[REC]

Year: 2007
Directors: Jaume Balaguero & Paco Plaza
Cast: Manuela Velasco, Ferran Terraza, Jorge Serrano, Pablo Rosso


Some of you might remember reading my review on the horror flick Quarantine not too long ago. I was fortunate enough to catch the original film that Quarantine was based on, [REC]. And yet, at the same time, it was also unfortunate that I watched this, but more on that later.

So I'll run the story by you again: this film is supposedly discovered footage of a TV crew filming the night shift of a fire station crew. The TV crew, made up of reporter Angela Vidal and cameraman Pablo, follow two firemen who answer a distress call concerning an old lady at a downtown apartment complex. When they arrive there, they attempt to help the lady to the hospital, only to be horrifyingly attacked by the lady that goes berserk all of a sudden. One fireman and a policeman are seriously injured, and before they can get backup, the building is suddenly sealed off by the authorities.

Angela, Pablo, the other fireman, another policeman and the building occupants start to panic fast, not knowing what exactly is happening. Soon they learn that a virus is causing all of them to turn violent, and they slowly fall victim one by one. The uninfected have to fight for their lives, with no way to escape.

Again, let me clarify that this film is the original, and Quarantine is the remake. And I had already watched the latter previously, and now I realise to my disappointment that the makers of Quarantine pretty much copied 95% of [REC]. The way it starts, runs and ends is uncannily identical. It's not exactly the same shot for shot, because John Erick Dowdle, who made Quarantine added a few more things in his version, and I can't say specifically without ruining your enjoyment of his film. Nevertheless, the fact that they copied so much of the original meant that watching the original now leaves no room for surprise. I was able to see where all the scares would come from, and that killed the thrill for me. No doubt that the atmosphere of the film and the scary elements are still enough to give me chills, but the excitement is depleted due to the familiarity.

However, does that mean that [REC] is a bad movie? No. Far from it. This IS the original take on the story, so it should be good too. For one thing, directors Jaume Balaguero and Paco Plaza used more lighting than Dowdle did, and it makes it easier to see what's happening on screen. The editing is also better, at least we are spared a boring and lengthy intro. Dowdle must have used up ten minutes of film for the fire station scene in Quarantine, [REC] only spent half the time for that. [REC] also includes a nifty trick that Quarantine ignored; there are moments when the sound gets cut or disrupted due to the camera being 'shaken' or getting bumped, which adds realism to the footage. And most importantly, Manuela Velasco, who plays Angela Vidal is much prettier than Jennifer Carpenter, and a better actress too.

I recommend this film to anyone who enjoys horror, and if you haven't seen Quarantine yet, you have an even better reason to see this. (3.5/5)