The Zombie Diaries
Encyclopedia
The Zombie Diaries is a 2006 British
independent
horror
film written
, produced
and directed
by Kevin Gates and first-time feature film maker Michael Bartlett.
The film was shot in a hand-held documentary
format on DV
and split into three separate parts.
The film's first chapter, "The Outbreak," begins in the city of London, emphasizing both the dismissive and paranoid reactions of the population to an unspecified disease outbreak that is gradually making its way to Britain. The film then moves to footage of a documentary crew's travel to the countryside, where, in the process of filming material related to the virus, the characters encounter the zombie outbreak firsthand. The story of these four individuals is revisited in the second half of the movie.
The second chapter, "The Scavengers," takes place one month later. Two men (one of whom is American) and one woman travel around in a small car armed only with a rifle, in search of food and radio parts.
The final chapter, "The Survivors," tells the story of a larger group of uninfected people who have set up camp on a farm. They divide their time doing reconnaissance of surrounding areas, holding off the endless stream of incoming zombies, and bickering amongst themselves. In the opening scene of the chapter, the audience watches as "the survivors" calmly execute the approaching infected. By the conclusion, in which the film goes back in time to the first nights of the documentary crew at the beginning of the first diary ("The Outbreak"), the word "survivors" becomes an ironic title, as all but one are killed by two uninfected psychopaths.
Both of the murderers also survive, one having disappeared after helping slaughter the film crew and the other kills off the "survivors".
Casting involved asking actors to improvise entire sequences from the film. Gates and Bartlett picked the largely unknown cast as a result of this process. Shooting took place at weekends between July
and November 2005 and post-production was completed during 2006.
, best-known for playing Dr. Harold Legg in EastEnders
.
The principal cast consisted of:
on August 27, 2007 as part of the UK's biggest horror film festival London FrightFest Film Festival
(this showing was preceded by an attempt to break the world record
for participants in a zombie walk
).
The US DVD was released on November 18, 2008 by Dimension Extreme
.
and that Bartlett and Gates will be returning to direct and a few of the cast members from the first film will be returning to star.
The sequel was released at 3 UK cinemas on June 24th, 2011, followed by a DVD released on June 27th. A US release is planned for October. The leads will be played by Alix Wilton Regan
, Philip Brodie and Vicky Aracio.
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
independent
Independent film
An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
horror
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
film written
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
, produced
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
and directed
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
by Kevin Gates and first-time feature film maker Michael Bartlett.
The film was shot in a hand-held documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
format on DV
DV
DV is a format for the digital recording and playing back of digital video. The DV codec was launched in 1995 with joint efforts of leading producers of video camcorders....
and split into three separate parts.
Plot
Soldiers of the British army clear a small collection of farmhouses with two scientists who take a tissue sample from a deceased civilian who appears to have been reanimated, then shot.The film's first chapter, "The Outbreak," begins in the city of London, emphasizing both the dismissive and paranoid reactions of the population to an unspecified disease outbreak that is gradually making its way to Britain. The film then moves to footage of a documentary crew's travel to the countryside, where, in the process of filming material related to the virus, the characters encounter the zombie outbreak firsthand. The story of these four individuals is revisited in the second half of the movie.
The second chapter, "The Scavengers," takes place one month later. Two men (one of whom is American) and one woman travel around in a small car armed only with a rifle, in search of food and radio parts.
The final chapter, "The Survivors," tells the story of a larger group of uninfected people who have set up camp on a farm. They divide their time doing reconnaissance of surrounding areas, holding off the endless stream of incoming zombies, and bickering amongst themselves. In the opening scene of the chapter, the audience watches as "the survivors" calmly execute the approaching infected. By the conclusion, in which the film goes back in time to the first nights of the documentary crew at the beginning of the first diary ("The Outbreak"), the word "survivors" becomes an ironic title, as all but one are killed by two uninfected psychopaths.
Both of the murderers also survive, one having disappeared after helping slaughter the film crew and the other kills off the "survivors".
