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Diary of the Dead

Diary of the Dead

2008
Sci-fi
Suspense/Thriller
1h 35m
Your probable score
Avg Percentile 30.8% from 1010 total ratings

Ratings & Reviews

(1010)
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Rated 08 Oct 2020
40
10th
My favorite thing about found footage movies is the footage. No, wait. My least favorite thing about found footage movies is the footage. The fact that the footage was found at all usually creates a problem too large for the script to explain. I guess it would be neat to film zombies as you're running for your life, and by neat I of course mean unnecessary and life threatening.
Rated 24 Sep 2009
20
10th
Talk about disappointing. The acting was wooden, the sets felt empty, there was no sense of urgency, and every character makes insanely dumb decisions. There was also no sense of horror anywhere to be found. Truly, one of the most infuriatingly stupid zombie films I have ever seen.
Rated 16 Feb 2010
5
44th
I enjoyed some of this but the ending was really lame. "Are we even worth saving?" Come on, that isn't deep or insightful in any way. The amish guy was easily the best part of the movie and whoever added Tarantino, Craven, Pegg and King to the cast list is lame. Just looked it up on imdb and they were uncredited newsreaders. wtf, don't add them to this, for a second I thought I watched a different movie.
Rated 13 May 2012
35
19th
A strong focus in this instalment on representation and the media, to the point the film becomes somewhat playfully "deconstructive", but the "college kid" characters are less interesting than those in previous entries, the gore is largely computer-generated (sometimes quite effectively), the critique is rather heavy-handed, the mockumentary approach is a bit limiting and sometimes irritating, and the very sombre voiceover adds a kind of unpleasant gloss to the whole thing.
Rated 20 Apr 2009
48
13th
This man did Dawn of the Dead? Please, Romero, return to form.
Rated 27 Jan 2009
30
17th
One or two genuinely creepy moments ruined by STUPID, STUPID STUPIDITY. I know what you're trying to say to us Romero when two retards are sitting there filming someone getting eaten alive instead of helping them out, but the whole thing felt awkward. Not to mention the terrible acting, dialogue, and bad voice overs among other things.
Rated 08 Feb 2010
35
21st
A huge disappointment. Probably the worst movie Romero has done to date. The special effects are dreadful, the characters unlikeable and unmemorable, the horror is almost non-existent, the dialogue is bad, et cetera.
Rated 28 Jan 2012
15
2nd
Rewatch. Huh I didn't hate it as much as the first time I saw it, it's still an awful movie. Only one character is interesting and it's a deaf Amish guy. Nadir of the series. Movie is retarded.
Rated 01 Nov 2009
25
2nd
This is Romero at his worst, I think. Nothing at all works here: the plot, the action scenes, the gory moments, the 'cheap philosophy' sentences, nothing at all!
Rated 27 Jul 2008
6
4th
Bull. I hate zombie movies. Amish guy was kind of okay though.
Rated 11 Jan 2013
20
2nd
The camera gimmick is irritating, the zombies are not scary, the acting is bad, the script terrible and the characters act in completely unbelievable ways. Also casting a group of annoying teenagers is just...well...annoying.
Rated 01 Jun 2008
86
92nd
essentially a rehash of all his previous efforts, but if you love zombie flicks, this will be a movie for you. while the acting isn't perfect and for that matter nothing else is either, it is one of the better movies in an otherwise unspectacular, but so addicting genre.
Rated 03 Feb 2009
40
21st
Boring film...worth the watch for the gore!
Rated 03 Apr 2009
0
4th
Hamfisted "social commentary", unscary zombies, predictable jump-scares and not a single original or likeable character. Unredeemable.
Rated 28 Dec 2009
65
41st
So it's not the best Romero, but to be honest, weak Rmoero is still better than most. It's a nice idea, and he had the decency to try and keep it reasnobly short.
