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Diary of the Dead

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This article is about the George Romero film. For the 1976 film, see Diary of the Dead (1976 film).
Diary of the Dead
Directed byGeorge A. Romero
Written byGeorge A. Romero
Produced byGeorge A. Romero
Peter Grunwald
Sam Englebardt
Artur Spigel
Dan Fireman
John Harrison
Ara Katz
StarringShawn Roberts
Joshua Close
Michelle Morgan
Joe Dinicol
Phillip Riccio
Scott Wentworth
Tatiana Maslany
CinematographyAdam Swica
Music byNorman Orenstein
Distributed byVoltage Pictures
The Weinstein Company[1]
Release dates
September 8, 2007
(Toronto International Film Festival)
February 15, 2008 (US)
March 7, 2008 (UK)
Running time
95 min.
Country United States
LanguageEnglish

Diary of the Dead (also known as George A. Romero's Diary of the Dead) is a horror film by George A. Romero. Although independently produced, it is distributed by Dimension Films and was released on February 15, 2008.[2]

Plot

A group of film students are making an independent horror film when they hear news reports about the dead coming back to life. The students fight to survive against flesh-eating zombies while they their attention toward making the film into a documentary on their personal horror experiences.

Re-establishing The Dead Franchise

The film will be the fifth film in Romero's Dead series.[3] However, in "an attempt to re-establish a lucrative franchise," the film will, technically and philosophically, be a reboot, "a rejigging of the myth" says Romero.[2] Even though the fourth film, Land of the Dead, was studio-produced through Universal Studios, Diary of the Dead was produced by Romero-Grunwald Productions, formed by Romero and his producer friend Peter Grunwald, with Artfire Films.[4]

Cast

History

Romero announced the film in August 2006 after signing a deal to write and direct it.[4] Filming began its four-week shoot in Toronto on October 19, 2006.[5]

Despite the low production budget, somewhere around 2 million dollars,[8] director George Romero made extensive use of computer-generated imagery, because it allowed him to shoot the film quickly and add the effects later. Also, the film's style, as if shot with hand-held cameras, necessitated a shift from his usual method of working, which involves filming multiple camera angles and assembling scenes in the editing room. Instead, Romero filmed much of the action in long, continuous takes: "The camera was 360, so everybody was an acrobat, ducking under the lens when the camera came past you," said Romero. "The cast was great. They had a lot of theatre experience. I think they could have gone from scene one all the way to the end of the movie, all in a single shot."[9]

The film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), Midnight Madness on September 8, 2007.[10] According to a poll taken by the Toronto Star, it was one of the most anticipated films at the Festival.[11] Just four days later, The Weinstein Company announced that it had purchased the rights to distribute Diary of the Dead in the United States and Mexico for $2.5 million dollars. Their Dimension Films is distributing the film.

DVD Release

The DVD will be released on May 13, 2008.[12]

Sequel

Despite a report that a sequel, Diary of the Dead 2 which would follow survivors from the first film, had already been greenlit by Romero-Grunwald Productions and Artfire Films[13], Romero has reportedly disputed this information when he appeared at the London FrightFest Film Festival all-nighter on November 2, 2007. He stated that he had no plans to make a sequel, and that this was just speculation. He then mused that if there were to be a sequel, he would like to use the same actors as it was something that he has never done before.[14]

References

  1. ^ CHUD.com - A film site for the brilliant
  2. ^ a b "Diary of the Dead, Teeth and Quarantine Get Dates!". Bloody-Disgusting.com. 2007-11-01. Retrieved 2007-11-02. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  3. ^ Kincaid, Nina (2006-08-30). "Script Review: Romero's "Diary of the Dead"". Flixens. Retrieved 2006-09-14. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  4. ^ a b . Tthe film was produced by Romero's company and many might say, fulfills Romero's modern Dead film better than the mixed reviewed Land of the Dead. That being said, many stylistic conventions of previous Romero Dead films are absent. The film has virtually no musical soundtrack which has been a Romero staple (Specifically Dawn of the Dead with the Goblins). Since the film is captured by internal sources (within the film and narrative) Romero's long still shots and crafty moving cranes are virtually absent. Since the film is taking on a different concept, and "re-establishing" a legendary horror tale, this all makes sense. McClintock, Pamela (2006-08-24). "Romero will raise 'Dead'". Variety.com. Retrieved 2006-09-14. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  5. ^ a b c d e f g "Diary of the Dead shooting and more Cast!". MoviesOnline. Retrieved 2006-10-29.
  6. ^ DeDekker, Jeff (2006-10-21). "Regina actress makes her mark in 'Booky' role". Regina Leader-Post. Retrieved 2006-10-02. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  7. ^ "Capone With George A. Romero!!".
  8. ^ [1]
  9. ^ Hollywood Gothique: "Talking about 'Diary of the Dead'"
  10. ^ TIFF '07 - Films & Schedules George A. Romero's Diary of the Dead
  11. ^ Romero's 'Diary' breathes new life into the dead - USATODAY.com
  12. ^ http://movies.go.com/diary-of-the-dead/d921504/horror
  13. ^ Barnes, Jessica (2007-10-31). "'Diary of the Dead 2' Greenlit". Cinematical. Retrieved 2007-11-05. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  14. ^ IGN: Romero's Diary Sequel Dead?
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