Chernobyl Diaries marks the directorial debut of visual effects maven Brad Parker.  The film eschews its found-footage conceit early yet still maintains that sub-genre’s documentary/cinema verite aesthetic.  Chernobyl Diaries is a less-is-more type flick, with a majority of the “creatures” completely enshrouded in darkness and most of the character deaths happening just off frame. In the following interview, director Brad Parker discusses settling on a “looser” camera, the surprising films he emulated for Chernobyl’s ‘look’ (hint: think Woody Allen) and the budgetary & creative principles behind his less-is-more aesthetic.   I also try and find out about his Bad Robot project, but he’s been trained well.  For the full interview, hit the jump.

The first trailer for the latest horror-thriller from Paranormal Activity creator Oren Peli has gone online. Chernobyl Diaries follows a group of friends vacationing in Eastern Europe who find themselves stranded in a ghost town near the nuclear reactor incident site of Chernobyl. As expected, they begin to realize they’re not entirely alone. I actually think Chernobyl is an intriguing location for a horror pic, and though I’m not normally a fan of Peli’s stuff, the historical aspect of Chernobyl on display in the trailer is appealing. It’s hard to tell if the jump scares work or not from a computer screen, but I’m sure audiences will have a better idea of the film’s “scare factor” when they see the trailer in theaters. I still can’t figure out whether this is a found footage movie or not; either it is, or it’s filmed in a very handheld style. Peli was originally set to direct Chernobyl Diaries but he handed duties off to Brad Parker while assuming a producer role.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer. The film stars Jonathan Sadowski, Jesse McCartney, Devin Kelley, Nathan Phillips, Ingrid Bolso Berdal, Dimitry Diatchenko, and Olivia Taylor Dudley. Chernobyl Diaries opens May 25th.

Paramount and Bad Robot are teaming up once more for an untitled action pic, and they’ve settled on Brad Parker to take the helm. Variety reports that the Diary of Lawson Oxford director has been set to head up the untitled action pic which has J.J. Abrams, Matt Reeves, and Bryan Burk onboard to produce. Plot details are under wraps, but Michael Gilio (Carter Beats the Devil) wrote the script. Parker made his feature directorial debut with the The Diary of Lawson Oxford, a horror film produced by Paranormal Activity helmer Oren Peli. The pic stars Jesse McCartney and is due out sometime next year.

Parker has a rapport with Reeves, as he served as second-unit director on the remake Let Me In. He began a successful career directing commercials in the 1990s, working on spots for Nike, Nintendo, and Sony. Bad Robot most recently produced the super-successful Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, and is gearing up for production start on Abrams’ sequel to Star Trek.

Back in May, we caught wind of a new horror project that Paranormal Activity director Oren Peli was cooking up. Details were slim at the time, but the film was said to center on a group of friends stranded in a ghost town overrun by nature. Today comes word that Brad Parker is set to helm the project based on an original idea by Peli, and we’ve got a few more plot details as well as a cast listing. It appears the ghost down in question is a city that was abandoned in the aftermath of a nuclear disaster, and as the sun sets on the town the group begins to hear “inhuman-sounding cries that indicate that they are not alone.”

The cast includes Jonathan Sadowski ($#*! My Dad Says), Jesse McCartney (Greek), Devin Kelley (The Chicago Code), Nathan Phillips (Snakes on a Plane), Ingrid Bolso Berdal (Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters), Dimitry Diatchenko (Get Smart), and Olivia Taylor Dudley. The script was written by Shane and Carey Van Dyke (The Sacred), and Peli is producing. Peli was originally thought to be directing this untitled thriller, but it appears Parker will be handling directing duties. We have yet to see a directorial follow-up from Peli after the franchise-spawning Paranormal Activity, as Area 51 is in the can and still sitting on a shelf somewhere. FilmNation is fully financing the untitled thriller. [Update: We've been sent the full press release, which informs us that filming has commenced in Eastern Europe. The release is included after the jump.]