Review of [REC] (2007) by Anthony L — 02 Oct 2015

Film #3 of Hoop-Tober.

"We have to tape everything, Pablo. For fuck's sake.".

A television reporter and cameraman follow emergency workers into a dark apartment building and are quickly locked inside with something terrifying. [IMDb].

When I first saw [REC], I thought it was the scariest found footage film ever made and now that I've watched this alone in the dark, I can confirm that I still stand by my initial thought. Fuck. Guaranteed you won't catch me in another apartment complex again. This movie is absolutely fucking terrifying and a must-see for horror buffs. Definitely my favorite horror flick from 2007. This is how you do horror, Hollywood.

[REC] is a film that grabs you by the throat and doesn't let go and I praise it for that because this movie doesn't give you time to breathe once it kicks on. This is a found-footage flick that doesn't annoy you with its shaky-cam or a horrible excuse as to why the cameraman is filming everything. The opening twenty minutes really sell the whole reasoning and you quickly begin to feel like you're watching an on-scene news report. It's extremely realistic and that's what counts in the end. It makes the whole ordeal in the apartment that much more bone-chilling.

I can gush about how well portrayed the characters are. Oh my God, the acting is top-notch and it makes everything so believable. It's never over-the-top and it's never weak. The level of acting stays in the perfect honey spot throughout the whole film. The story is simple so it's great that the fear never lets up once Jaume lets the beast out of the cage. This is definitely his best film and he hits all the right beats throughout the run-time. I had a difficult time breathing once the credits began to roll, I commend you Jaume. You scared the fuck out of me.

Especially once they go up to the attic.

Fuck.

And that ending scene. It is beyond words. I am not gonna say anything about it but it just might be one of the most fear-inducing and completely bloodcurdling scenes to ever come out of horror cinema. It's the one last trick on this roller-coaster ride of a found footage film and it's worth the ticket. Highly recommended. I absolutely love [REC] and I hope that you will too when you check it out. Watch this with the lights out. I fucking dare you.