"Diary of the Dead"

Seen on: March 23, 2008

The players: Director: George A. Romero, Writer: George A. Romero, Cast: Nick Alachiotis, Joshua Close, Laura DeCarteret, Michelle Morgan, Shawn Roberts, Scott Wentworth

Facts of interest: The fifth installment in the legendary zombie series from George A. Romero.

The plot: The horror of the dead returning to life is captured firsthand by a group of young filmmakers.

Our quick thoughts: Romero’s new zombie flick combines a good mix of scares, gore, and cheesy comedy into a prophesizing zombie story for the digital age. The documentary style in which the movie is done adds to the suspense, and gives the zombie genre an entirely new feel. The use of multiple cameras and video sources by the characters in “creating their movie” also tones down the documentary feel and gives the story a quicker pace.

Voiceovers are also used throughout the film to discuss technology’s place in the world alongside humanity, which is quite deeper and more dramatic than in past Romero films. Some aspects of this film seem to be loosely based on Max Brook’s novel, "World War Z," which provides a more in-depth analysis of the human psyche and their treatment towards others in times of crisis.

 

While the contemporary style and deeper substance of the film do set it apart from others in the series, this film still adheres to the basic components of the genre. A group of people are terrorized by flesh-eating zombies, thus they must kill them in brutal ways with whatever weapons they have available (in one case a heart defibrillator); with all of this occurring between cheesy one-liners and among a gapped storyline.

Freaky quote: "Are we really worth saving? You tell me." – Michelle Morgan

The final word: While all of these ingredients (gore, scares, low-grade acting, dashes of comedy) do bake a classic zombie picture, Romero has added an in-depth meaning and style to this film, which displays the growing presence and importance of technology, and dares to comment on our violent world.