Chernobyl Diaries review

Para-nuclear Activity

Why you can trust GamesRadar+ Our experts review games, movies and tech over countless hours, so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about our reviews policy.

Nuke-horror hasn’t reared its glowing, mutated head in a couple decades, at least, and Chernobyl is the sort of real-life deathzone that spawns nightmares already, so Chernobyl Diaries certainly has a winning premise.

Unfortunately, it quickly devolves into a series of tired survival horror clichés. A group of Americans on their way to Moscow detour to the abandoned, irradiated Ukraine city of Prypiat for an “extreme tour”.

They get their money’s worth when it turns out to not be as abandoned as they thought. Written by Paranormal Activity director Oren Peli, Diaries is dark and gruesome, but with little in the way of genuine shock or surprise, you should expect the expected.

More info

Available platformsMovie
Less
Freelance writer

Ken McIntyre is a freelance writer who has spent years covering music and film. You'll find Ken in the pages of Total Film and here on GamesRadar, using his experience and expertise to dive into the history of cinema and review the latest films. You'll also find him writing features and columns for other Future Plc brands, such as Metal Hammer and Classic Rock magazine.