REC

Film: REC

Year: 2007

Director: Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza

Writer: Jaume Balagueró, Luiso Berdejo and Paco Plaza

Starring: Manuela Velasco, Ferran Terraza and Jorge-Yamam Serrano

Review:

To start this off, I must admit that I saw the American remake first, Quarantine. I was in college and I would see most of the new horror films at the time. I dug it and it wasn’t until afterwards that I realized it was a remake. That’s the only time I’ve seen that one. This original version I watched originally for an October movie challenge. I’ve now given it a second watch since it was part of the Horror Head to Head series on the Podcast Under the Stairs.

Synopsis: a television reporter and cameraman follow emergency workers into a dark apartment building and is quickly locked inside with something terrifying.

We start this off with Ángela (Manuela Velasco) as she does her intro for the show he hosts called ‘While You’re Sleeping’. It showcases jobs that happen while most everyone else is asleep. She is there with her camera man Pablo (Pablo Rosso), who we never really see, but we hear his voice. For their next episode, they’re in a firehouse and going to be following two firefighters, Manu (Ferran Terraza) and Álex (David Vert). It shows a normal night until an alarm sounds. They get into the truck and head to an apartment building.

They learn from people in the lobby what happened when they arrive. There are an elderly couple of María Teresa Ortega and Manuel Bronchud, with María making the call after she heard screaming. There is also a hysterical mother, Maria Lanau, with her daughter Jennifer (Claudia Silva). She is sick with what her mother believes to be tonsillitis. Also, there is a Japanese couple with their child and a medical intern Guillem (Carlos Vicente). He is also the superintendent for this building. I should point out that many of these characters do not have names so I’m giving the actors’ names instead.

The police arrived first with an older one portrayed by Vicente Gil, and the other by Jorge-Yamam Serrano. They’re not thrilled about the film crew being here and Serrano constantly wants them to stop filming. They go up to the apartment where the screaming was coming from and it belongs to an older lady, Sra. Izquierdo (Martha Carbondell). They go in and she is standing there. They try to help her and she bites Vincente in the neck. They knock her out and take him downstairs. As they try to leave, they’re sealed in by a medical team. They’re told to stay back and wait for the health inspector as they’re under quarantine for the time being.

We quickly see the deterioration of humanity others are attacked and the residents start to blame each other for what caused this infection. Serrano and Manu try to keep everyone calm as they work out what is happening. Finding a way out is the focus. There’s much more to the story as Ángela interviews the residents and this apartment harbors a dark secret.

That is where I’ll leave my recap and introduction to the characters. I’ll say again that I saw the remake first. Ahead of seeing this that first time, I heard podcast break this film down. I didn’t think that it would ruin the film, assuming that this version wasn’t too much different from the one I had seen previously. I can say that I see why this one is better now after that first watch. The second time around solidified that. I do still want to revisit the remake now.

The first thing to delve into is that this is filmed in found footage. As a story guy, I need a good reason for someone to be filming everything and why do they always have the camera in hand. I think this one presents a great story there. We have this documentary film crew who happens to be stuck in what is happening. You get the feel that the government is going to cover this up, so we have them filming everything to ensure that the truth gets out. I’m not going to lie though, even though I had an idea of the ending, I still feel like despite their efforts, they aren’t going to make it out of here. Any time you get government cover ups, you have that glimmer of hope that you know is ill advised.

I want to transition to what our creature is and that this is an infected film. Much like 28 Days Later, I don’t consider this a zombie movie per say. I think that is a subgenre from the zombie film, but these are infected people. Much like the other film I referenced, it is a form of rabies. There is also a religious angle here that I love. It is subtle and late in the film, but this idea of how to explain a very common horror film concept is great. Taking it a step farther, it has an interesting idea of how it works here that is different from things in the past. How information is presented is what helps build as well.

The last aspect of the story to cover is the deterioration of society. If you know me, you know that I’m a generally positive person. My view on humanity is where I’m nihilistic. I don’t think humanity is a good thing for this planet, but I’m making the best of my existence. I bring this up because I love to see what happens when you isolate people like we get here and see how they immediately turn on each other. We have Serrano who takes his fear out on Pablo and Ángela for wanting to film this. The hysterical mother and others blame the Japanese family, because their culture is different. It is more fitting with things that get revealed as we go. In times of crisis, we see how quickly we breakdown to primal ways.

Let me then shift from there to the acting. The acting is amateur, but that gives it charm. Velasco was a professional newsperson who was new to the game and that works for the type of show she’s on. It is where someone would get their start. She does get a bit annoying, but I think that comes off realistic in the situation she finds herself. She is also attractive as well. Terraza is solid and I like that he is the counter to Serrano who hates that he’s being filmed. Vert is good as our other firefighter we get to know ahead of getting trapped. Rosso is good as the cameraman. I do like Serrano as this police officer who is annoyed by Ángela. I would say that the rest of the cast rounds out the film for what is needed. I also thought the infected people did well at being scary as well. No one stands out, but if I’m honest, I’m glad they don’t. I think that could take away some of the realistic feel to the movie.

I’ll then finish out with filmmaking. I’m glad they didn’t go heavy with effects and stuck to practical. When you have CGI in a film like this, it can change the feeling and lose that sense of realism. This doesn’t. I think the use of the handheld camera was good, it feels like we are right there with them. It helps amplify certain jump-scares to the point where it almost is like a VR experience. There’s even a slight breaking of the fourth wall that works. I thought the look of the infected people was creepy as well. Other than that, the sound design is good to make it feel like we’re there with them.

In conclusion, I’m mad at myself for waiting so long to see this film for the first time. I do think I lost a bit seeing the remake first, but this is superior to me. I like the concept of this late-night show filming and getting caught in a nightmare. The explanation we get for what is causing this is natural and I can buy it. The acting fits the found footage style. Their fear feels real, which is good. This is also well-made from the framing, cinematography to the effects and sound design. The only thing I’ll warn you about is that this is in Spanish. I don’t think there’s too much dialogue though. I think this is one of the best in the subgenre.

My Rating: 10 out of 10