Rated 29 Apr 2008
73
57th
There's some pretty terrible acting in the film but that's not really surprising for a Romero movie. I feel like it developed rather well and it had a valid social commentary to offer, though it was certainly quite blunt. One thing I did like about it was that it focused far less on humans being completely stupid. Even the most "evil" antagonists encountered by the protagonist group are not merciless killers.
Rated 09 Apr 2010
30
10th
Silly. The characters and the acting was in no way good enough. And don't get me started on the clumsy "commentary". Weak entry.
Rated 18 Nov 2011
30
78th
"Some filmmakers do their best work when they don't have much money and their back is against the wall." - Jeremiah Kipp
Rated 18 Sep 2009
71
29th
While essentially a good idea that sought to modernize the zombie archetype in the context of lit-theory and social commentary on the "youtube" generation, it ends up falling short due to a completely worthless cast. Sure he wanted to have an amateur feel to it, but christ they act like high school students in drama class.
Rated 17 Jul 2010
35
20th
A first person perspective helps even the most unbelievable events seem spooky and authentic, but is completely undone by the Diary of the Dead's effort to cling to every cliché and horror convention in the book. A cast filled out by attractive youth, predictable plot and deaths caused by decisions as idiotic as not closing doors behind them just scratches the surface. Add to it the film feels cheaply and lazily made and you've got the recipe for a waste of time.
Rated 26 Oct 2009
12
3rd
Dear Mr Romero. Please Please Please stop trying. Thanks
Rated 12 Jun 2009
69
25th
A bit better than Land of the Dead if only because the characters were moderately more likable and real than the ones in Land of the Dead, and that's saying a bit because none of the characters here are real or really likable. Suffers as much as Land of the Dead did from hamfisted lecturing, although it's more in your face in this one. There's enough moderate scares and cool ideas for it not to be downright bad.
Rated 23 Dec 2011
26
4th
horrible
Rated 26 Jan 2009
1
8th
Worst end scene ever.
Rated 09 Jul 2008
60
2nd
Could have been a lot better, the idea of a POV zombie movie is great . . . . but the acting left a lot to be desired. Zombie Diaries did it MUCH better. More tense, less cheese.
Rated 28 Jan 2010
50
8th
So fucking gay. I would have killed all these motherfuckers.
Rated 03 Jun 2023
20
1st
Or DULL OF THE DEAD (or DIARY OF THE DULL) – lethargically paced, oddly shambling zombie flick is a bewildering misfire from Romero; this just doesn’t work on any level – a never scary, never suspenseful warmed over rehash of Romero’s (much) better days (with the laughably portentous Sarah Connor-like narration the nadir). The cast seem completely bored and disengaged, and the film overall has a horrifically plastic TV movie look to it which makes it even harder to become invested in the drama.
Rated 14 Nov 2020
57
23rd
56.5.
Rated 05 Jul 2008
86
81st
I thought it was pretty damn good
Rated 11 Aug 2010
28
7th
Pretty sad that the man who made Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead has driven this genre into the ground.
Rated 04 Sep 2008
65
51st
Hit and miss, but overall a good, intense zombie flick. Real zombies don't run, people.
Rated 16 May 2008
50
42nd
Even with flaws, good.
Rated 10 Jan 2010
2
0th
Slayed by the incredibly heavy handed voice-over commentary and the series of lectures on Youtube Romero delivers. Also: no acting to speak of, unsympathetic main character, no sense of the apocalypse happening, jump scare upon jump scare, and an English professor with a longbow. How quaint.
Rated 21 Sep 2010
40
11th
Truly awful acting ruins any parts that might even be remotely clever.
Rated 03 Nov 2010
70
51st
I like first person films, and I like that one a lot. It was gory and fun, well sure it isnt horror film, but as a suspense triler is great.
Rated 17 Oct 2008
74
23rd
Vroeger heb ik nachtenlang, met bier en wiet in de aanslag, zombiefilms gekeken. De grote klassiekers van Romero, maar ook de obscuurdere titels. Wanneer er een nieuwe titel opduikt, ben ik meteen geïnteresseerd (en de afgelopen jaren hebben we een aantal goede zombiefilms gehad). Met Diary of the Dead is Romero zelf terug: adequaat en onderhoudend, met pogingen tot mediakritiek, maar vooral wat goede schrikeffecten en veel gore. Leuk!
