Review of Chernobyl Diaries (2012) by Adrian Z — 20 Apr 2014

A group of travelers with rather poor judgement become stranded in Pripyat, where they are attacked at night - but by what? The film, conceived and written by Paranormal Activity's Oren Peli, starts out well enough, and conveys an effective sense of foreboding.

The locations standing in for Pripyat (an abandoned Soviet Army base and tunnels built by Nazis in Serbia) are impressive, and as the group of travelers start to be attacked by wild wolves and bears, the film promises a unique angle on survival horror.

Alas, at just about the halfway point the film reveals its true hand, and it's a pretty lame one. What follows is nearly half a movie of Incoherent running and panting in darkened corridors which fails to generate any significant suspense, leading to a rather ruinous ending, the kind that feels like a slap to the face.