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[REC] 2007 ★★★★
[rec] stands tall as one of the classics of the found footage subgenre. Easily makes the all time top-five as far as I am concerned.
We follow a local tv crew – that's your excuse to keep filming out the way – on a routine assignment following the Barcelona fire department. At first, they seem shit out of luck as nothing much happens, the firefighters do not particularly have much to say and the few women in the firehouse run away at the mere sight of a camera. Needless to say, the report is not going very well.
Angela (enthusiasticly) So guys, you must have a lot of spectacular nights?
Firefighter (dryly): Nope. It's mostly pretty boring. And we hope it stays that way.
Which brings us to the first quality of this movie: the characters. Pablo and Angela come across as genuine reporters, trying to make the best of the situation. Making them instantly relatable. Angela is adorable in her attempts to put up a brave face. As is actress Manuela Velasco. This Angela is not a boy, that's for sure.
Relief comes when they get a call about a disturbance in an appartment complex. Something about an old lady screaming. They go over and get into their first (of many) “stop filming” quarrels with the police. With Angela urging Pablo to keep filming everthing... no matter what. After all, the public has a right to know.
It quickly turns out to be far from routine when the old lady does not really seem capable of conversation and then proceeds to bite one of the police officers on site. But it's only when a dead firefighter falls down the stairs that things really go south. From then on, you as a viewer are permanently on the edge of your seat. Completely immersed in the action. Meanwhile, Paco Plaza shows why is a genius of the Spanish horror by slowly putting the pieces of the puzzle together, showing the origin of the infestation.
He also shows how he masterfully builds up suspense. On a rewatch, you know what's coming (like the little girl biting her mother or the final shot of Angela), but when it actually happens, it still gets you. Scary stuff and a must watch for every horror fan.
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