Rated 29 Apr 2009
91
70th
An uneven but also unpredictable movie, with a twisted comic book tone.
Rated 24 Oct 2013
74
41st
The first act utilizes the worst of the mockumentary approaches and digs itself a very deep grave but through the second and third act manages to dig itself out quite a bit. Unfortunately it's just not enough. What Cannibal Holocaust was able to subtly express this film executes with all the finesse of a napalm air strike; soak that in for a second. It is good to revisit Romero's tried and true Sci-Fi approach to the genre and in the end this is genuinely modern even for a film maker pushing 70.
Rated 16 Dec 2011
69
26th
doesnt shine, but ive seen worser zombie-movies from Romero
Rated 17 Oct 2009
70
31st
A lot of potential here, but this is undone by its style.
Rated 27 Mar 2012
65
27th
I went into watching this thinking 'another lame-ass zombie flick' Oh how I was wrong! It's called 'Diary of the dead' for a reason as it's filmed in the way the blair witch was. I honestly thought this was a pretty good flick, not excellent but good. Give it a watch when you can.
Rated 14 Nov 2020
45
13th
Superficially, it's old man Romero playing a slow game of catch up with found footage horror. In reality, it has more on its mind with its suggestion that there are no reliable sources of news/information in the era of technological convergence and media saturation, reflecting the shift from representation to simulation. However, the 'mockumentary' style is neither cinematic or 'gritty'', denying the pleasures of distance or immersion, and the leaden dialogue hammers home obvious points.
Rated 27 Feb 2012
15
1st
Watching this film I wanted to jump into the movie and help the zombies exterminate the cast.
Rated 03 Aug 2008
55
26th
I don't know why I keep watching zombie films, nothing amazing ever happens.
Rated 17 Feb 2009
55
37th
I'm a big fan of George Romero's zombie flicks, but the characters in this one are beyond implausible. Even if it was my vision to capture a zombie apocalypse on tape, I would not let it blind me to the point that I would sacrifice myself or others just to be true to my vision. That fact alone ruins this movie. If that concept were dropped, this movie really could have been something special.
Rated 23 Jan 2012
11
1st
Romero, PLEASE be good again, I can't bring myself to hate you...
Rated 26 Jan 2014
2
46th
The jokes fell flat and the whole thing seemed hampered by both budget and format. The shift from previous to media and government 'protection' themes was interesting. Clearly he's still full of ideas but this once didn't quite come together.
Rated 13 Aug 2010
6
53rd
Interesting entry and obviously a more direct social message. Wanted to slap some of the characters likewise to the end line. Still at the very least it's fun and enjoyable which is what you want.
Rated 03 Dec 2010
60
50th
Found footage is a double edged sword, done right it can add to suspension of disbelief but done wrong, as here, it draws you out of the experience by mentioning the camera every few minutes
Rated 28 Jun 2008
60
48th
More entertaining and better paced than Day, but the characters were just so damn obnoxious and one dimensional.
Rated 22 May 2010
20
4th
i thought land of the dead was the worst thing to happen to the dead series. i was wrong
Rated 17 Jul 2011
77
41st
"Shoot me."
Rated 21 Feb 2008
90
86th
_Land of the Dead_ was pretty disappointing. This movie feels like a return to form for Romero: social satire (featuring a whole new form of media to use as a storytelling device, as Romero has always employed the media), fast pace, and plenty of OH GREAT FUCKING JESUS!!!! moments. Best goddamn horror movie we've gotten for years
Rated 18 Feb 2009
25
28th
Not one of Romero's finer works to say the least.
Rated 19 Mar 2011
1
1st
This hurts. Why Romero? This film is the equivalent of your parents being closet bestiality hobbyists. How do you live with it after all the existence defining good times?
