George A. Romero’s Diary of the Dead: A Review

OK, admittedly, “Diary of the Dead” pretty much tells the same story we’ve all seen before in just about every other zombie movie. The dead suddenly return to life one day as mindless monstrosities bent on attacking and eating the living, society collapses almost overnight, and the focus of the story is on a small group of survivors who find themselves holed up in what they hope is a secure location, trying to stay alive without killing each other before the zombies do. Yeah, we’ve seen it all before, but really, how else can you do it, when George Romero himself set the standard for the genre with his classic “Night of the Living Dead”? Luckily, the famed director still manages to whip up a well done and rather excellent horror film, rebooting the very franchise he started by doing it documentary-style, ala “Cloverfield”.

“Diary” starts off with a group of student film makers out in the woods, doing a horror film project about a mummy (can you see the irony right there?) when they start hearing reports about zombie attacks. At first skeptical, the students soon find out the hard way that the reports are very real, as they encounter zombies everywhere they go in their attempts to find a safe place to wait things out. And through it all, main character Jason (Joshua Close) continues to film events as they happen, much to the irritation of his friends, wanting to get the truth out there for all to see.

As mentioned, “Diary of the Dead” still follows the standard “zombie apocalypse” formula, right down to the “shoot-em-in-the-head” method of taking down the zombies. Thankfully, though, it isn’t a completely cookie-cutter product, as there are a couple of things that make it stand out. Obviously, there’s the documentary-style the movie was shot in, done from the single-camera POV of the main character. Just like the recent “Cloverfield”, we have a main character who just films everything as it happens, right down to the zombie attacks, unable and unwilling to stop, even as his friends and fellow survivors rip on him about it. One of the main differences here is that the film isn’t restricted to just one camera viewpoint, as they later get another camera to use and other camera footage that is later incorporated into the “completed” version of the documentary. The movie also plays out like a standard documentary, complete with narration and music, provided by Jason’s girlfriend Debra (Michelle Morgan), rather than looking like a home movie shot on a whim. This helps the film in a great way, adding to the suspense and allowing viewers to see a lot more of what’s going on.

Another great twist to the genre that I’m sure a lot of fans will find refreshing is that the characters aren’t simply isolated in one spot like they would be in other zombie flicks. Instead, they spend most of the movie traveling around in a Winnebago, going from place to place, encountering other survivors and, of course, zombies at every turn. This especially works in favor of the movie, as we get to see beyond the main group and get examples of how other survivors are trying to survive the disaster, whether it be the group of militants “doing what they have to” or the group of soldiers who steal for what seems to be the heck of it. It kind of turns the movie into a “road trip” flick, but it still helps in a great way and not make it all seem so “standard”.

The movie has the standard ensemble cast of characters you’d expect in a horror flick, but with a few twists, such as the resident blonde, Tracy (Amy Ciupak Lalonde), being not a complete airhead and showing actual some skills and intelligence (check out her rip on women stereotypes in horror movies at the beginning). But probably the most important character of the film is the technology and digital media that has pretty much become the center of our world today. Not only is it the reason for Romero’s reboot of his “Dead” franchise (he obviously couldn’t continue from his last flick and tell a story like this, hence the necessity), but it’s also the focus of the social commentary that he puts into his movies. The director shows how much things like the internet, cell phones, television and whatnot have become such a part of our lives that we’re practically dependent on them, even in the midst of a worldwide apocalypse. On the plus side, it allows Jason and his friends to keep tabs on events happening around the world, as other people are uploading their own videos of zombie attacks online. But of course, the same media can also be used against us, as proven in an attempt by authorities to cover up the zombie attacks using edited news footage (we all know that lasted about five seconds). “Diary” truly exposes that double-edged sword to light, showcasing Romero’s talents as a storyteller.

The movie truly has some suspenseful moments throughout the picture, mainly centered around whenever the group makes a stop somewhere and you don’t know what they’ll run into, zombies or other, more hard-edged survivors. Some things even happen off camera, due to the style of the storytelling (and Jason’s inability to leave his camera behind), but things can still be heard and make you wonder just what is going on, much like in an old-school horror film where things were often suggested and viewers had to use their imaginations. This was purposely done on Romero’s part, as he went back to his independent roots for this film, even making it for only a couple million dollars. You’d hardly know it from the visual effects, which are done rather well, probably even better than most big-budget films. Naturally, there are some blood and gore moments like in any zombie film, but those are kept to a minimum and used only when needed, as opposed to other recent horror films, working greatly in this movie’s favor.

The DVD certainly has its share of bonus material, so you won’t be lacking in that department. Most of it is the standard “behind-the-scenes” stuff; “For the Record: The Making of “Diary of the Dead”” is a five-part look into the different aspects of the making of the movie, such as the cast, the make-up and visual effects, set design, even a little piece on the director himself. “The First Week” is pretty self-explanatory, a short look into the film’s first week of shooting, while “The Roots” is a short interview with Romero about his returning to his independent roots for the film. And, of course, there’s the standard commentary that can be played with the film.

But there are also some interesting goodies in the bonus material that I’m sure a lot will enjoy. “Character Confessionals” is the closest we have to deleted scenes, basically a series of little confessionals made by the characters as the apocalypse progresses and showing their reactions to it all. “Familiar Voices” looks into the recording process of background voices for the film made by well-known horror luminaries, revealing three of them (they make you guess the rest on your own). I won’t reveal who they are, either, as it’s more fun to first watch the movie then see this feature and get the surprise of your life. And of course, the best feature is the “MySpace Contest Winners” feature, showing the five short films that won the grand and first prizes in the contest Romero put on MySpace to promote the movie. I won’t reveal who the winners are, but each movie is enjoyable in their own right, whether freaky or just a bit silly.

I’ll have to admit it, “Diary of the Dead” is certainly one of the most creative zombie flicks that I’ve seen, and definitely one of the better horror films out right now. Die-hard fans are sure to add it to their collections, while others will certainly be willing to give it a look. A truly excellent film that will rank as one of Romero’s best.

Released by: Dimension Films

Starring: Joshua Close (Jason Creed), Michelle Morgan (Debra), Shawn Roberts (Tony), Joe Dinicol (Eliot), Scott Wentworth (Andrew Maxwell)

Directed by: George A. Romero

Rating: R

Score: 8 out of 10