Release Date: October 16, 2012
Rating: R
Running Time: 86 minutes

Chernobyl Diaries is an original story from Oren Peli, who first terrified audiences with his groundbreaking thriller, Paranormal Activity. The film follows a group of six young vacationers who, looking to go off the beaten path, hire an “extreme” tour guide. Ignoring warnings, he takes them into the city of Pripyat, the former home to the workers of the Chernobyl nuclear reactor, but a deserted town since the disaster more than 25 years ago. After a brief exploration of the abandoned city, however, the group soon finds themselves stranded, only to discover that they are not alone…

Brad Parker makes his features film directorial debut with “Chernobyl Diaries.” The screenplay was written by Oren Peli and Carey Van Dyke & Shane Van Dyke, based on a story by Peli. Peli also produces, with Brian Witten. Richard Sharkey, Rob Cowan, Andrew A. Kosove, Broderick Johnson, Allison Silver, Milan Popelka and Alison Cohen serve as executive producers.

The film’s cast includes Devin Kelley, Jonathan Sadowski, Ingrid Bolso Berdal, Olivia Taylor Dudley, Jesse McCartney, Nathan Phillips and Dimitri Diatchenko.

Chernobyl Diaries had the potential to really be something great. While there was not a significant amount of character development and I usually don’t expect much with horror movies today, more of this certainly could not have harmed the final cut. Caring for all of the characters rather than one or two would have made a great difference. As is, there’s no reason to be invested in any of the characters outside of the proposal to take place that we find out about early on. More character development, less running away from wild animals, yeah? Why were the wild infected animals essentially the only thing they were running away from? The easy way out was taken here for sure. If there wasn’t enough material to show more villains, there was plenty of opportunity to create many. Instead we’ve got a ghost and a bear. That’s not enough to care.

Suspense was built but the delivery following those moments were all weak. There were no twists, no turns, there was nothing original brought to the table. And the ending was not fulfilling in any way, shape, or form. You will ask yourself at the end why you committed yourself to watching this… shaky cam and all. There are plenty of well done low budget horrors so that is no an excuse. A handful of elements that make a good horror film were scooped up but no flavor was added to the mix. What makes this film its own? Absolutely nothing unfortunately. If you want a real scare, check out Oren Peli’s previous work, Paranormal Activity if you haven’t already. Now that is time well spent! But if you are multitasking and have an easy hour and a half to kill, putting this on in the background is an option.

Bonus Features:

Alternate Ending (2 minutes) – When you think “alternate ending,” there’s usually a pretty significant change. Not here. If you’re looking for at least one person to survive and make it off the grounds, it is not here. If you’re looking for anything remotely different than the final cut, it’s not here. Sorry to disappoint you.

Additional Scene (1 minute) – At only 86 minutes long, it seems silly that there is a deleted scene…silly unless it’s not necessary. And by not necessary, I mean it’s not worth the watch. The characters are just giving a round of cheers.

Uri’s Extreme Tours Infomercial (1 minute) – Why this was not incorporated into a scene is a mystery but it would not have made much a difference anyway. Skip it.

Chernobyl Conspiracy Viral Video (2 minutes) – If you are unfamiliar with the Chernobyl Disaster, this video is a brief recap of the events that transpired. It would have been nice to have gotten some commentary from the cast and crew on their research and experience working on this film but this is it. If you want a brief recap, this is your feature. If you want more information, look elsewhere.

Own Chernobyl Diaries on Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD or Digital Download today.