In Defense: Chernobyl Diaries



(imdb.com)

When I first started this blog, I wrote an article defending The Forest starring Natalie Dormer and now I'm back at it defending a placeholder on last week's list, Chernobyl Diaries. With just an 18 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes and audiences panning it on social media, the release of Chernobyl Diaries received a lot of unnecessary hate, despite being relatively original and most definitely horrifying. The storyline felt new even if it adhered to particular horror survival conventions. The "stuck in a radioactive plant" plotline definitely deserves less hate.

Firstly, the acting isn't all that bad. From former child star Jesse McCartney's (Keith) Chris to Olivia Dudley's (Chillerama) Natalie, there are quite a few above average performances. Yes, while it might be surprising given some questionable previous performances, Jesse McCartney is actually adequate. Even side characters like Zoe, played by Ingrid Berdal (Cold Prey), who lasted way too long, were so great in their roles that you felt sympathy watching them in despair. In fact, I can't pick out a performance that was particularly bad and I'd like someone to try.

Chernobyl Dairies scared me a lot the first time I saw it. Between numerous jump and incredibly suspenseful moments, I was dumbfounded by the lack of love it received. With the exception of a poorly placed and untimely bear, I would argue that every other scare is worthwhile. The moment the group is in the dark kitchen when one of the creatures appears, makes my skin crawl. Then it continues down a strong path of sounds in the dark and an especially terrifying child (who was the reason for Chernobyl Diaries making last week's list).

Perhaps the strongest part of Chernobyl Diaries is its use of setting. With on-site filming in Europe and plenty of strong visuals, the Pripyat backdrop of the film felt fresh, especially for a horror film in an age when many were rather basic. Chernobyl Diaries made the most of it's setting of concrete and harsh landscape. Even if parts of the movie were less compelling, it's hard to become distracted by things outside of the movie.

Say what you will about Chernobyl Diaries, but this film really got the job done. It may have fed into some clichés but with a strong plot, acting and setting, the dislike of it felt unnecessary. It definitely scared me and like The Descent did for cave diving, Chernobyl Diaries made sure that I would never want to do anything involving extreme tourism.