Diary of the Dead: Review By Dr. Cinema

When I first heard about this movie I just thought it would be a Cloverfield meets the living dead movie and had no intention on viewing it, but I thought it can't be too bad because it was made by George A. Romero. The movie began, as usual, with an unexplained outbreak of the dead rising from the grave. The atmosphere of this film was very grim and sinister from the very beginning. This film works as a good modern horror film because it blends the elements and conventions of terror from the older horror films into a new age fright fest. This movie takes us back to the style of the 1960s. It is very reminiscent of the original Night of the Living Dead film. Romero tones down the amount of blood, guts and gore presented in this film, which is a good thing. I enjoyed the explicit zombie flesh eating feast in the previous film Land of the Dead, but it was a little over the top which completely overshadowed the post-apocalyptic, dystopian social fears. The blood in Diary is appropriate and fit the story.

The lighting used in this film is also very appropriate for the tone of the film. Low key lighting that gradually gets darker and darker illustrating the decline in social structure. This technique of cinematography also gives a great sense of not knowing. I enjoyed the on screen acknowledgment of the sheer nihilism this film is presenting. The characters understood that no matter what they did their future even the next moment was one of uncertainty. I enjoyed this because as you watch it from the point of view of the camera.

The acting in this movie, as in most Dead flicks, was over the top and mediocre. The central character's over exaggerated effort to catch the story on film was a good written concept because it reinforces to that nihilistic attitude of the film, but the actor was corny and unconvincing.

Overall, Diary of the Dead works as a solid entry in George A. Romero's zombie saga. It raises many questions about the "real story" from the media as well as the anxieties most of us feel with regards to another possible catastrophic event post 9/11. I recommend this movie for the zombie fan as well as a person who just wants a good weekend movie.