Diary of the Dead

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Diary of the Dead

R

2008

1h 35m

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

62%

Tomatometer

129 Reviews

41%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

While on location filming a horror movie, a group of college students find themselves overrun by zombies, and ultimately end up capturing the epidemic on film.

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Critics Consensus

As Diary of the Dead proves, time hasn't subdued George A. Romero's affection for mixing politics with gore, nor has it given him cinematic grace or subtlety.

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Marc Savlov

Austin Chronicle

Oct 18, 2008

3.5/5

It's rough around the edges, dirty in the middle, and stained through with a sort of nihilistic humanism that ultimately unsettles more than the lurching undead themselves.

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Desson Thomson

Washington Post

Jul 16, 2008

We want to high-five Romero for finding new ways to off his lifeless marauders.

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Manohla Dargis

New York Times

Apr 14, 2008

2.5/5

It's clever, or at least clever enough to keep you going and interested from start to finish. It just isn't scary.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Jun 22, 2026

2.5/4

The fifth film in George Romero’s zombie franchise finds him meeting not just the new youth culture that had overtaken the entertainment industry by that time but also the new technology used to relate its tales.

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Dan Sallitt

Senses of Cinema

Oct 12, 2018

George Romero's Diary of the Dead suffers from an excess of personality rather than a lack of it.

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Mark Asch

Stop Smiling

Sep 30, 2014

One needn't be a splatter junkie to miss Romero's marshalling of action across multiple theaters. But the maestro finds a way to slay intellectual and aesthetic antsiness with the same bullet.

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B P

@Bradster69 Sep 27, 2026

Not Bad, but Not My Favorite

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Rich C.

@Cordu0702 Jan 26, 2026

Nice film. Hadn't seen it before. Really enjoyed it.

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Eloise Y.

@Ellie666 Oct 23, 2025

interesting take on the zombie genre. I liked how it shows society falling apart through the lens of found footage but that’s about all I liked.

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Daniel D

@DanielDuVall Oct 17, 2025

A bad actor can make good dialogue sound bad, and a good actor can make bad dialogue sound good. But a bad actor can’t do much with bad dialogue. The idea behind it feels noble, but the execution is not there at all.

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Robert W

@RT34973803 Oct 13, 2025

It started off alright, with a premise that seemed pretty funny. I was enjoying the overall silliness and thought it was going to be harmless. But then, things took a turn I wasn't expecting, and the humor started to feel off. Suddenly, there were these moments that felt racially charged, and it just didn't sit well with me. Honestly, I'm just so done with encountering that kind of stuff everywhere. It completely ruined the experience, and now I just feel disappointed with it. I wish they could have just kept it light and fun, without needing to bring that into the mix.

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George M

@Milkyway Oct 12, 2025

The only 'found footage' movie I've ever enjoyed. At least we know why the footage survived, unlike something like say, Blair Witch. So people are getting killed and the camera person keeps filming? Yeah, I don't think so. Anyhow, this one has a decent cast and story. Sadly, this is the last good film Romero made. The follow up, Survival of the Dead is a total loser. This is enjoyable from beginning to end.

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Synopsis

While on location filming a horror movie, a group of college students find themselves overrun by zombies, and ultimately end up capturing the epidemic on film.

Director: George A. Romero
Producer: Peter Grunwald, Art Spigel, Ara Katz, Sam Englebardt
Screenwriter: George A. Romero
Distributor: Weinstein Co.
Production Co: Artfire, Romero-Grunwald
Rating: R (Pervasive Language|Gore|Strong Horror Violence)
Genre: Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 15, 2008, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 1, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $952.6K
Runtime: 1h 35m
Sound Mix: Dolby SRD
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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