[REC]

There's a lot of these shaky-cam movies around at the moment, and among your "Cloverfield"s and "Diary Of The Dead"s this low budget Spanish movie may seem like the underdog, but it's punching way above its weight.

Filmed by a TV crew stumbling upon something very nasty happening in an apartment block, the movie is shot and acted brilliantly, the sense of unease gradually giving way to all out terror. While it's obviously derivative of movies like "The Last Broadcast" and "The Blair Witch Project" it manages to deliver in a way that those movies couldn't thanks to some brilliant set-pieces. It's not even out in the UK yet and Hollywood have already remade it (the inevitably inferior "Quarantine") but do yourself a favor and spend an evening in the dark with the original. You'll regret it, but in the best possible way. Terrific.

Watched it at Sitges Internation Film Festival.

Now.. Not being a fan of "home-made" cinema I was extremely suspecting about this film. The first 5 minutes really put you down.. I was thinking "Oh no.. Not another amateur experiment please!".. But that's exactly what they are meant for.

After you relax and even prepare for occasional laughter at how bad a film it is the story slowly swirls and sinks in you with pulsating intensity and believe me: You are going to jump all over your seat for the rest of the film.

Please: Do not take kids with you unless they are grown up enough to deal with horror movies or you are up to a few non-sleep nights full of tears and nightmares.

If you love good horror movies you'll love this one.

I am not usually commenting on movies here (i rather read other people's comments) but i just finished watching REC and i felt i really had to comment, even if it's just to get my heart rate down ! First of all let me say this is one hell of a terrifying movie, i think i don't have to repeat the synopsis (several people already did that before me)...the story doesn't seem to be very original, we all have seen zombie movies before. But because of the claustrophobic setting this is totally different after all. It's a brilliant move to let it take place in an apartment building, with limited space. Also the first person way it's shot (which has done before as well) adds to the claustrophobic atmosphere of the movie. That and quite few great scares (which you really won't see coming from a mile away like a lot of (Hollywood) "horror" movies) and the great (and shocking) ending, makes this movies one of the best horror flicks i have ever seen. Literally. And believe me, i have seen a lot of them. Hollywood...watch and learn ! You don't need gallons of blood and body parts flying around to make a movie that will scare the living hell out of you !

REC is a film that utilises the POV (Point of View) camera technique for the entirety of its duration. It is a technique in which the person behind the camera is a character that is integral to the plot, narrative and story of the film. In brief, REC is a horror film that begins with the crew of a TV show, called While You Sleep, making a documentary about firemen. As the film progresses the crew are lucky enough to accompany the fireman on a call out to a local apartment building.

Undoubtedly and unsurprisingly REC will be measured by the film The Blair Witch Project, especially given its plot and the manner in which the film plays out. Comparatively REC is also a horror, low budget, sticks to a female lead and has an ending that is very similar. Although The Blair Witch Project was a ground breaking film, given its illustrious marketing campaign and widespread fooling of audiences, if the two are to be judged purely on their viewing merits then REC is by far the superior – if anything REC is the film that the Blair Witch should have been. It is the film that I wanted to see when I queued up in the rain, 10 years ago full of hype, anticipation and adolescent excitement.

Despite REC being a better film than The Blair Witch Project some critics have attacked it for employing such a tired technique that has been used too much in recent films (i.e. Cloverfield and the forth coming Diary of The Dead). The method that has been employed in REC is, I believe, a method that is now firmly embedded in the medley of cinematic processes that a film-maker may chose to exert. It seems strange to me that once a new technique is discovered or employed and put to use regularly, people and critics complain – especially when it works. Granted, if we are subjected to a recent flurry of films all using similar methods then yes, it deserves further scrutiny and what usually surfaces is that greedy studios are exploiting market trends.

The film is co-directed by Jaume Balaguero and Paco Plaza and they have clearly dipped into the bucket of clichés with REC, but in doing so they have created something that is both fresh and reinvigorating. It should be noted that clichés aren't always a bad thing and when put to good use can give the audience exactly what they came to see. It's true that the plot is minimal and there are loose ends, but then the vast majority of horror films often suffer from these traits, and sometimes purposefully, but with REC it doesn't make the film any less enjoyable. It is also evident from the plot and the methods employed that the film is very low budget, but this does not do it any harm, instead it complements the narrative and increases the films appeal.

I believe the true quality of the film lies in its ability to cleverly use the history of the genre and the bare minimal of resources to its maximum potential and, unlike Cloverfield, there's little room to doubt the reasons for the cameraman to continue filming and this is (like Blair Witch) due to the fact it's his job. He is there to film a documentary and in true cameraman style his instincts take over. The acting on show here is also a lot better than Cloverfield and the people all look normal, some are even unattractive.

To put it bluntly REC contains some of the most fear inducing and scariest scenes of recent times. It achieves a level of fear that's rarely experienced in cinema and if watching the film carefully it can be seen how. REC has been made by people that are incredibly familiar with the horror genre and fans will recognise the homage's and the inspirations used, from Evil Dead, to The Shining, to 28 Days later and many more. With such a wealth of horror-viewing-experience combined with inspired film-making they are able to draw upon some of the best moments in horror history.

Towards the final reels the film plays like an amalgamation of ideas and inspirations. One of which is the influence of contemporary video gaming as some scenes allude to how certain computer games work (most notably first person shooters) and this is supported by the POV technique as we, the viewer, live the character of the cameraman much in the same way a gamer lives the character he/she is in control of. This notion is furthered by the different levels in the apartment building, the films use of rooms, the final scenes and several allegories to various computer games including Resident Evil, Alone in the Dark and Silent Hill.

For a feature film it is incredibly short at only 75 minutes, in fact it is closer to the length of a TV documentary which is perhaps its aim. I cannot recommend this film enough and have even tried to construct my review in a way as to not give too much away; as it is a film that needs to seen. Watch it with the lights off, with a friend and in a small room. Enjoy.

A beautiful female TV reporter and her cameraman follow a group of firemen on a call. They go to an apartment building where loud screams are heard from an elderly woman's unit. The fireman break into her apartment. She's bleeding and screaming nonstop and attacks them. It seems she's infected and the other residents might be too. Authorities seal off the building allowing no one out and they all have to deal with each other...and the infection.

VERY bloody and gory with good acting. Even better it moves quickly (it's only 78 minutes) and never stops. Very scary and unsettling. It was remade in the US as "Quarantine" in 2008. That's good too but this is better!