DIARY OF THE DEAD

(2008)

written and directed by George A. Romero

 

review by Adam Armstrong

11.19.2008

 

What in the world does rejigging mean?

A group of film students are in the woods filming a low budget mummy horror film when a strange news story breaks out. The recently dead are coming back to life and attacking the living. The group gets in a RV and starts to head back to gather up friends and family. Jason Creed (Joshua Close) decides that he is going to film the outbreak because he sees it as all important. The group runs through several trials and tribulations with zombies and other survivors before finally finding a safe haven. But Jason’s refusal to help, he only stands by and watches, begins to wear on the rest of the survivors. Like all Romero zombie films it is ultimately that the humans can’t get along which leads to further peril.

Not a new installment, instead this is Romero “rejigging the myth” of his dead series. It has a Blair Witch/documentary feeling to the camera work which is both interesting and somewhat annoying; however it did lead to a few scares that normal camera work wouldn’t have shown. The dead series is known for its special effects and there were a few cool zombie deaths in this film that really jump out. And as usual Romero uses zombies as a reflection into society at large. Although I really liked this film quite a bit I’m always interested in seeing new material. Romero was the first but I’d like to see him do some work with Robert Kirkman and Max Brooks and see what the three of them could come up with.

Rent it: 5 out of 5