Rated 26 Sep 2007
75
55th
It's probably best to view the film as an excuse to fall in love with an idea all over again.
Rated 24 May 2008
75
31st
Having a hard time deciding what to score this. All other zombie movies I've seen I've either liked or didn't. This one left me almost completely indifferent. Some parts were funny, some parts made me jump, but the sheer fact that these were all supposed FILM STUDENTS that couldn't hold a fucking camera steady even when their life depended on it just left me dumbfounded. If these points weren't so weighted I'd rate a 50, but that makes it look like I absolutely hated it. So it gets 25 above MEH.
Rated 20 Apr 2015
78
38th
A fairly effective bit of found footage horror continually interrupted by some really terrible portentious narration.
Rated 16 Oct 2013
63
27th
63.000
Rated 28 Jan 2011
45
18th
It takes a page from Cloverfield in a "this needs to be filmed" sort of way to explain the handi-cam. The difference being that the actors in Cloverfield were better actors (not great but acceptable) and the majority of them were likable. They also made decisions that, even if they weren't the best, didn't make you say, "what the fuck are you doing?" Romero made an attempt at something new for his franchise which I commend, but it just really doesn't work. Only worth a watch if you love zombies.
Rated 08 May 2012
81
87th
Romero's underrated found footage experience is his first to explore the making of a zombie horror picture: here, even the filmmaker gets killed. And we might see this as a direct message from the legendary director: today's chaos is not being documented by professional cameramen or bored old guys; it's being constantly shot, in ways that we can't control, from security cameras to kids with portable material. If there is something wrong with the world, we've never been so aware of it.
Rated 13 Jun 2013
67
21st
The best of the new "of the Dead" trilogy. Creates good suspense, although rather predictable in spots. Also the handheld camera doesn't feel out of place.
Rated 11 Jul 2008
69
43rd
for a movie with an awesome idea this was kind of lacking. there were some good parts, like the amish guy, but as a whole kind of dragging.
Rated 11 Oct 2011
30
13th
The idea was great, but when you want to do something over-realistic with the camera POV, even if you think explaining the additives to the 'genre' will be enough, they will look still horrible: music, hard editing, use of two-cameras (and any security camera, they had access to everything). That just spoils the experience that is always reminding it wants to create. It looks always like a regular (and not specially good) film that well, happens to be sometimes recorded in first person POV.
Rated 23 May 2008
80
65th
Not even remotely as good as Cloverfield, but I guess I could have expected that. Anyway, it was a good movie, not another one of those "let's show as much blood as possible" would-be-horrors.
Rated 17 Feb 2008
72
73rd
A fun, gory, cheesy, preachy zombie movie. About what we've come to expect from Romero. This time he sets his sights on the YouTube generation for socio-political commentary, and yes, it's just as ham-fisted as Dawn, Day and Land of the Dead. If you like zombies, Romero, check it out.
Rated 16 Jun 2012
40
35th
Interesting discussion in chapter 2 of Kelly Ann Doyle's 2015 PhD thesis, 'Zombification versus reification at the end of the world: exploring the limits of the human via the posthuman zombie in contemporary horror film'. FWIW she argues that Romero discussion often puts forth 'an anthropocentric critique that too often conflates the human with the zombie by claiming that "they" are "us"... a cohesive "us", a reifiable human figure that is unproblematically inclusive and definitive'.
Rated 26 Sep 2012
30
33rd
Pretty poor. There's a few decent ideas in here, but mostly it's a tired rehash of the found-film genre. Disappointing for a Romero film.
Rated 27 Nov 2013
3
15th
Horrible acting mars the already ham-fisted social commentary of this George Romero 'of the Dead' film. The voice-overs were incredibly tedious and the explanation jammed in at the start for why there was musical cues had me cringing from the off. Also, the cliche literature-quoting, proverb-spouting, English-accented professor character annoyed me to no end, and was wishing he'd get killed by the end of his first line of dialogue.
