Diary of the Dead

Plot

A group of young film students run into real-life zombies while filming a horror movie of their own.

Release Year: 2007

Rating: 5.9/10 (26,728 voted)

Critic's Score: 66/100

Director:
George A. Romero

Stars: Michelle Morgan, Joshua Close, Shawn Roberts

Storyline
While filming a horror movie of mummy in a forest, the students and their professor of the University of Pittsburgh hear on the TV the news that the dead are awaking and walking. Ridley and Francine decide to leave the group, while Jason heads to the dormitory of his girlfriend Debra Monahan. She does not succeed in contacting her family and they travel in Mary's van to the house of Debra's parents in Scranton, Pennsylvania. While driving her van, Mary sees a car accident and runs over a highway patrolman and three other zombies trying to escape from them. Later the religious Mary is depressed, questioning whether the victims where really dead, and tries to commit suicide, shooting herself with a pistol. Her friends take her to a hospital where they realize that the dead are indeed awaking and walking and they need to fight to survive while traveling to Debra's parents house.

Cast:

Michelle Morgan
–

Debra Moynihan

Joshua Close
–

Jason Creed

(as Josh Close)

Shawn Roberts
–

Tony Ravello

Amy Lalonde
–

Tracy Thurman

Joe Dinicol
–

Eliot Stone

Scott Wentworth
–

Andrew Maxwell

Philip Riccio
–

Ridley Wilmott

Chris Violette
–

Gordo Thorsen

Tatiana Maslany
–

Mary Dexter

Todd Schroeder
–

Brody

(as Todd William Schroeder)

Daniel Kash
–

Police Officer

Laura de Carteret
–

Bree

(as Laura DeCarteret)

Martin Roach
–

Stranger

Megan Park
–

Francine Shane

George Buza
–

Tattooed Biker

Taglines:
A new vision of terror from the legendary filmmaker

Details

Official Website:
Bac Films [France] |
Official site |

Release Date: 7 March 2008

Filming Locations: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Box Office Details

Budget: $2,000,000

(estimated)

Opening Weekend: $275,061
(USA)
(17 February 2008)
(42 Screens)

Gross: $952,620
(USA)
(27 April 2008)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Did You Know?

Trivia:

Cameo:
[Quentin Tarantino]
Director of films such as
Reservoir Dogs and
Pulp Fiction cameos in a voiceover role as a newsreader.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes:
At approximately 17:30 into the movie, an oncoming car beeps and passes by the van where everyone is introducing themselves. As we look at the passing car, its headlights reveal outside that the trees aren't moving and the van we're in is actually stationary.

Quotes:

[first lines]

Police Officer:
628 Tremont. 6-2-8. Three dead. No, just the usual. Fuck. Usual. It's no big deal these days, right?

User Review

oh dear

Rating: 6/10


I have always admired the films of Romero and there can be no doubt
that he is the godfather of zombie films. Alas, i think he should have
finished his zombie career with day of the dead. Land of the dead
certainly wasn't a bad film and this is far from the worst i've ever
seen but the step down is none the less noticeable. The modern
cinematic world owes a lot to Romero but it's clear that the modern
cinematic world has moved on from him.

Lets start with the main problems(and ignore the million little ones):-

1. An idiot who keeps filming even when he or his friends are in danger
(at no point does the brilliant idea of putting the camera down occur
to him)

2. A narrator that appears to have edited the film so that it looks
polished and yet who chooses to leave in the moments when the camera
goes off or turns black

3. A narrator (and editor) who thinks incidental music should be added
for tension (imagine those who filmed 9/11 doing the same and you will
arrive at the same tasteless nature of this)

4. A narrator (and editor) who wishes for us to witness her rotting
corpse family attack her (journalists may pretend to put journalistic
integrity before emotional involvement but this is perverse)

5. An allegory for the war in Iraq (we aren't being given the full
information etc) that needs to be endlessly repeated.

6. The notion that they needed to film everything to show the world the
truth (like walking zombies wouldn't do it for most people)

7. Romero getting the opportunity to remind everyone that he thinks
zombies should be slow (and reminding us again and again)

This isn't an absolutely awful film by any stretch but in relation to
the history and reputation of Romero, it is alas…..somewhat of an
embarrassment