Diary of the Dead (2007)

Director: George Romero

PLOT: George Romero has always come up with new ways of treating his zombies, and Diary of the Dead is no exception: Romero keeps his dead fresh, with an original approach to the undying subject. This one purports to be the video record of a group of young people who are shooting a low-budget horror movie when the terror strikes: corpses begin re-animating, intent on chewing the living. Our heroes trek across Pennsylvania, encountering the staggering zombies as they go. Other pieces of video are incorporated, which gives Romero a chance at some great set-pieces, including the brilliant opening sequence, a live local-TV feed that goes horribly, horribly wrong, and a home-video tape from a family birthday party, where the party clown turns out to be a dead ringer. All of Romero's Dead films are political, and this one's no exception, with a stark view of the way things are today; it doesn't offer the Hawksian heroics of the survivors in Dawn of the Dead or Land of the Dead for comfort, just a group of bickering, shocked youths. There's too much talk about the detachment of watching things through a lens, but in general this is a bracing, intelligent movie. Plus, there's some excellent splatter.

UGLY MOLLY RATING:

Five Brains

Not as realistic as I had hoped for, nor as frightening, considering it was Romero. I was a bit let down. No anxiety, no fear. The atmosphere in this one is lacking, to say the least. “George makes some great points, some important profound statements, and then shows something totally absurd to spoil the moment.” ß Yeah, what he said! This one was not a winner, as much as I love Romero films. It was entertaining if you have not seen it, and as a zombie buff I will watch anything with zombies in it that I can, especially one by Romero. But sadly, I have to admit that this was a huge disappointment. Romero has made a couple real boners lately.

Budget: $2,000,000

Gross: $952,620