Don't get me wrong, I can be brave when I have to. But lately, well, I just haven't been able to sleep. At every little creak, every little bump, I sit up in terror, fearing the worst (hordes of the undead perhaps, or maybe just a maniac wielding a chainsaw). Sometimes it can take me until 3am to drop off, clutching a baseball bat tightly and hiding under the covers.

I suppose, if I was a kid, this kind of behaviour would be perfectly normal. And I'm not a kid, but it is perfectly normal- for someone who watches far too many horror films. When I was little, my mother, knowing my somewhat jittery disposition, didn't allow me to see any films remotely scary. So I didn't even watch "Drop Dead Fred" until I was 15!. That was a film that my peers were all obsessed with at the time: it involved an irritating imaginary friend causing havoc for the girl who imagined him. Luckily, I never had a malignant ginger doll, like Chucky, in "Child"s Play.

Most evenings, I'll be sitting in a darkened room, sometimes with friends, sometimes alone. There'll be a horror movie in the DVD player, and even the odd shriek if there's a shocking moment. A couple of days ago, I watched "Audition", in which a lonely widower takes on more than he bargained for when picking up women via an audition system. The girl he succeeds in pulling is beautiful and cute, so it comes as a terrible shock when we realise she's a deranged murderer, and what she keeps in that sack. That night, I dreamt of rolling sacks.

At the time, I enjoy the thrills and the scares, and climb up to bed contented that I've watched a good film. But not long after I've switched off the light and closed my eyes, I start to imagine I can hear the moaning of a ghost, the groaning of a zombie or the harsh scream of a chainsaw, (I really did hear a chainsaw the other night, and I'm not quite sure why someone was chopping up bodies- ahem, I mean trees, at 2am, but there you go).

Currently, one of the main horrific foes I fear is the zombie. This is because I have recently been rectifying a deficit in my life of zombie films, and have been watching all the classics, sometimes several a night. At first, I lay curled in bed at night, wondering how on earth I would be able to stave off the zombs, but soon, I started formulating plans, and weighing them up in my mind: should I hide in the house, but destroy the stairs so they couldn't climb up to me? Or just find a shack in the woods? Shacks always seem to prove fatal, though (see "Evil Dead", and "Night of the Living Dead".) Or should I move in to the nearest supermarket or shopping centre? At least there would be plenty of food for me to eat, but it could all go horribly wrong when the looters arrived on their motorbikes ('Dawn of the Dead'). A better option might be to find a well-defended castle and hole up in there. I'd just have to hope the zombies would eventually fall to bits.

Of course, in the event of a virus that causes widespread anger-management problems, like in "28 Days Later", the zombies wouldn't be the only ones with serious issues. Fast moving monsters like these would surely be too quick for me. Similarly, the creatures in the remake of "Day of the Dead" are just too fast for their own good. At least with the traditional shambling undead, if I just walked at a fast pace, I could still leave them behind.

 

Even when sprinting, at least zombies aren't too bright. Even a 2 year old could outwit most examples. Vampires are a far more dangerous form of the undead, with the intelligence to hunt their victims down.

It seems that whichever horrible monster attacks me, I won't know what to do. There doesn't really seem to be a solution, so here I wait, at the top of the stairs, clutching my broken chair leg. Waiting for them to come.

After the death of a much loved father and husband Karen Tunny (Lori Heuring) and her two daughters Sarah (Scout Taylor Compton) and Emma are forced due to financial pressures to flee the city and settle in the woods of a small Pennsylvania community in a house Karen's husband owned. The house a traditional dwelling used by miners back at the turn of the 20th century is in much need of repair, but offers solace for Karen; while Sarah takes a dim view of things, and Emma embraces the move. For young Emma a sweet 8 year old it offers a chance of new friendship in the form of Mary who to everyone else is just an imaginary friend. It seems however that Addytown's newest arrivals have either caused or arrived at the time of a great awakening, things are about to become dramatically more chilling.

