Not only is REC an outstanding example of the found footage genre done right, it’s one of the most enjoyably intense experiences I’ve had watching a horror film in recent memory.
Reporter Angela Vidal (Manuela Velasco) and her cameraman, Pablo (Pablo Rosso), work for a documentary program called While You’re Sleeping. On assignment with a group of firefighters, they are recording at a fire station during the night shift when a call comes in about a woman trapped in her apartment.
When they arrive at the apartment building, they find the occupants of the building gathered in the lobby. “We heard screams,” one resident offers to the camera. Other residents say the woman is “weird” and lives alone with her cats.
Angela, Pablo, and the firemen, along with two policemen, enter the woman’s apartment. They find her standing at the end of a hallway. Suddenly, she attacks one of the police officers, viciously biting him in the neck. The injured officer is taken back to the lobby and it’s discovered that the building has been sealed off from the outside by the military. A voice on a megaphone instructs those inside the building that they should stay calm as a health inspector should be arriving soon to assess the situation. As Angela and Pablo continue recording, everything quickly deteriorates into absolute mayhem.
REC is presented in the same way as The Blair Witch Project and Cloverfield, as found footage directly from the camera of a participant in the action. This puts the viewer into the same chaotic perspective as Angela and Pablo as they watch their routine firefighter story transform into the most horrific night of their lives. What separates REC from other found footage films is that there’s not a lot of waiting around for stuff to happen. Once Angela and Pablo arrive at the apartment building, the movie is akin to being locked inside a haunted house attraction with real monsters.
What I appreciated most about REC is what I can only describe as the choreography of the action. Because there is only one camera angle for every scene and the action is so unhinged, it’s remarkable that the important events are captured for the viewer to see in a way that is not only scary but creatively composed. Yes, REC falls prey to the shaky camera issue that plagues this genre and it may aggravate some viewers by making them nauseous. However, the filmmakers clearly did not choose the found footage genre as an easy way out or as a cost-cutting measure on special effects. Everything that’s shown has a visceral impact.
I also have to commend the acting of the entire cast. At no point while watching this movie did I think I was watching actors. The entire production is totally convincing as the news crew covers the events as they unfold. Directors Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza did an outstanding job keeping things 100% believable. It’s easy to see why this film spawned three sequels and an American remake. I’m hesitant to see any of them, though, because I have the feeling that this movie is like lightning in a bottle.
Not only is REC an outstanding example of the found footage genre done right, it’s one of the most enjoyably intense experiences I’ve had watching a horror film in recent memory.
Note: Please make sure you see the original Spanish language version of the film and not the English version (which is dubbed). Apparently, the dubbed version is poorly done.
4.5 out of 5.0 stars
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