Cinematography:
Pablo RossoCast:
Manuela Velasco, Javier Botet, Manuel Bronchud, Martha Carbonell, Clàudia Silva, Vicente Gil, Ferran Terraza, Pablo Rosso, Ana Isabel Velásquez, David Vert (more)Plots(1)
A television film crew, documenting the night shift of a Barcelona fire brigade, get much more than they bargained for when they attend an apparently routine call-out. Upon arrival at an inner city apartment, the firefighters are viciously attacked by the elderly female occupant, who appears to be in the throes of some sort of viral infection. Before long, the virus has taken hold of the entire building, which is cordoned off by the authorities. Trapped inside, the television crew - using their cameras to capture the events as they unfold - and the other remaining survivors find themselves pitched into a nightmare of unimaginable proportions. (Arrow Films)
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Reviews (10)
The fact that the Americans are currently lagging far behind Europe in horror filmmaking is something we have seen several times recently, and this Spanish psychological thriller is a prime example of the European domination. REC combines to perfection all the tried-and-tested horror techniques, such as handheld camerawork, shooting in a small space and the complete absence of music, resulting in a disturbing and bloody adrenaline ride with an appropriately short runtime that doesn't allow the viewer to slack off for a moment, forcing them to constantly chew their fingernails. The grand finale in the style of Silence of the Lambs deserves my respect just because I was sweating at least five times more intensely than in the case of the famous thriller. The potential for a sequel is great, but the bar is set perhaps too high. Very strong 4*.
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The handheld camera is seasonally in style, zombies and satanic worshipers with rabies have been doing well for a few decades, so why not combine it all together... In addition, the film as a whole works well and escalates very solidly in the end. What undermines this film, like the American film Monster, is the ostentatious playing for effect and the violent emphasis on everything being filmed NOW, AUTHENTICALLY, IMMEDIATELY. The result is compulsion, predictability, and annoying hysteria, but these smudges fail to cloud my otherwise positive impression. [Rec] can be watched with gusto and a slightly indulgent smile, but it radiates somewhat of sympathetic aura. I like it...
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If it weren’t for the ending in the secret room, my satisfaction would be almost boundless. Not because the finale in the attic is bad, but I didn’t think it fitted with what came before it at all. Simply the first hour seems out of place with the final fifteen minutes, and vice versa. But otherwise, everything is as it should be. Atmosphere cuttable by knife, ideas and ideal pace and it’s punchy and effective like an attack by Barça FC. I will definitely have to think hard about where to stay in Barcelona this time round. One thing I know for sure, I won’t stay in an old tenement block under any circumstances.
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This movie is awesome! It’s been long since a horror film pulled me into the story in such way that I felt scared. REC is probably the best and most original zombie flick I’ve even seen and far above all the other films shot with a “handheld camera”. Unlike Blair Witch, it never gets boring (really, things move at full steam from beginning to end, there isn’t a single quiet moment), the characters are very believable in their fear, terror and ignorance, and their behaviour is logical (unlike Cloverfield). The old house and the fact that danger can lurk behind every door generate an amazing atmosphere that is best enjoyed watching the film alone and in the dark. I now must correct my ranking of favourite horror movies. Wholeheartedly recommended.
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Although I'm glad that the "randomly filmed unorganized horror" format still works great, this time it might have been a bit too much for me. While I was willing to hold my breath during The Blair Witch Project and cower in fear during Cloverfield, [Rec] not only failed to make me identify with anyone (kill the reporter with her eternal "Keep filming! Film everything!") but the best parts are not about the atmosphere and the escalating tension, but rather about when there's a moment that stops my heart and bursts my eardrums. And even though those moments are really deadly, I need much more satisfaction than that.
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![[Rec] - Photos](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w663/files/images/film/photos/161/977/161977476_4e4e6a.jpg)
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