Review of [REC] (2007) by Michael C — 04 Apr 2012

One of the better subjective camera (or shaky cam) as it is often referred to) horror films, this film looks doesn't seem like it cost that much to produce but the results are surprisingly effective and it makes for a refreshingly different take on the zombie genre.

Chronicling a reporter who is doing a ride-along with local firefighters in Mexico, the story takes a turn when the tenement building they are called to is housing an infected woman, who after biting one of the firefighters begins to spread the infection to the point that the denizens in the building are all quarantined off inside.

The way it was shot doesn't impair the viewing experience this time, but instead enhances the feeling of claustrophobia and isolation. The movie also does a strong enough job of establishing the over-zealousness of the reporter so that you can somewhat buy that she would continue to roll film even as all of the horrors that are happening in the film occur.

This film was remade in the US as "Quarantine" and the remake is actually a good film in its own right, but this Spanish-language original is definitely the superior picture.