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The Zombie Diaries
The Zombie Diaries
Actors: Leonard Fenton, Russell Jones, Anna Blades, Hiram Bleetman, Craig Stovin
Directors: Kevin Gates, Michael Bartlett
Genres: Indie & Art House, Horror, Science Fiction & Fantasy
R     2008     1hr 25min

"Better than Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later" (beyondhollywood.com), The Zombie Diaries has been hailed as "the most realistic zombie film ever made" (twitchfilm.net). Set in England during a world-wide viral infection, this d...  more »
     
     

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Movie Details

Actors: Leonard Fenton, Russell Jones, Anna Blades, Hiram Bleetman, Craig Stovin
Directors: Kevin Gates, Michael Bartlett
Genres: Indie & Art House, Horror, Science Fiction & Fantasy
Sub-Genres: Indie & Art House, Horror, Science Fiction & Fantasy
Studio: Weinstein Company
Format: DVD - Color,Widescreen - Subtitled
DVD Release Date: 11/18/2008
Original Release Date: 01/01/2006
Theatrical Release Date: 01/01/2006
Release Year: 2008
Run Time: 1hr 25min
Screens: Color,Widescreen
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaDVD Credits: 1
Total Copies: 5
Members Wishing: 0
MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Subtitles: Spanish

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Member Movie Reviews

Debbi L. (mykittycrew20) from SAGE, AR
Reviewed on 11/7/2014...
disappointing.
really bad acting, zombie's parts.
Says best zombie movie ever? Maybe mistaken it for "Night Of The Living Dead".
2 of 2 member(s) found this review helpful.
Chad B. (abrnt1) from CABERY, IL
Reviewed on 4/15/2012...
An ultra low budget Found Footae British zombie movie that does an effective job of capturing the overall sense of total horror that would occur during a zombie outbreak. The film does have some problems, but remains worth checking out if you're a fan of zombies.
3 of 3 member(s) found this review helpful.
Jesse D. (strawberrysushi) from ACWORTH, GA
Reviewed on 4/3/2011...
I really thought this would be a good movie but it did not make sense to me at all. It lagged in the beginning, middle and ending. the lighting was not good and it really disappointed me throughout.
5 of 5 member(s) found this review helpful.
Deidra C. (Deidra670) from GARRETT, KY
Reviewed on 11/25/2010...
THE ZOMBIE DIARIES is either a "love'em or hate'em" film. And I bloody well loved it!! THE ZOMBIE DIARIES is shot in the handheld camera style, ala CLOVERFIELD or THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT. Although this doesn't work for some, I can't think of a more fitting way to have told this story.

THE ZOMBIE DIARIES opens up with a British news crew covering a viral infection that seems to be growing by the hour. They go to a small village for an interview with a farmer who had to slaughter his entire poultry livestock for fear of the infection and once there, things go badly.

The story punches forward a month and then backtracks to help one understand exactly why and what is gong on. While the zombies are frightening, the slow shuffling gait, rotting flesh and buzzing flies, are they the real terror?

That is the question presented by THE ZOMBIE DIARIES and it's done so in a quite effective manner. I didn't see this twist coming and I was taken aback by the violence.

If zombies are your thing, then THE ZOMBIE DIARIES are definitely for you.

If the horror genre is your passion, then by all means, seek this film out. George Romero, you have some competition.
4 of 4 member(s) found this review helpful.

Movie Reviews

A better documentary style zombie flick
Movie Dude | Alabama | 12/08/2008
(3 out of 5 stars)

"The Zombie Diaries Is not a knock off of Romero's Diary Of The Dead.The Zombie Diaries was filmed first.The same company bought both films,held back TZD and released DOTD first(Gorezone magazine Apr.'08 interview).The only similarity between the two is the documentary style.

The Zombie Diaries(TZD),takes place in England during a zombie viral infection.The plague of the rising dead is captured on video by several groups of survivors as they try to flee the approaching wave of zombie doom.The main group is a news crew interviewing people about the "flu like virus"epidemic.On the street interviews and scenes in the beginning add a realistic feel to the movie.Everyone trusting their government to tell them if it was serious.Most of the movie takes place in the country as the survivors flee the clogged cities.(Clogged with traffic as well as dead folk wanting to eat ya).The acting,characters,fx and basic story are handled very well.Good pacing and story developement.Characters act realistic when confronted with their...situation.Be very careful who you decide to hole up with during a zombie epidemic.With zombies,at least you know what to expect.There are some people who have a weird,sick lets say...fascination with death and dead things.Even cute,blond dead things are still dead.

The zombies are the slow,shuffling kind.They must be shot in the head to kill them.If you get bit,you join the zombie legions.All zombie laws according to Romero are observed.The make-up is awsome and little things like buzzing flies(zombies are dead,rotting meat after all)add to the realism of this movie.

