Nato – Diary of the Dead
Alright, I had a Best Of pick in mind to compliment my two essential Worst Of selections, but since I’m a bitter, jaded prick as of now, I’ll be attacking Diary of the Dead instead of explaining why Behind The Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon must be seen by every horror fan.
I vividly remember seeing George A. Romero’s found footage zombie film for the first time, because I got the opportunity to catch an advanced screening along with participating in a Q&A with Romero himself after the film. Excited, I couldn’t wait to see how Romero would tackle found footage horror films, completely geeking out when the lights dimmed. What followed was an extremely disappointing film from the Godfather of zombie lore, unfortunately starting (or continuing) our beloved director’s slow downfall.
Diary of the Dead was completely underwhelming, making poor use of the first person camera angle. Romero’s zombies shamble lifelessly around, providing no high-intensity chases or super-tense moments. The gore was decent at points, but the story was so horribly slow and the pacing was so sluggish, I couldn’t help but look elsewhere for chills and thrills. Predictable and simple, acting was also on a terrible level compared to his other efforts like Land of the Dead where Romero enlisted the likes of Dennis Hopper and Simon Baker to build up much stronger casts.
Diary of the Dead made me feel OK about unloading rounds into zombie George A. Romero while playing Call of Duty’s Nazi Zombies map “Call of the Dead.”
It also didn’t help that I watched the vastly superior first person zombie extravaganza [REC] around the same time, offering a comparison point on an entirely different planet.
Remy – V/H/S
Have you guys seen the movie V/H/S yet? If not, you are terrible people and I hate you all.
V/H/S is a movie about a bunch of movies. The story is longer than that, and more drawn out, but we can jump to the good stuff.
Basically, V/H/S took six directors and told them they had to shoot their films so they could be watched on VHS. This means you have one that is done with a webcam, one is that done with a phone camera, and one that is filmed on an actual camcorder.
Each different style is a different story as well, so if you hate one (which is extremely rare here), just wait a few minutes and it will switch up. The most remarkable thing is, most of the stories are original and creepy, and the “found footage” method implemented here redefines what can be done in the genre, in my opinion.
There is only one story in the whole film I didn’t like, and from what I have gathered, no one else liked it either (camping trip, static killer?), but there are a few that REALLY shine here, “Amateur Night” and “Second Honeymoon” being two that will stick with you long after you watch them.
One of the best parts here is that each one of these vignettes was written and directed by some of the greatest up and coming talent in horror like Glen McQuaid, who directed the creepy and fun I Sell The Dead, to Ti West, who directed The House Of The Devil and The Innkeepers. The talent on display here (and love for the genre) is clear from the first frame. Warning, though: Take some motion sickness medicine before this film. Trust me.
So not only do you have raw and passionate talent on display, but you have it all done with found footage, and all done using a different means of recording. That is awesome AND ambitious. That is awesombitious. We need more awesomebitious movies in horror.
Nato And Remy’s Approved Films!
Alright, so I don’t want to be a total downer and bring Remy down either, plus this article is meant to help all you readers out there, so here’s a list of found footage films we approve of you giving your own chance, Last Stand certified!
-[REC] -[REC] 2
-Trollhunter
-Behind The Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon
-Man Bites Dog
-V/H/S
-Lake Mungo
-Grave Encounters
-Paranormal Activity
-Monsters
If any of those films strike your fancy, feel free to comment for some deeper and more underground recommendations! Figured we would start you off on a more mainstream note though…test your wills before offering nastier entries…
Now it’s your turn!  Feel free to let Remy and I know how right or wrong we are about found footage horror, and share your favorite or most hated examples.
*A special thanks to Remy for stepping in to guest write!  Feel free to follow either of us on Twitter for even more insanity and updates:
Matt Donato Follow @DoNatoBomb
Remy Carreiro Follow @RemyCarreiro
Also, check out last week’s entry where Remy and I talk about the scariest films we’ve ever seen!
