[REC]
So yes, finally I got to sit down and watch [REC] this week... (Let's get the title spelling finally right;)).
For those of you who haven't heard about this Spanish language horror film, it's usually described as "The Blair Witch Project meets 28 Days Later". And although only released last year, [REC] has already received the Hollywood remake treatment, just like the Asian horror flicks The Ring, One Missed Call and Shutter. You can currently catch [REC] remake Quarantine in South African cinemas.
[REC] has been touted as one of the scariest films of the past few years. Having seen it now, I can mostly agree. I wasn't cringing on the couch but then again it's likely I was already braced for scares and screams, having already encountered so much online hype about the film. What [REC] is, is a helluva lot of fun, and pure exhilaration.
[REC] may be filmed in the hand-held camera style but it's masterfully done - much more convincing than Blair Witch, and, arguably, even this year's Cloverfield. The use of this "realistic" cinematography technique, which always encourages audience immersion, does not feel gimmicky in [REC] - it actually becomes an integral part of plot, as characters rewind tape to get a closer look at attacks, and switch to night vision to navigate pitch black hallways. Refreshingly too, the camerawork is hand-held without being overly jerky or visually confusing. At all times the audience can make out exactly what they are looking at.
With a running time of just 75 minutes, REC is incredibly taunt. It starts off slowly with vivacious television reporter Angela (Manuela Velasco) and her cameraman Pablo (Pablo Rosso) goofing around at a fire station while documenting a night in the life of two firefighters. When there's a call-out to rescue an old woman trapped in her apartment, Angela and Pablo tag along, and it's at this point that the film accelerates from zero to 100km/hr... and just doesn't let up.
Suddenly quarantined inside the apartment block, and denied communication with the outside world, Angela, Pablo, the firemen, and the building's residents have to work out for themselves what is going on - without giving into panic as bloodthirsty viciousness starts afflicting inhabitants.
Much like The Blair Witch Project, [REC] builds up to a final, strangely tranquil revelation. In this case though the final encounter delivers: it's horribly creepy. It also throws a completely unexpected angle on preceding events, adding enough ambiguity that I'm actually keen to re-watch the film. And that very rarely happens with me and the horror genre.
I seriously doubt that [REC] will ever be released in South Africa, so locals may have to settle for American remake Quarantine (or order [REC] via Amazon.co.uk) if they want a hand-held zombie movie experience. I'm actually likely to check out Quarantine now, largely out of curiosity to see how the remake compares to the excellent, if not outstanding, original.
For those of you who haven't heard about this Spanish language horror film, it's usually described as "The Blair Witch Project meets 28 Days Later". And although only released last year, [REC] has already received the Hollywood remake treatment, just like the Asian horror flicks The Ring, One Missed Call and Shutter. You can currently catch [REC] remake Quarantine in South African cinemas.
[REC] has been touted as one of the scariest films of the past few years. Having seen it now, I can mostly agree. I wasn't cringing on the couch but then again it's likely I was already braced for scares and screams, having already encountered so much online hype about the film. What [REC] is, is a helluva lot of fun, and pure exhilaration.
[REC] may be filmed in the hand-held camera style but it's masterfully done - much more convincing than Blair Witch, and, arguably, even this year's Cloverfield. The use of this "realistic" cinematography technique, which always encourages audience immersion, does not feel gimmicky in [REC] - it actually becomes an integral part of plot, as characters rewind tape to get a closer look at attacks, and switch to night vision to navigate pitch black hallways. Refreshingly too, the camerawork is hand-held without being overly jerky or visually confusing. At all times the audience can make out exactly what they are looking at.
With a running time of just 75 minutes, REC is incredibly taunt. It starts off slowly with vivacious television reporter Angela (Manuela Velasco) and her cameraman Pablo (Pablo Rosso) goofing around at a fire station while documenting a night in the life of two firefighters. When there's a call-out to rescue an old woman trapped in her apartment, Angela and Pablo tag along, and it's at this point that the film accelerates from zero to 100km/hr... and just doesn't let up.
Suddenly quarantined inside the apartment block, and denied communication with the outside world, Angela, Pablo, the firemen, and the building's residents have to work out for themselves what is going on - without giving into panic as bloodthirsty viciousness starts afflicting inhabitants.
Much like The Blair Witch Project, [REC] builds up to a final, strangely tranquil revelation. In this case though the final encounter delivers: it's horribly creepy. It also throws a completely unexpected angle on preceding events, adding enough ambiguity that I'm actually keen to re-watch the film. And that very rarely happens with me and the horror genre.
I seriously doubt that [REC] will ever be released in South Africa, so locals may have to settle for American remake Quarantine (or order [REC] via Amazon.co.uk) if they want a hand-held zombie movie experience. I'm actually likely to check out Quarantine now, largely out of curiosity to see how the remake compares to the excellent, if not outstanding, original.
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