.Rec (2008) Movie Information:

.Rec (2008) Directed by: Jaume Balagueró, Paco Plaza .Rec (2008) Written by: Jaume Balagueró .Rec (2008) Cast: Manuela Velasco, Ferran Terraza, Jorge Serrano, Carlos Vicente, Carlos Lasarte, David Vert, Pablo Rosso, Claudia Font, Vicente Gil, Martha Carbonell, María Teresa Ortega, Manuel Bronchud

.Rec (2008) U.S. Distributor: Not available at this time .Rec (2008) U.K. Distributor: Odeon Sky Filmworks

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.Rec (2008) Synopsis:

Angela (Velasco) is a TV presenter working with her faithful cameraman Pablo to make a fly-on-the-wall report about a firehouse. She's clearly bored rigid as she interviews a couple of firefighters (Terraza and Vert), but perks up when they head out to investigate a strangely behaving old woman (Carbonell)--a situation that turns desperate when she attacks the firemen, cops and other residents. Then the health authorities quarantine the building, and they're all trapped in the stairwell. Apparently it's some sort of contagious disease. And the sick aren't dying properly.

.Rec (2008) Movie Review:

Essentially, these Spanish filmmakers took the best sequence from The Blair Witch Project (the terrifying finale) and turned it into an entire movie. The result is thoroughly unnerving and often almost unbearably scary, even if there's not much to it.

Angela (Velasco) is a TV presenter working with her faithful cameraman Pablo to make a fly-on-the-wall report about a firehouse. She's clearly bored rigid as she interviews a couple of firefighters (Terraza and Vert), but perks up when they head out to investigate a strangely behaving old woman (Carbonell)--a situation that turns desperate when she attacks the firemen, cops and other residents. Then the health authorities quarantine the building, and they're all trapped in the stairwell. Apparently it's some sort of contagious disease. And the sick aren't dying properly.

It's always great to see a new spin on the zombie genre, and the subjective camera brilliantly puts us in the line of fire, with lots of things that leap out of nowhere. After the rather relaxed and goofy opening sequence, the film shifts gears and never slows down, cranking up the suspense and fear, and refusing to cut away from the gore (as any decent news cameraman would get it all).

A few characters emerge, but we don't really get to know them beyond paranoias and prejudices. The shrinking number of survivors are only worrying about getting out alive, while Pablo's goal is to catch everything on tape. As opposed to Cloverfield, there's a reason why he's so adept with a camera: he's a trained professional. And his camera actually becomes part of the story. Meanwhile, Velasco is terrific as the witty, tenacious, obnoxious TV hack.

Meanwhile, the filmmakers make the most of the claustrophobic setting, especially as the story closes in horrifically on Angela and Pablo. Yes, it's repetitive and murky, and very simple, but the increasing chaos and grisliness are gripping. Like the characters themselves, we are desperate to get out of this sealed building, outraged by the knee-jerk authorities and rattled by the snarling undead hiding in every dark doorway. Can't imagine that the requisite American remake (titled Quarantine) will be half this effective or exhilarating.

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.Rec (2008) review written by: Rich Cline