Romero is back with "Diary of the Dead"

In 1968 George A. Romero scared the crap out of the world with "Night of the Living Dead". He followed that up 11 years later with "Dawn of the Dead", and in 1985 gave us "Day of the Dead", (which was my personal favorite, though many would disagree). Most 'Dead' fans thought that was it for Romero and his 'Dead' films, but in 2005 we were given "Land of the Dead". Since we had to wait 20 years between installments I had pretty much resigned myself to the fact that "Land" was going to be the last hoorah.
Imagine the shock and awe of horror fans everywhere when we were treated to Romero's "Diary of the Dead" just 2 years later!
"Diary of the Dead" was the first thing I bought with my Christmas loot, and I usually don't buy a DVD without seeing it, but for this I made an exception.
It should always be remembered that George Romero created this sub-genre. The whole zombies taking over the world and society thrown into chaos, even the idea of zombies craving human flesh, it all comes from Romero's 'Dead' films.
The "Resident Evil" Video games and films like "28 Days Later" and "Shaun of the Dead" were all inspired by the original "Night of the Living Dead".
The first preview for "Diary" didn't look so good to me, and a friend told me to bother, so my expectations were low, but I have to say I enjoyed it and was glad I made the purchase.
First off, you should know this film is shot first person documentary style like "Cloverfield" or the "Blair Witch Project", this may cause some to groan, but the camera is held with a steady hand, and it won't make you dizzy. Also, yeah, Romero scores no points for originality using this kinda played out gimmick, but it does make for some truly creepy moments. There is an opening scene of a news crew on the scene of a triple homicide, bodies are being loaded into the back of ambulances, one starts twitching, it doesn't end well.
The story centers around some young film students who happen to be making a movie out in the woods when the dead start to rise. The director of this student film decides to keep his camera rolling and document the ensuing chaos. You pretty much have to suspend disbelief, and not ask why the heck you would walk around trying to film while zombies are taking over the world. I mean if your girlfriend is being attacked by her undead younger brother, wouldn't ya put down the camera for a sec and help out? As long as you can get over that, "Diary" is pretty entertaining.
There are also lots of voice over cameos from heavyweights like Wes Craven, Stephen King, and Quentin Tarantino. You really have to listen for them, but they're there! Stephen King is great as a wacked out screaming preacher.
The special effects are also pretty good considering the low budget. It's almost all CG, but it works well. If I was going to grade this I'd give it a B, not great but darn good and worth a look. Also, Dead fans can rejoice because Romero's next project is entitled "Island of the Dead"! The King is back!