REC

As Cloverfield recently demonstrated, there is still life in making movies through the angle of a video camera, ala The Blairwitch Project. But where Cloverfield was a nausea-inducing exercise of shaky camera angles, crudely constructed conspiracy theory, and big-budget viral marketing, something more intimate and scary recently came out of Spain.

Out of the land of matadors came Rec, a “video camera footage” movie that scared the tapas out of cinemagoers there. The movie also ended up winning several awards and is quickly becoming a horror cult classic. After checking it out, it’s easy to see what all the fuss is about.

The movie follows the ill-fated TV crew duo of host Angela Vidal and her cameraman as they shoot what should be a boring all-night documentary about what firemen do while the average person sleeps. Things are routine until the fire department is called to address some strange things happening in an apartment complex.

At the complex, well, all kinds of bad things start happening and people go from average Spanish citizen into flesh-hungry creatures straight out of 28 Days Later. The TV crew, firemen and residents can’t leave either as government officials have sealed off the building in a quarantine bid.
Up to the crew reaching the apartment, the pace is pretty laid back and harmless—no doubt, an intentional build of pace to put the audience in a false state of calm. When the first sign of terror shows up though, the pace keeps getting faster and faster, right up to the movie’s harrowing conclusion.

What ultimately makes Rec such a gem is that it knows not to overstay its welcome. The movie is only about 75 minutes and accomplishes more in that time than horror flicks almost twice that length. The reason behind the horror is also only explained through clues and never blatantly spelt out.

Hollywood already purchased the rights to this movie and will release a remake, called Quarantine, later this year. If you’ve seen any of the Hollywood remakes of non-English horror films (The Grudge, The Eye, One Missed Call), you should know well enough that you better catch the original Rec before the experience gets inevitably watered down.

Rec’s impact is akin to a really great rollercoaster ride. You sit back, get yourself shaken silly and, amazingly enough in spite of all the abuse, you want more.

Director Jaume Balagueró Cast Manuela Velasco Javier Botet Manuel Bronchud Runtime 75 minutes Opens 3 July

Text Adlin Rosli