I first saw Wicked Little Things as it was then known about 16 months ago, and to be perfectly honest with you I got half way through and could not be bothered to proceed on, to me it was like every other low budget horror movie of the time and I was stacked under a heavy workload. Unbeknown to me was that at that very moment I lost interest and turned off the stories tone changed and effectively was only just the beginning. For an avid horror fan like me this was the place to begin a grizzly death of some animal stock takes the movie back to the sort of shock! Horror! We witnessed at the start of the 1980's when so many movies were edited or outlawed all together.

While I won't pretend that Zombies is the best horror offering I have seen this year I will say it has some great echoes in horror movie past that will undoubtedly appeal to casual and hardcore horror movie fans. While others have compared the movie to The Omen, a similarity I cannot see I'm reminded most of John Carpenters 1978 movie The Fog, there is a great scene where a group of teenagers are desperately trying to escape a group of killer zombie children in a car that's back wheels are stuck in mud. The ambience of this moment are literally plucked from The Fog, but with one exception, the scene goes further and almost allows you to ask the question, what if Jamie Lee Curtis had not got that car started? What follows is probably one of the most harrowing scenes I have seen in an American horror movie for some time.

Ben Cross an actor best known from Chariots Of Fire and the BBC drama The Citadel plays a creepy hillside soothsayer for want of a better choice of words. The character of Hanks not only knows what to do, he knows what is going to happen, and while at first alienating the Tunny family with his creepy choice of wording and his spreading of blood to ward off evil; soon becomes the key to their survival, if of course they have any chance. Cross who is always around working, but never in anything most of us would probably watch does a sterling job as the movies oddball character. Although the movies villain role is taken by Martin McDougall as William Carlton, descendant of the Carlton mine and all that rests on the surrounding area.

Of our main cast Lori Heuring is pretty much a tool (no disrespect) of the movie, not essentially a needed part, the piece is lead by Scout Taylor Compton (An American Crime, Halloween) who as the teenage character of the movie most of the horror is endured through her eyes. Compton delivers a competent performance as the usual dysfunctional type character of the movie. Chloe Moretz (who back in 2006 was at the start of her career but is now pretty much an excepted part of Hollywood furniture) is the most watchable character, however because of child acting laws is dramatically underused in order to get the movie completed within a target time, overall a tragic mistake that may if it has not already cost the movie points in horror movie history offerings.

What was most enjoyable about the movie was the dark offing of children as the terrible force of the movies, now just Zombies these were the children of the mine nearly 100 years prior who feel not only wronged by events, but cursed in there vicious need to engage in the consumption of human flesh. These kids whom of course look sweet without the makeup are pretty darn scary, with their over emphasised teeth and their terrible lack of compassion, are genuinely creepy and with their bloody massacre at the mid section of the movie you are left with no doubt that these creatures are best not reckoned with.

Zombies is a movie you really need to stick with, and as I said earlier its first 30 minutes or so are hardly going to endear you to the piece. But if you have the patience a small pot of gold lies at the end of this rainbow, and judging by horror releases over the last two months this isthe best choice of salvation.

Released in the UK on the Momentum pictures label on the 21st of July, the movie has a short featurette as a special feature called Wicked Little Zombies, this feature shows you a glimpse behind the scenes and discusses the immense pressure of filming a movie with children, especially ones that have enough experience but are still young enough to pull off the terrifying performances effectively. Zombies is released with an RRP of £15.99.

“Diary” starts off with a group of student film makers out in the woods, doing a horror film project about a mummy (can you see the irony right there?) when they start hearing reports about zombie attacks. At first skeptical, the students soon find out the hard way that the reports are very real, as they encounter zombies everywhere they go in their attempts to find a safe place to wait things out. And through it all, main character Jason (Joshua Close) continues to film events as they happen, much to the irritation of his friends, wanting to get the truth out there for all to see.