Production
The idea for the film was proposed by Michael Bartlett to Kevin Gates in Autumn 2004. Bartlett originally envisaged it as a short film, but Gates felt it was better suited to feature film length.Casting involved asking actors to improvise entire sequences from the film. Gates and Bartlett picked the largely unknown cast as a result of this process. Shooting took place at weekends between July
July 2005
2005: January – February – March – April – May – June – July – August – September – October – November – December – →-News collections and sources:* Wikipedia:News collections and sources....
and November 2005 and post-production was completed during 2006.
Cast
Whilst the cast was made up of professional actors, few were well-known other than a brief appearance from Leonard FentonLeonard Fenton
Leonard Fenton is a British actor, best known for his role as Dr. Harold Legg in the BBC soap opera, EastEnders.-Early life:...
, best-known for playing Dr. Harold Legg in EastEnders
EastEnders
EastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
.
The principal cast consisted of:
- Russell JonesRussell Jones (actor)Russell Jones is an actor. He was educated at Ysgol Y Creuddyn and Aberystwyth University's Department of Theatre, Film and Television Studies....
- Goke - Craig Stovin - Andy
- Jonnie Hurn - John
- James FisherJames Fisher (actor)James Fisher is an actor. The youngest of three brothers, he is the son of June and Les Fisher. He studied acting at The London Drama School and was also educated in screen acting at The Drill Hall....
- Geoff - Anna Blades - Vanessa
- Imogen Church - Sue
- Sophia EllisSophia EllisAnna Sophia Ellis is a British actress and dancer.- Movie career :Ellis first big role was as UFO Enthusiast in Alien Autopsy and her first main role was the role of Anna McKenzie in The Zombie Diaries...
- Anna McKenzie - Victoria SummerVictoria SummerVictoria Summer, is a British singer, songwriter, model and actress. Summer is set to star in the 2011 remake of Bram Stoker's Dracula entitled Dracula Reborn.-Career:...
- Leeann
Release
The film made a small-scale cinema debut on October 29, 2006 at Letchworth Garden City's Broadway Cinema, followed by a debut in Leicester SquareLeicester Square
Leicester Square is a pedestrianised square in the West End of London, England. The Square lies within an area bound by Lisle Street, to the north; Charing Cross Road, to the east; Orange Street, to the south; and Whitcomb Street, to the west...
on August 27, 2007 as part of the UK's biggest horror film festival London FrightFest Film Festival
London FrightFest Film Festival
FrightFest is an annual film festival held in central London over the August Bank Holiday weekend. The first event was held in the year 2000....
(this showing was preceded by an attempt to break the world record
World record
A world record is usually the best global performance ever recorded and verified in a specific skill or sport. The book Guinness World Records collates and publishes notable records of all types, from first and best to worst human achievements, to extremes in the natural world and beyond...
for participants in a zombie walk
Zombie Walk
A zombie walk is an organized public gathering of people who dress up in zombie costumes...
).
The US DVD was released on November 18, 2008 by Dimension Extreme
Dimension Extreme
Dimension Extreme is a genre DVD label owned by The Weinstein Company. The majority of the films released are unrated horror films, although comedies and action films have been released occasionally as well.-Films:*13: Game of Death ...
.
Sequel
In March 2010, it was announced by the film's producer, writer and director Michael Bartlett that he and his co-producer, writer and director Kevin Gates had come up with an idea to make a sequel to the film. It was also announced that the sequel had been approved by The Weinstein CompanyThe Weinstein Company
The Weinstein Company is an American film studio founded by Bob and Harvey Weinstein in 2005 after the brothers left the then-Disney-owned Miramax Films, which they had co-founded in 1979...
and that Bartlett and Gates will be returning to direct and a few of the cast members from the first film will be returning to star.
The sequel was released at 3 UK cinemas on June 24th, 2011, followed by a DVD released on June 27th. A US release is planned for October. The leads will be played by Alix Wilton Regan
Alix Wilton Regan
-Early life:Wilton Regan was born in London and attended L'Ile Aux Enfants primary school, the Lycee Francais Charles de Gaulle for her secondary education and Latymer Upper School for A-Levels, where she achieved 3 A-grades in Theatre Studies, English Literature and French - a language in which...
, Philip Brodie and Vicky Aracio.