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An interesting horror film which is getting a lot of good reviews, such as by Kim Newman in Empire, though I subscribe more to the views in this BBC review.

It employs the same kind of 'events seen through one camera' perspective of Cloverfield applying them instead to a virus outbreak (more in the style of 28 Days Later than Night of the Living Dead) and to a confined apartment block than a city and then mostly just the main staircase of the building with a few set pieces in different apartments. The film creates a good amount of tension as the annoyingly perky presenter of the show acting as our surrogate suffers a complete breakdown from the moment of the first attack where events are taken completely out of her hands and she can't control how it is being presented anymore.

It seems most of these ‘found footage’ films from Cannibal Holocaust through Blair Witch are about people desperately trying to cling to some objectivity in the hopes that they can keep a kind of barrier between themselves from events but which in the end is always a false kind of protection. Only the film, and sometimes the camera, survives and the final scenes of these films almost mock the characters who were filming and thinking they were afforded some omniscient protection when only the viewing audience is allowed that privilege.

I think my only problem with the film is that it occasionally falls into the trap of 'people screaming at each other for no reason'. However I also recently saw Jaume Balagueró's previous film Darkness on television and that suffers to an even greater extent from people screaming less because of the plot and used more as a cheap way of creating jumps and tension, so I should say that [Rec] does not suffer as much from this problem as that film did (of course Night of the Living Dead is still the greatest example of showing people fighting without resorting to shrill screaming!), but it still resorts to quite hackneyed shock tactics (LOUD BANG!) to generate scares at times.

Though there was one fully earned shock early on that worked extremely well:

Spoiler

After the first attack on one of the two security guards on the third floor of the apartment the reporter and the cameraman go back down to the lobby with the injured guard being held by his companion and one of the two firemen - the other of whom is presumably left upstairs to calm down the old lady who attacked them.

The group reaches the lobby (where the rest of the residents are) and finds they've been sealed into the building, they argue with those outside and then start amongst themselves while the camera reaches the entrance doors, tries to look through them and then turns to look back into the lobby area, showing all the characters and setting up a perfect composition for the fireman left upstairs to come hurtling down the stairwell and hit the floor in the centre of the shot.

That is an example of a jump scare done well! And compared to Darkness (a more overwrought version of The Amityville Horror which wastes Anna Paquin and Lena Olin. Sadly Paquin gives an extremely good performance in that film but there just is no coherent writing for anything she does to have any impact), [Rec] is certainly a step in the right direction.

However I do have issues with reviewers talking about how original the film is. There isn’t anything particularly surprising or original about the film:

Spoiler

see for instance the final section which in quick succession repeats The Evil Dead’s tape recording explaining the cause of the situation, The Grudge’s ‘checking out the attic’ jump scare, The Silence of the Lambs’ night vision scenes and finally a little bit of what seemed to me to be Chris Cunningham’s Rubber Johnny video!

but it does work well as an undemanding horror film. Don’t go looking for any food for thought or grafted on social significance (actually refreshing in the wake of Ils!) but if you have ever wanted to see a shaky cam faux reality version of Lamberto Bava’s Demons 2 then this film fits the bill perfectly, provides enough jumps and at around 80 minutes doesn’t outstay its welcome!

(Of course, the US remake is already in production!)

When is this film coming to the U.S.?

It's making its North American debut at the Fantasia Film Festival this Friday.

I thought Darkness was dreadful (regardless of whether you saw the mangled US cut or the longer European cut - the latter shows less sign of crude distributor interference but its inherent flaws are just as glaring), but Balaguero's earlier shorts and his debut feature Los sin nombre showed enough talent to make this look intriguing.

I don't know how much Paco Plaza actually had to do with this but his 2002 film El Segundo Nombre is one of the finest true horror films of this decade (measured and merciless as well as being absolutely gorgeous in terms of composition). For whatever reason it is often compared unfairly to Los Sin Nombre, which is good but not great. It's certainly infinitely superior to something like Bayona's recent The Orphanage. I have yet to see [Rec] but I'm looking forward to it.