Rated 15 Jan 2009
64
61st
Interesting premise, but a good majority of it greatly annoyed me. The kid with the camera just wouldn't put the damn thing down, which is beyond stupid...or rational. -_-
Rated 18 Feb 2009
35
65th
"Probably the best zombie movie since 1978's 'Dawn of the Dead.'"
Rated 20 Sep 2012
25
3rd
One of the worst found footage movies ever. Most found footage movies have to work to keep you from questioning why the characters are filming. This makes it the focus of the entire movie. It's just awkward and doesn't work.
Rated 22 Jul 2017
80
64th
Take that, seres humanos!
Rated 21 Aug 2010
75
27th
Not one of Romero's best but still had some creepy elements. This time the bad guy is the media and all the web cam mania. Good special effects make this an ok watch.
Rated 09 May 2008
35
13th
Poor.
Rated 04 Sep 2008
65
45th
Another great addition to Romero's Dead series. Intense.
Rated 26 Jan 2012
65
28th
Romero is trying to shove in all the pseudo-documentary tricks but still misses all the good parts of the genre. What's with the music? What's with the preachy media critic? A few good laughs and a lot of poor acting.
Rated 30 Nov 2012
70
61st
Hardly top-drawer Romero. In fact, it may be his worst zombie film yet. But even bad Romero is a far sight more interesting than the coolly sadistic guts-porn that currently passes for mainstream horror.
Rated 04 May 2008
35
42nd
Technically, probably Romero's weakest Dead effort, yet infinitely more entertaining then the painfully dull Day.
Rated 02 Apr 2012
62
31st
62.375
Rated 15 Oct 2008
2
33rd
It's an interesting concept (if not terribly original), and I was looking forward to seeing Romero's take on it. This was a letdown to say the least. Terrible acting and obvious scene blocking basically ruined the entire "verite" angle, and the characters were all very one dimensional. The zombie head crying at the end was basically the icing on one of the crappier cakes I've eaten lately. Not worth your time.
Rated 13 Jun 2008
77
88th
good movie
Rated 22 Apr 2014
75
5th
Strange movie at times, but I'm a sucker.
Rated 01 Jun 2008
35
0th
Haven't seen much from Romero, but from what I have, I don't think I'll be watching more from him.
Rated 21 Aug 2011
5
2nd
romero takes a nice heaping poop on his legacy.
Rated 30 Jul 2012
22
6th
a jumbled mess
Rated 15 Jan 2011
79
43rd
Most people seem to hate this but I thought it was a good time waster!
Rated 29 May 2008
59
21st
Better than Land Of The Dead but still very flawed and heavy handed. The acting was pretty bad, especially near the beginning, and the voiceovers felt unnecessary/forced along with the cheesy one-liners. The normal special effects from his past movies blow the CGI in this movie away. I did enjoy the actual concept of the movie itself and the video montages he used to link some scenes together.
Rated 27 Jul 2009
88
27th
I'm going to speak directly to George here: George, what happened? This has all of the lack of proper social criticism from Land and none of the charm. You had plenty to talk about here: health care, a collapsing economy, black bag diplomacy, Katrina... so much material and you only give it the barest of treatments. Go back and watch your old movies again, watch them with all of the people who had cameos in this. Find out what you're doing wrong.
Rated 24 Apr 2011
82
64th
Another decent zombie-pocalypse flick with the Romero stamp on it. Don't get me wrong, some pretty poopy acting at parts but still a good zombie flick.
Rated 17 Feb 2008
58
18th
Romero seems to have a lot of contempt for the Youtube generation. I can't say I blame him, but by focusing on a bunch of unlikeable spoiled college kids the film can often become grating (especially all the dumb voiceovers). There are some nice flourishes, though, including some fun minor characters (e.g. the Amish guy) and some funny moments.
Rated 18 Sep 2012
20
9th
Hard to believe this comes from the guy who made all those classic zombie films. Bad acting, awful writing, a total lack of tension and suprises, and some of the most ridicolously lame social commentary I've ever seen in a movie.

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