Review: ‘Diary of the Dead’

Gee whiz, the world has changed a lot since 1968 and the debut of Night of the Living Dead, especially when it comes to what’s supposed to be scary anymore. Yet, a reassuring constant in all this still exists, and his name is George A. Romero. As we come up on the FOURTIETH anniversary of the release of that fateful film, there’s a persistent question on the minds of fans: does he still have it? And when it comes to his latest project Diary of the Dead, the answer I can report is: for the most part.

The film follows a group of film students in the middle of shooting a senior project on the very night of Night of the Living Dead. However, the kids aren’t dressed for the sixties or anything, and the social commentary of this film addresses a very modern world indeed. This time the media and internet’s “anybody can be a reporter!” conceit are the targets, with the entire film being shot as a POV by the would-be film students.

We’ve seen this before from recent stuff like Behind The Mask and Cloverfield, as well as older work like Man Bites Dog. What’s fresh about Romero’s take is that in addition to the obvious attacks on voyeurism and digital misinformation, the film examines how viewing the world through a little camera viewfinder can provide its own form of isolation. Here characters find themselves coping with the growing terror around them by regressing further and further into their recordings. We know movies can’t hurt us, and if we’re just making another movie then we’ve got to be safe, right?

The first half of the film is uneven, with the film’s structure as a series of recorded moments often hindering the flow of things rather than serving it. Some of that is thanks to heavy handed voice-over from one of the film’s characters, making sure the audience is clear on the themes AT ALL TIMES, effectively killing some of the tension. “Diary” also starts off with an entire movie-set-crew of characters, and it often seems like it’s not sure what to do about them all, with some of them reduced to shouting over one another for camera time as they unnecessarily verbalize what’s happening. Yes, male character whose name escapes me, I did in fact witness you shooting that zombie, thank you for the play by play.

Another issue, although it makes more sense as the film goes along, is that the constant filming of things by the main character gets frustrating. Sure, he’s scared so he stays behind the camera, filming his weary girlfriend instead of offering her comfort. But when she’s being physically attacked by hungry zombies, or even when imminent danger is affecting his own life, some viewers may be screaming for him to “put down the fucking camera, and DO SOMETHING.”

However, the film’s second half does itself a favor and cuts back on the interruptions by its narrator, and does what Romero’s films have always been able to do on their own: show a group of people in danger reacting. Without the social commentary beating you over the head, the film manages real tension, especially in the moody scenes at an empty mansion at the film’s climax. There we get characters finding their best moments, and the whole camera POV as a defense mechanism really does itself justice. When people are instinctively turning to their ‘record button’ like the trigger of a gun, things get surreal and genuinely creepy.

There are the usual self-aware bits of humor throughout, and of course the expected quality of gore. Two great moments involve a dynamite-wielding, deaf Amish farmer (er, trust me), as well as some ‘weapon on flesh’ gags that remind you why Romero is more than capable of keeping up with a new horror generation. Greg Nicoterro is on hand again with the zombie FX, and excluding a couple of obligatory CGI moments, everything looks pretty natural. Especially when you consider the entire film was shot in 23 days of principal photography, INCLUDING reshoots.

So, the bottom line: is Diary of the Dead a great film? Not really. Will it give fans some solid chills and a few decent surprises? Sure thing. Also, John Landis said he loved it after the screening, so you can always listen to him instead of me. Romero has referred to this film as a more personal, scaled back affair than the big budget extravaganza of Land of the Dead, and it definitely has a different feel as a result. There are moments here that hint at greater work down the line if he continues to explore the “Diary” world with a little less talk and more of that trust in his continued ability to let a scary scene unfold naturally. Considering a huge majority of our favorite classic horror directors are content to shovel shit our way or are simply no longer working, it IS still a pleasure to have Romero around, trying out new ways to keep the fear alive. Keep it coming, sir.