Saw this tonight and I have to say colin's review is pretty spot on, though I liked the film considerably less. My problem with the film is that it brings absolutely nothing new to the tiring POV horror genre. What struck me most of all is how doggedly the script stuck to the standard genre tropes among the residents of the building. There was the drunk-with-power guy; the bitchy woman (with little girl); the knowledgeable/helpful medical intern (pretty convenient); a borderline racist portrayal of an Asian family. Not to mention the premise of the film has been done to death and writer's don't even bother to try and twist it in any significant way. And for an already short film (it runs well under 90 minutes), the overly long beginning and the "meet the residents" section in the middle of the film feel still like padding. The set pieces that are set up in the first and second act, don't really pay off all that surprisingly in the third and there are only one or two genuine, deserved scares in the whole film. And finally, the abrupt ending feels lazy instead of clever. I honestly can't believe the hype this film is getting and that an American studio even bothered buying the rights to this script. It's not terribly inventive or original.

A quick search on IMDB reveals that in addition to the aforementioned remake, a sequel is in the works as well. Sigh.

Antoine Doinel wrote:Saw this tonight and I have to say colin's review is pretty spot on, though I liked the film considerably less.

I agree Antoine, though if you've seen Darkness you'll probably find it a step forward for the director! One of the things that inspired me to post was wanting to defuse some of the 'scariest film of the year' stuff I had been hearing - it is a decent jump scare horror with a couple of very effective moments but by no means original (especially in terms of American horror) and I worry that all the hype will really damage a film like this, which deserves to pick up at least a mini cult following rather than having huge cinema exposure and American remakes flying about. Despite the flaws this would be exactly the kind of thing that would creep me out if it were shown on TV late at night!

You might need a diaper to watch the film.

Antoine Doinel wrote:

There was the drunk-with-power guy; the bitchy woman (with little girl); the knowledgeable/helpful medical intern (pretty convenient); a borderline racist portrayal of an Asian family.

This was the main problem I had with REC along with the lead actress. Much like previous POV films like Blair Witch, Cloverfield, and Diary of the Dead to name a few, we are not told anything about the tenents of the building. We are just given a scant glimpse into their lives. This film has been played over and over in the genre. Bava's Demons 2 is a film that does this trapped in an apartment story the best. The thing that pissed me off was the end of the film (I won't say what it is for those who might not have seen REC yet). For those who have seen it, hopefully, will semi-agree.

I could have accepted just a viral explanation to the events in this film. Films like Chris Gorak's Right at Your Door and Romero's The Crazies use the notion of a virus as their horror perfectly. The horror genre, as a whole, has turned away from the "less is more" approach and steered it toward a more is what is needed.

I saw the trailer for Quarantine last night and it looks like it's a shot by shot remake, and it even looks like they used the same set. And they ruin the movie for everyone by including the final shot of the film in the trailer.

Antoine Doinel wrote:I saw the trailer for Quarantine last night and it looks like it's a shot by shot remake, and it even looks like they used the same set. And they ruin the movie for everyone by including the final shot of the film in the trailer.

The trailer for [Rec] also included the final shot.

An excellent post on the film from the Spectacular Attractions blog. I added a comment to the end of the article, and I'll also reproduce it here:

Angela, the reporter who stays on camera for most of the running time, transforms from a keen but slightly jaded young woman (she’d clearly prefer to be covering a major news story instead of asking what firemen have for dinner) into a voracious newsgatherer, constantly exhorting her cameraman to “shoot everything.”

I’d agree in the sense that I get the impression that Angela does want to be that kind of voracious reporter - after all, isn’t the main reason camera crews tag around with the police, fire and ambulance crews the chance to capture a violent, dangerous or degrading ‘real life’ situation for the viewers to enjoy from the safety of their homes? (Could we also consider REC as being a kind of post 9/11 film, since that documentary covering the day by those French filmmakers began as a portrait of the daily activities of a New York fire crew and then took on the extra significance due to the timing?)

I would sort of characterise her as a reporter from a programme aimed at children who has an opportunity to start doing reports for adult audiences and is not yet entirely comfortable with speaking to an older group of people. This is likely just my own interpretation but I guess it would speak to her ambition (it may only be a small step up to handling a programme about night workers but she may be hoping to move onto the main news eventually) as well as her seeming a little out of her depth even in the early scenes at the fire station with a rather forced matey banter.

Perhaps another good comparison would be to Sarah Greene in Ghostwatch, where she brings all her children’s presenter baggage to a more adult 'show', yet still retains her child friendly banter and persona.

It never strikes me as if Angela has a handle on her situation once things spiral out of control with the first attack by the old lady. Up until then she is stage managing, keeping upbeat and affirming the order of society to her viewers (and us), but after things are taken out of her control she seems to be more of a broken woman. Or rather she retreats to just shooting everything with some futile attempts at ‘creating a narrative’ out of her world focused on the authorities outside and getting character profiles from the other inhabitants of the building.