As mentioned, “Diary of the Dead” still follows the standard “zombie apocalypse” formula, right down to the “shoot-em-in-the-head” method of taking down the zombies. Thankfully, though, it isn't a completely cookie-cutter product, as there are a couple of things that make it stand out. Obviously, there's the documentary-style the movie was shot in, done from the single-camera POV of the main character. Just like the recent “Cloverfield”, we have a main character who just films everything as it happens, right down to the zombie attacks, unable and unwilling to stop, even as his friends and fellow survivors rip on him about it. One of the main differences here is that the film isn't restricted to just one camera viewpoint, as they later get another camera to use and other camera footage that is later incorporated into the “completed” version of the documentary. The movie also plays out like a standard documentary, complete with narration and music, provided by Jason's girlfriend Debra (Michelle Morgan), rather than looking like a home movie shot on a whim. This helps the film in a great way, adding to the suspense and allowing viewers to see a lot more of what's going on.

Another great twist to the genre that I'm sure a lot of fans will find refreshing is that the characters aren't simply isolated in one spot like they would be in other zombie flicks. Instead, they spend most of the movie traveling around in a Winnebago, going from place to place, encountering other survivors and, of course, zombies at every turn. This especially works in favor of the movie, as we get to see beyond the main group and get examples of how other survivors are trying to survive the disaster, whether it be the group of militants “doing what they have to” or the group of soldiers who steal for what seems to be the heck of it. It kind of turns the movie into a “road trip” flick, but it still helps in a great way and not make it all seem so “standard”.

The movie has the standard ensemble cast of characters you'd expect in a horror flick, but with a few twists, such as the resident blonde, Tracy (Amy Ciupak Lalonde), being not a complete airhead and showing actual some skills and intelligence (check out her rip on women stereotypes in horror movies at the beginning). But probably the most important character of the film is the technology and digital media that has pretty much become the center of our world today. Not only is it the reason for Romero's reboot of his “Dead” franchise (he obviously couldn't continue from his last flick and tell a story like this, hence the necessity), but it's also the focus of the social commentary that he puts into his movies. The director shows how much things like the internet, cell phones, television and whatnot have become such a part of our lives that we're practically dependent on them, even in the midst of a worldwide apocalypse. On the plus side, it allows Jason and his friends to keep tabs on events happening around the world, as other people are uploading their own videos of zombie attacks online. But of course, the same media can also be used against us, as proven in an attempt by authorities to cover up the zombie attacks using edited news footage (we all know that lasted about five seconds). “Diary” truly exposes that double-edged sword to light, showcasing Romero's talents as a storyteller.

The movie truly has some suspenseful moments throughout the picture, mainly centered around whenever the group makes a stop somewhere and you don't know what they'll run into, zombies or other, more hard-edged survivors. Some things even happen off camera, due to the style of the storytelling (and Jason's inability to leave his camera behind), but things can still be heard and make you wonder just what is going on, much like in an old-school horror film where things were often suggested and viewers had to use their imaginations. This was purposely done on Romero's part, as he went back to his independent roots for this film, even making it for only a couple million dollars. You'd hardly know it from the visual effects, which are done rather well, probably even better than most big-budget films. Naturally, there are some blood and gore moments like in any zombie film, but those are kept to a minimum and used only when needed, as opposed to other recent horror films, working greatly in this movie's favor.

The DVD certainly has its share of bonus material, so you won't be lacking in that department. Most of it is the standard “behind-the-scenes” stuff; “For the Record: The Making of "Diary of the Dead"” is a five-part look into the different aspects of the making of the movie, such as the cast, the make-up and visual effects, set design, even a little piece on the director himself. “The First Week” is pretty self-explanatory, a short look into the film's first week of shooting, while “The Roots” is a short interview with Romero about his returning to his independent roots for the film. And, of course, there's the standard commentary that can be played with the film.

But there are also some interesting goodies in the bonus material that I'm sure a lot will enjoy. “Character Confessionals” is the closest we have to deleted scenes, basically a series of little confessionals made by the characters as the apocalypse progresses and showing their reactions to it all. “Familiar Voices” looks into the recording process of background voices for the film made by well-known horror luminaries, revealing three of them (they make you guess the rest on your own). I won't reveal who they are, either, as it's more fun to first watch the movie then see this feature and get the surprise of your life. And of course, the best feature is the “MySpace Contest Winners” feature, showing the five short films that won the grand and first prizes in the contest Romero put on MySpace to promote the movie. I won't reveal who the winners are, but each movie is enjoyable in their own right, whether freaky or just a bit silly.

