[Rec] (2007)

Directed by: Jaume Balagueró, Paco Plaza | 85 minutes | horror, thriller | Actors: Javier Botet, Manuel Bronchud, Martha Carbonell, Claudia Font, Vicente Gil, Maria Lanau, Carlos Lasarte, María Teresa Ortega, Pablo Rosso, Pep Sais, Jorge Serrano, Ferran Terraza, Manuela Velasco, David Vert, Carlos Vicente

In a clever mix of reality TV and ‘The Blair Witch Project’, the Spanish low budget production ‘REC’ knows how to terrify its audience. That the makers succeed in this better than much more expensive creations is not even that remarkable in itself, it only proves that the basis for a good horror are empathetic situations and that expensive CGI effects are not necessary for terrifying moments. Cheap scares are completely omitted in ‘REC’. Because the film is shown entirely from the perspective of cameraman Pablo, the viewer is not steered in a direction thanks to the lack of background music. And sometimes the audience even takes over its role, it feels, so that it stays close to the characters.

As unbelievable as the plot may be, the chilling threat posed by the situation feels lifelike and will evoke a nightmare in everyone. Being in a building, where something terrible is going on and you are no longer let out by the authorities, without knowing why, is a very scary thought. The feelings this evokes among those involved in ‘REC’ are therefore very recognisable. There is a disagreement between a policeman and the rest: the policeman wants to follow strict rules and in doing so goes against the wishes of the other residents, who are looking for a literal way out of the building in every possible way. The mother who is worried about her feverish daughter is also very recognisable, her impotent grief for her husband who cannot enter with the antibiotics he has just picked up is palpable. Also the character Angela is very real. The presenter of ‘While You Are Sleeping’, the program for which she and Pablo are recording during one night with the staff of the local fire station, initially indicates in a short chat with her colleague that she hardly sees the usefulness. realizes her mission. “If it gets too boring, stop spinning, I don’t want to waste a tape,” is her motto.

It also looks like it’s going to be a long night at first: when one of the firefighters says that 70 percent of calls the fire station receive are boring problems like burst water pipes and pet rescues. It’s amazing that the makers of the attractive Angela didn’t even make a particularly likeable main character; she’s a bit self-righteous and headstrong. But her opinion that – when they are in the middle of the disaster scenario – they should keep filming, you can only share as a viewer, no matter how the viewer’s attitude towards reality TV is.

The horror scenes abound; the chance that you will remain calm in your chair is almost minimal. The great thing about ‘REC’ is that there are no rules: with vampires, werewolves and zombies you know what the characteristics are, with the infected victims in ‘REC’ no precedent has yet been set. This ensures that the story remains unpredictable and the tension remains tight. The short running time only benefits the film, the shaky camera work is very realistic, although you have to be able to handle it. An absolute must. You have to experience ‘REC’!