One of the interesting things about these films would seem to be to “let someone know what is going on here” - but more than just narcissism it would seem to provide the character filming with a purpose in the story and often it seems to cause them to act with omnipotence, as if because they are filming the events through a camera there is no possibility of their being in any actual danger (whether that is taken as a statement about the blurring between reality and illusion - between ‘documentary’ and fictionalising for effect, or whether it could be seen more as people not feeling threatened by anything they see on a screen and actively place that barrier between themselves and the events to try and protect themselves might be interesting to discuss).

It makes sense then that the final sequences of Blair Witch, Cannibal Holocaust, Rec, Cloverfield and so on all end with that security of the camera operators being destroyed as they are killed. The finality of this could just be due to practical considerations (once the person filming has been killed who will continue to film?), but it also feels as if it is a necessary lesson for our characters to learn - that there is no inherent security through being the person wielding the camera, only for the audience who later view the footage you leave behind.

Perhaps a good early example of this idea might be John Savage’s photographer in Salvador who is killed while trying to get the best photograph of a plane strafing a village with gunfire.

In that sense there is no ‘final girl’ in these horror films any more - the audience now fulfills the role of the one who carries on with the knowledge of the events that have occured by watching the tape.

The message I take away from these films is very similar to, if not as bluntly expressed, Cannibal Holocaust. If you don’t have respect for what you are filming, whether it is a lion or tiger in the jungle, a warzone or even a possessed apartment block, then you are likely to be brutally killed through your underestimation. Though just going into such environments in the first place already signifies a lack of respect, or at least an intention to exploit events for your own gain, that marks such characters for an inevitable final reel death.

Saw this yesterday and thought it was one of the best POV movies ever--much better than Cloverfield, that Romero idiocy or Blair Witch. Why does every movie HAVE to be "original"? This is a very effective piece, beautifully shot. I was expecting grimy crappy video ala Cloverfield and BWitch but the film is quite nice to look at. I also disagree that you need to know who the tenants are. The last thing I want is wasting time on their backstory. The film is quite flabby in the first 10 minutes (did we really need any significant set up?--Cloverfield had the same problem) but after that it's a rollercoaster.

A wonderful treat for horror fans. At first I was put off by the perky reporter and the fake, staginess of the set up during the first half-hour but once the film shifted its gears when we entered the apartment complex, whoa it turned into a manic ride. The finale features the most freakish zombie I've ever seen and I've seen lots of zombie films. This is the best zombie film in a very long time, definitely superior to Romero's latest, 28 Days, the remakes, etc, hell it's the best since Romero's zombies of 1970s. The whole fake, staginess quality of the opening helps to keep you from being prepared for the ultimate reality of whatevers going inside the apartment complex. I'm so grateful for [rec] for not bearing itself down with ridiculous rivaltry or melodrama that ruined so many modern horror films esp.The Descent which could have been a great horror film.

I think it's very clever that the film introduces you to its zombies, making you assume you know everything about zombies, the film knows you've seen every zombie film and makes sure it doesn't follow the same trail once you feel "settled" with the zombies.
As you get deeper into the film, everything you think you know about zombies goes thrown out of the window and that's when it gets really scary.

Hi!

This is my first message in this forum and I must say to you that my English is very bad (sorry, I'm from Spain).

The sequel is being filmed now and the release date will be on September, maybe October...

Was I understood? #-o

CharLon wrote:This is my first message in this forum and I must say to you that my English is very bad (sorry, I'm from Spain).

The sequel is being filmed now and the release date will be on September, maybe October...

Was I understood? #-o

Your English is fine. And never apologise for being from Spain.

Your English is better then my Spanish. Plus Spain is great if just for Rota.

knives wrote:I'll hold him done for 30% of the profit.

knives wrote:I think an angle has earned its wings.

knives wrote:Your English is better then my Spanish.

His English is also better than your English.

Now that was a completely uncalled for completely fair potshot that I probably set up too easily.
Never remember to proofread these things.

swo17 wrote:

knives wrote:I'll hold him done for 30% of the profit.

knives wrote:I think an angle has earned its wings.

knives wrote:Your English is better then my Spanish.

His English is also better than your English.

Thank you my friends, but believe me, my English is very bad, I don't know say too many things but thanks to a web translator I can understand almost everything what you write \:D/
But my phrases are not even correct completely, they are too literal

Anyway, it's sufficient to recommend to you [REC] and the future sequel, [REC]2... Really terrifying!

Quarantine is a remake so equal to the original one that is better directly to watch the original.

¡Saludos!