Indie Horror-thon: REC (2007)

There is nothing scarier than a lethal virus that turns its hosts into aggressive, demonic zombies. Well, except being quarantined into an apartment building full of residents who you aren’t sure are infected. Co-written and directed by Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza, REC is widely considered the greatest shaky-cam horror film ever made and for good reason– REC is a frantic, nightmare-inducing thrill ride full of violent twists and turns.

REC was developed on a $2 million budget. The film premiered in August 2007 at the 64th Venice International Film Festival. It was also shown in October 2007 at the Sitges Film Festival and the Málaga International Week of Fantastic Cinema in November, before going on general release in Spain weeks later.

REC is shot found-footage style from the perspective of a television news reporter Angela and her cameraman Pablo, who go to a fire station to film a documentary about night-shift firefighters. Angela and Pablo follow the workers on their first call of the night to a rundown apartment building.

When they arrive, they discover a zombiefied old woman who attacks one of the police officers, who then appears infected by the same virus. The government declares the situation a biological emergency, sealing the entire building and shooting anyone who tries to escape. Angela and company are forced to sprint from different rooms of the apartment building to survive assaults from those infected.

The filming style is similar to the ones employed in the Blair Witch Project, but the claustrophobic setting makes this styles exponentially more effective in creating a sense of panic and terror. When the characters are trapped in a horrific and tightly enclosed space, the shaky-cam style puts us in the shoes as Angela and her cameraman attempt to solve the mysteries of the virus’ origins.

Angela is constantly addressing the camera and cameraman, narrating the events, as she believes the tape will eventually reach the public. She tries to expose the actions of the government, who traps them in the building “like hamsters.” It seems like it would grow excessive and distracting, but her demands for the police and government workers to explain what’s going on

The gore is terrifyingly realistic. Even for those numb to the blood and guts of horror films, it’s shocking how authentic it feels in REC. Ultimately, the violence adds to the film’s dread even more than the scares, because every step Angela takes has grave consequences.

REC was so well-received that it spawned three sequels: REC 2 in 2009, REC 3: Genesis in 2012 and the upcoming REC 4: Apocalypse, which will be released in Spain at the end of this month and is the planned end of the franchise. Every installment in the series was made with the same budget. REC was also remade into the American release, Quarantine. Although it’s mostly a direct copy and was produced with six times the budget, Quarantine is less effective for a handful of reasons including its narrative playing down the demonic elements of the original.

This Spanish horror film cleverly builds on suspense that leads to an unrelenting series of high-stakes atrocities. The final act of REC is one of the scariest 30 minutes in the history film.

REC can be purchased on Amazon right here.

Barry Falls Jr
Barry was the managing editor of his university newspaper before contributing as a freelance content creator for Yahoo News and Esquire. He founded Horror Theory in 2014 to analyze horror films through a sociological lens.

Latest articles

Don’t Breathe (2016): The Urban Decay of Deindustrialized Detroit and United State’s Neglect of Veterans

2016 was a big year for horror films featuring home invasions. Hush showcased Oculus director Mike Flanagan’s exhilarating twist with a hearing-impaired...

Green Room (2015): The Festering Ultra-Violent Rage of ‘Angry White Males’ in Pre-Tr*mp America

It probably is not a coincidence that, in 2016, A24 released their horror-thriller masterpiece Green Room the same month that Republican presidential...

The Invitation (2015): The Spiritual Philosophy of Bereavement and the Cult of Social Civility

Tonight is the night our faith becomes real, reads the tagline for The Invitation, the psychological horror thriller that chronicles the dinner...

We Are Still Here (2015): The Supernatural Dread of Denial, Grief, and Rural Isolationism

There’s a reason why haunted-house films are such a welcomed mainstay in the horror genre. The house as a safe space and...

The Witch (2015): The Self-Fulfilling Prophecy of Puritan Moral Panic and Patriarchal Family Dynamics

The 2010s marked a notable resurgence of religious themes and imagery in horror film. Perhaps most faithful to theological folklore was 2015’s...

It Follows (2014): Sex, Nostalgia, and The Existential Dread of Emerging Adulthood

Sex and horror have been tethered together in film since the genre's beginnings. Horror cinema remains one of the sharpest means for...

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISMENT

Related articles

ADVERTISMENT