I'll have to admit it, “Diary of the Dead” is certainly one of the most creative zombie flicks that I've seen, and definitely one of the better horror films out right now. Die-hard fans are sure to add it to their collections, while others will certainly be willing to give it a look. A truly excellent film that will rank as one of Romero's best.

Released by: Dimension Films

Starring: Joshua Close (Jason Creed), Michelle Morgan (Debra), Shawn Roberts (Tony), Joe Dinicol (Eliot), Scott Wentworth (Andrew Maxwell)

Directed by: George A. Romero

Rating: R

Score: 8 out of 10

This is where the paranoia of the living creates a sense of dread so palpable that you start to squirm in your seat. They may not be the scariest bunch of zombies ever, but they are the creepiest. Sylvain, the little boy zombie, just wants to walk away from his parents. His grieving father is loathe to let him go, but mom watches disconnectedly as he jumps off the balcony. Dad freaks out as he sees the broken body of his son on the pavement below, but as he turns away for a moment to look into the unfeeling eyes of his shell- shocked wife, we see the tyke scamper away to join the living dead. Even though one could see this coming (might as well have been telegraphed) the nuance of this scene was enough to give us both the willies AND a severe case of the heebie-jeebies.

Paranoia turns swiftly to action, as a drug that returns the dead to a comatose state is administered and the zombies drop like flies. They are hauled back to the cemetery, put atop their graves and very slowly disappear. This is a cool scene that had us bobbing and weaving on the edges of our seats.

This is not so much a horror film as it is an exploration of survivors' inability to let go. No explanations are given, and a jagged sense of fear is created wholly within the mind of the viewer. Don't expect either easy answers or cheap thrills from this frog masterpiece. The answers are complicated and the thrills come at a heavy emotional price for anyone who has ever lost someone they loved. We do not expect teenagers or the "Starsky and Hutch" crowd to even get this but fuck them anyway. They lower the bar for the rest of us.

Even though there's not a drop of blood in the entire enterprise, this film gave us glorious nightmares. For that reason alone we are thankful, and stand together to give it our highest rating. Anyone of you living suckers should definitely check this one out.

No, no, I haven't seen the movie, but it is scheduled for a 2007 release. It is entitled "Diary of the Dead" and it takes place during the same time as "Night of the Living Dead", so essentially Romero is taking us back to the beginning.

The movie revolves around some film students who are making a horror film of their own, until they run into some zombies and their lives undoubtedly take a turn for the worse. Not much else is known about this, except that some fairly unknown actors are being used and the movie is “a hundred percent independent”, as Romero stated in a letter he wrote to Ain't It Cool News.

“This one comes from the heart. It's not a sequel or a remake. It's a whole new beginning for the dead,” said Romero.

I guess since he has been keeping the movie under wraps that it really would be hard to know anything about it, but I'm excited anyway. I'm excited for Georgie boy to redeem himself after the disappointing "Land". His original "Day of the Dead", which came out in 1985, was ridiculous in a good way, but his fourth installment in the series just didn't do it for me. 'Night of the Living Dead' and "Dawn of the Dead" remain untouched by my criticism because, well, they're great.

A remake of "Day of the Dead" looks to be coming out in 2007 as well, although originally I think it was planned to be released in April. There isn't much else known about this one either and all this holding off is probably not a good sign. Nonetheless, 2007 could prove to be a very fun year for zombie fans.

It doesn't matter how bad or how corny a zombie movie looks, because I will want to watch it. However, thanks to the rising costs of theater tickets, I now have to decide how worthy some movies are, but I have enough patience to wait for the DVD.

Speaking of DVD, doesn't it feel like these companies are phasing out the DVD like they did with videotapes and the VCR?