Okay folks time for another one of Capn's reviews, this time it's Kevin Gates and Michael Bartlett's The Zombie Diaries. Released via Revolver Entertainment, a company primarily known for Arthouse horror flicks and foreign titles, TZD (as it shall now be known) is making small waves in the UK. In fact, when a friend of mine went to purchase a copy in Blockbuster's today, he was swiftly told that they had no more left and was promptly directed to Woolworth's. Almost everybody that is coming into contact with a TZD trailer or review is (becoming infected?) walking away with a certain degree of expectation. Well take it from me, a zombie fan of the highest calibre, I have just finished this movie, blown away and with the feeling that I have just been on the recieving end of Mike Tyson's fist after telling him that Cus D'amato is a 'wrinkled old c**t.'
Story:
TZD is not your standard zombie flick and draws upon three video diaries that document the epidemic from beginning to end. It's a unique way of telling the story, especially when all three tales merge towards the end of the movie. Again, like all of my reviews, I will go into great detail with the film's content while trying my best not to reveal the outcomes of each episode. That said, this review is still not entirely spoiler free so I suggest to all of you that intend to see TZD in the near future to put off reading this review until you have done so.
Immediately throwing us into the thick of a military sweep up before the titles have even begun, we are introduced to the first diary, The Outbreak, which sets the scene quite nicely. London is in the grip of a quarantine as a strange and wholly inexplicable virus has taken over the capital. Things are not quite out of control yet and a camera crew are assigned by their boss to cover a story about a farmer who has slaughtered all of his livestock due to the powerful epidemic. They are also informed that something 'big' has happened in New York and that the whole area has had to be sealed off. The crew drive out to the sticks, excited by the scoop, and eventually arrive at the farm which is seemingly abandoned. As usual with horror films, the car breaks down  , so they call the office for advice and are told that London has become a war zone in their absence, with it's transportation system in chaos. With daylight fading fast, the crew return to the farm with the hopes of getting their heads down for the night. They find some temporary shelter at the farm's cottage but after a well-placed power cut, a series of dull thuds alert them to the upstairs area. In an almost silent scene, they bravely investigate the area (pushing the viewers' bravery too in some respects) and they eventually stumble upon the disembowelled remains of their interview subject along with a female zombie with terrifying glowing eyes. The crew naturally scream their lungs out and flee the cottage only to find that the living dead have now taken over the streets...
The second and shortest of the diaries, The Scavengers, takes place a month after the events of the first piece and follows three friends on the road. The beautiful scenery looks completely out of place in such a nightmare but I guess that's just one of life's ironies. Following a brief character introduction (and a decent headshot) they pull up at a parade of shops in a deserted country town, hoping to plunder some supplies. After a dark and claustophobic Supermarket Sweep, they head back to the car with a full shopping cart to realise that they have inadvertantly attracted the local zombie community with their noise-making. Guns drawn, the living dead encircle the three scavengers...
The final diary, The Survivors, begins in the forest with a bang as a number of zombies drop in mass of sticky headshots. We then meet a group of rag-tag survivors living at a nearby base they have created in Hertfordshire. This tale seems a lot more loosely scripted with various members making their own video diaries. One survivor emotionally compares the situation to that of 9/11; 'They were just going about their lives, their biggest worry of the day being "where am I gonna go for lunch?" And then suddenly...' The bleakness of the situation hits home with a lead survivor announcing that they only have enough food for a few days, coupled with footage of bodies being burned in the fields, it's incredibly hard-hitting stuff! In a bid to add to their numbers, they set up a radio broadcast to entice other survivors to their base. It's not looking good and when the survivors are not bitterly arguing, they are defending themselves against endless zombie ambushes. Dick Van Dyke certainly doesn't make an appearance and from here on in the situation gets increasingly darker, often spiralling into madness (notably the shooting of a young child, one survivor going psychotic, even the restraining and raping of a female zombie is disturbingly hinted at). I will not reveal how the three stories merge together but it's one of those things that'll leave you muttering over and over, 'that's f**king genius'...
Filmmaking:
First off, hats off to Gates and Bartlett. I was expecting a new spin on the whole 28 Days Later thing and was greeted with something much better. It's more realistic and the creatures ARE zombies! The Blair Witch Project is another movie TZD is being constantly compared to. Aside from the fact that both were shot on handhelds and that night vision is used to similar effect, they have nothing else in common. In fact, I would even go as far to say that TZD is a lot more suspenseful and uses the 'darker spaces' in a much scarier way. There were times when I was clinging to the edge of my seat, especially when Andy and co were investigating the cottage in darkness - it almost made me want to fast-forward for a sec and get the scare over with 'cause the tension was like standing blindfold on the edge of a cliff! 
Acting:
As with all independent movies, you would be foolish to expect Oscar winning performances but I feel the acting was above par for a project of this kind. In fact, some of the stutters and pauses in the dialogue add to the overall paranoia of the piece. I'm hard pressed to think of a fluffed quote in the whole movie and if I had any in mind previously, I've certainly forgotten them now.
Music:
Erm, there isn't any techically but the ambience works to full effect. Kinda like standing outside the Knowby Cabin in The Evil Dead, it's either the wind or a solo key on a synthesizer droning in the background. It's pretty creepy and this reviewer is thankful that no composed themes of such were used. And ultra-thankful that the filmmakers steered well clear of the heavy metal route, which appears to be the norm with zombie movies nowdays.
Gore:
This movie has some delightful effects and the zombie's faces are suitably mashed up and hanging off. There are plenty of headshots also and it's not uncommon for the viewer to be face to face with a zombie with it's guts protruding through it ribcage or ripped out entirely. However, the off-camera violence outweighs the special effects in many ways.
Overall:
I have seen a lot of independent zombie films (be it on DVD or the internet) in the last couple of years and I am pleased to report that TZD is better than the whole lot put together! I'm not surprised in the slightest that it is recieving high ratings in magazines and websites because it's such a thrilling ride. It's not enjoyable in an 'adventure' sense because it's so very depressing at times but it's nice to see the shambler make a comeback in such a way that it constantly gives you new reasons to be totally afraid of them. You touch a cadaver and you better get that bottle of Dettol out and wash your hands otherwise it might just mean your life! It's pushing the envelope and doesn't rip anyone off and for that reason alone, I now have a new zombie movie in my top ten. Thanks guys!
9/10
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), it makes it all the more realistic for us Brits (and will hopefully provide international audiences with another viewpoint, rather than the oft-American viewpoint in the zombie genre - not that I'm bitching about that, but you know...). I think it gets to a point whereby with zombie films almost always coming from America, they lose any sense of realism because it's kind of a "default setting", if that makes any sense...but there's so few zombie films set in the UK, and especially presented in this sort of way, that it packs much more punch and terror.
Originally Posted by MinionZombie
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