	Amanda
Jesse McCartney	...	Chris
Nathan Phillips	...	Michael
Jonathan Sadowski	...	Paul
Milos Timotijevic	...	Russian Check Point Guard
Milutin Milosevic	...	Ukrainian Thug
Ivan Djordjevic	...	Ukrainian Thug
Ivan Jovic	...	Ukrainian Thug
Zinaida Dedakin	...	Restaurant Owner
Ivana Milutinovic	...	Little Girl
Alex Feldman	...	Medic Goldshimdt
Kristof Konrad	...	Medic Grotzky

Storyline

Americans Chris, his girlfriend Natalie and their friend Amanda travel to Europe on vacation. They meet up with Chris' brother Paul living in Kiev, Ukraine. Chris wants to travel to Moscow to propose to Natalie, but Paul convinces the group to first visit Chernobyl with an extreme tourism guide. They meet the guide Uri and another couple who are also going on the tour. Uri explains that because of the radiation levels he can only take them to Pripyat, a deserted city very near Chernobyl. They travel by van, but are stopped by a military checkpoint that makes them turn back. Not giving up, Uri finds an alternative route to the town. The group spends the day taking photographs and exploring abandoned buildings. Uri becomes nervous and decides it's time to head home. However, the van won't start and they discover the engine was sabotaged. Soon they discover that they are stranded, no one knows they are there and that they are definitely not alone.

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Plot Keywords:

abandoned city | abandoned building | chernobyl disaster | chernobyl ukraine | nuclear power plant | 

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Taglines:

Ten years ago, the Ukrainian government let tourists visit the area around Chernobyl. They said it was safe... It wasn't.

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Genres:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence, some bloody images and pervasive language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English Ukrainian Russian

Release Date:

25 May 2012 (USA)

Also Known As:

Terror en Chernobyl

Filming Locations:

WWII Army Bunker, Belgrade, Serbia

Box Office

Budget:

$1,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$7,955,307, 27 May 2012, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$18,119,640

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$38,390,020

Company Credits

Production Co:

Alcon Entertainment,FilmNation Entertainment,Oren Peli / Brian Witten Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

86 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS Datasat Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Real Ukranian tours to Prypiat and Chernobyl can be booked online for under 100 USD.

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Goofs

At the 1:07 mark when the group of survivors are being chased, they run down a flight of stairs. They then start trying to open a locked door and one man in the group turns around and points a gun up the stairs. On the left side of the screen (actor's right side) ,the camera man that filmed them coming down the stairs can be seen holding a camera and trying to back out of the shot.

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Quotes

Paul: Have you heard of extreme tourism?

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Connections

Referenced in Midnight Screenings: Men in Black 3/Chernobyl Diaries (2012)

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Soundtracks

Magic
Performed by Vika
Written by Vika Vasilevich
Courtesy of Crucial Music Corporation

User Reviews

Good Scare, the 5.0 is a mistake

Saying a movie is predictable is like saying a movie has a beginning, middle and end. Most movies, no matter the genre are predictable these days. Very few are super unique. I DO NOT think Chernobyl Diaries is predictable. With that being said; I enjoyed the movie a lot, I jumped, I wasn't bored at all! At one point I actually had to sit at the edge of the couch. Sometimes it felt like I was there with them. I feel that the director definitely executed the idea that the writers seen in their mind. I'm disappointed that the average rating is 5.0 because MANY people come to IMDb to check a rating before they watch a movie and the 5.0 will most likely deter them and they will miss out. I strongly recommend it to people that want to sit back and have a good scare.