Chernobyl Diaries Movie Review

'Chernobyl Diaries' Examiner.com Movie Review, Written by: Karen Benardello Horror films that are based on shocking true events are often the most terrifying and intriguing for the genre’s fans. The new horror movie ‘Chernobyl Diaries,’ which is now playing at area Long Island theaters and is set in the deserted Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, unfortunately fails to bring any frightening scares to a seemingly unique story. While the chilling location surprisingly hasn’t over-saturated the genre, the movie ultimately relies on clichéd characters to tell its story, which takes away from its effectiveness. ‘Chernobyl Diaries’ follows three young vacationers, including (New York native Jesse McCartney), his girlfriend Natalie (Olivia Dudley) and their friend Amanda (Devin Kelley), as they travel through Europe. As they enter the Ukraine, they meet Chris’s adventurous older brother Paul (Jonathan Sadowski), who convinces the group to make an unscheduled stop into Chernobyl. Chris is reluctant to enter the abandoned city of Pripyat, where the works of the Chernobyl facility lived before the radiation disaster in 1986. Advertisement Led by tour guide Uri (Dimitri Diatchenko) and accompanied by two other tourists, Michael (Nathan Phillips) and Zoe (Ingrid Bolsø Berdal), the group heads into the abandoned city. After entering an unmanned checkpoint unbeknownst to the guards who surround the city, the group begins exploring. But once the group tries to leave, they discover Uri’s van wires have been cut. They’re forced to find a way to the closest military checkpoint, which is 18 kilometers away, without getting attacked by the animals and the human victims who have been mutated by the radiation. ‘Chernobyl Diaries’ had the potential to be a truly terrifying film, as it was written and produced by Oren Peli. Known for directing, producing and/or writing every entry in the hit ‘Paranormal Activity’ series, the filmmaker has proven he knows how to truly frighten audiences with limited blood and gore; he regularly relies on psychological trauma to scare viewers. The film was also based on the after effects of a real-life horrific event that is still affecting the area, 26 years after its occurrence. To continue reading this review, please click here.