I love Romero movies.But in the battle of documentary style zombie flicks,to me Diary Of The Dead takes a distant second place to this movie, The Zombie Diaries."
Dear Diary; EERRRGGHH!
E K Maxmias | Close enough to Detroit! | 09/29/2009
(3 out of 5 stars)

"I probably don't have to tell you that this independent horror film isn't about zombies writing in their diaries. However, I should point out that the cover art has little to do with anything that happens in the film. In such a case you might conclude that this film is a complete waste of time since most DVD cases with exceptionally enticing and irritatingly deceptive cover art are stinkers. In this case that's not so clear. It depends on what you're looking for. As usual, I'll have to chew this into smaller pieces.

-OH GOD NO!! NOT THE HANDI-CAM AGAIN!!!
That's right. This English film is shot using hand-held video cameras much like "Blair Witch" and "Clover Field". Unlike those films, the cameras are handled with some competence. Though I did get a bit sea sick at moments, overall it was tolerable. Other than the adept use of the cameras there was nothing original about this idea. Strangely and mistakenly, there is some very tight in-camera editing while nobody is holding it.

-PLEASE GET ON WITH IT
The actors do about as well as you'd expect from a low budget independent horror film. However, they often aren't given much to do but drive around, rummage through abandoned buildings and look for resources. We get to know them to a certain degree and they all act fairly natural most of the time. Though probably a realistic approach, it hardly makes for compelling viewing. This film really does take its time getting to the zombie part of the diary.

-PLAUSABILITY TAKES A HOLIDAY.
Aside from the whole idea of zombies, there are problems with plausibility in "Zombie Diaries". The biggest problem is one that threatens the entire concept of the film; three separate and unrelated groups of people are forced together by events beyond their control and all of them happen to be video recording their ordeals. That's just a bit too convenient a coincidence. But hey, I'll buy into the premise. Perhaps the thing that bugged me the most was the inconsistent response to the slow moving and physically inept zombies. At one moment a man can push them over and smash their heads in with little resistance and the next moment he's running aimlessly in fear, screaming and getting bitten. If I could walk up to them, push them over and smash there heads in, I'm never running frantically from the buggers. Escape would not be a problem.

-IT'S STILL CREEPY
Despite my criticisms, "Zombie Diaries" has a scary edge to it. The first half hour is especially frightening even though very little seams to be happening. When we do see the antagonists, it is uber creepy. Even though the zombies moved slowly, they also moved very quietly. This kept me on edge and proved fatal to the protagonists a couple of times. Though I think in real life, without the limited peripheral range of a camera, you'd see these guys coming in plenty of time to act. Regardless, I was constantly on my guard waiting for the protagonists to let their guard down or stumble into the stealthy infected.

-GIVE CREDIT WHERE IT'S DUE
Though almost completely derived from those who came before, "Zombie Diaries" manages to combine the ideas of it's predecessors into something new. Perhaps the most intriguing concept this film tackles is the idea that we'd have more to fear from unfettered sociopaths than the zombies. With a plague shutting down the normal functions of society, even the zombies become victims at these "monsters" hands. They also would make survival for the average person far less probable, as if zombies weren't enough.

-THE FINAL SOLUTION
Whether or not people should see this movie depends strictly on personal tastes. This isn't exciting enough for those who crave high octane action and it isn't thought provoking enough for those who require a challenge. It has scary and edgy moments but might not succeed upon repeat viewing. There is good gore and some nudity but not a lot of either. Yet it definitely has a disturbing and nightmarish mood to it. The DVD has all the requisite extras including deleted scenes, commentary, making of and trailer. Rental might be the way to go if you are curious.

Acting......3.5 stars
Story.........3 stars
Visuals......2.5 stars
Gordity......2.5 stars

Average.....2.88 stars
"
Don't waste your time.
SidheDevil | NC | 02/21/2010
(1 out of 5 stars)

"As the wife of a huge fan of zombies in any genre and a horror fan herself, we were both severely disappointed by this movie. The acting is completely absent, I've seen better delivery by kindergartners. The plot made little to no sense and the special effects would only pass muster at a church spook trail at night. One scene that included "brains" on the ground had us both wondering, "Was that canned cherries?"

There is a huge bounce in the timeline that made no sense, three groups of characters that made you cheer for the zombies, and a setting that was bland and uninteresting. You lose characters who they go back to at the end for no apparent reason. A lot of "What?" moments throughout. The writing lacked a basic knowledge of what people would do in a situation like this, going from one extreme to the other.

I'm am just very glad that we did not pay much for this movie. It makes "Diary of the Dead" look like it should be an Oscar winner. I would greatly encourage you not to bother with this wanna be zombie movie. As a person that has no experience making a movie, I could do better with a $500 budget and a camcorder."