REC: DVD

SYNOPSIS:
An ambitious young television reporter (Manuela Velasco) and her cameraman Pablo (voice of Javier Coromina) follow Alex (David Vert) and Manu (Ferran Terraza) of the fire station the crew on a call to rescue an elderly woman trapped in her apartment. But the television report takes an unexpectedly dark turn when the old lady plunges her teeth into the neck of the policeman on the scene. As chaos and panic erupt, the authorities close off the building to contain the mysterious outbreak, with everyone trapped inside the apartment block. The bad news is that the outbreak is a virus that turns victims into flesh eaters. There is no good news.

Review by Andrew L. Urban:
This Spanish horror thriller is based on a great idea that takes a new bite at the zombie genre, combined with a different way of telling the story - namely as if it were a news report on a regular reality show that is hijacked by events. All that is edgy and fresh, with the news camera delivering the images. Manuela Velasco is terrific and credible as the young reporter caught up in a hideous situation and the direction is invisible by design.

The downside is that the entire film is shot on very jumpy hand held camera, which is not only tiring on the eyes but frustrating as we are often denied crucial visual information. Still, I recognise that this is the filmmakers' intent - to create a sense of reality as the cameraman records the chaos and panic engulfing him. To take this concept to its ultimate logical conclusion, there is no music in the film (until the end credits).

For all that, some of the material is either repetitious or padding. But there are some genuine moments of panic and tension, and the story has a sharply authentic possibility that is often lacking in this genre.

The film spirals into sheer panic as the lights fail and even the small camera spotlight is broken; Pablo has to switch to night vision which further reduces visibility, adding a faint blue tinge to what little is seen through the lens. But you wouldn't want to see any more , anyway.

Published October 30, 2008