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From Amazon.co.uk
Rec starts with a good, solid, straightforward idea. Its plan? To focus us on TV reporters, who are following a group of firemen as they go about their shift. Said shift, however, doesn’t quite go to plan, as what starts as a seemingly standard rescue mission soon takes a disturbing, chilling turn, and this sets the scene for a very effective horror film.
One of the reasons why Rec works so well is the manner in which it’s shot. It’s not the first film to adopt the handheld shooting style, and indeed there have been many clichéd attempts to follow the success of The Blair Witch Project and Cloverfield. Yet the style suits Rec well, with the photography less a gimmick, and more a legitimate storytelling device.
It’s fair to say that Rec is a dish best served cold, so it’d be unfair to expand on the plot. However, be in no doubt that the mix of psychological creepiness and outright horror is very good, making the most of the claustrophobic surroundings, and wisely sidestepping many of the pitfalls of the genre. It has one or two problems, but it’s hard to quibble too much when the main feature works as well as this low-key, yet ultra-effective film does. --Jon Foster
Product Description
Spanish horror film about an ambitious young television reporter who covers the night shift in one of Barcelona's local fire stations. When Angela (Manuela Velasco) and her cameraman Pablo follow the fire crew to a distress call from an elderly woman locked in her apartment, they're not expecting much in the way of excitement. With the cops already on the scene, all the firemen have to do is break down the door and make sure the woman is okay. If only it were that simple. Before too long, Angela and Pablo are trapped inside the building - the only witnesses to the unimaginable horror contained within...
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
44 of 49 people found the following review helpful
By G. Thomas
VINE™ VOICE
Format:DVD
This one's a bit of a curate's egg for me to be honest.
I've been searching for a really scary horror film that creeps me out the same way classic Asian horror films and "Blair Witch" did. I've been true-fright-free now for a couple of years and the current celluloid trend for questionable torture-porn/gore-no is something I deliberately choose to avoid.
Anyway, after several recommendations I arrived at "Rec"
Yes, admittedly the PoV thing is generally overdone. Personally I can never see any reason for a character continuing to film in situations of fear and terror and as we see more films using this technique the more tenuous it becomes as a device. Surely it would be the last thing on your mind but finally here we have a film where the continuation of filming is 90% believable. "Rec" starts as a documentary until things start to go downhill. The inclusion of real TV presenter Manuela Velasco as the main character (Angela) is clever but obviously means little to those of us who don't watch Spanish television.
As events take a turn for the worse, Angela's insistent demands (for the unseen Pablo) to "keep filming" are reason enough to keep the PoV going. Later on several static, accidental and incidental shots reinforce this illusion effectively and later still the camera becomes a tool rather than just our surrogate eye.
So having effectively conquered the "keep filming" issue Rec is free to indulge itself and to crank up the tension. Sadly (for me) after an intial peak I found the survival horror element slightly less than original and in danger of becoming "same old, same old". I actually caught myself thinking "oh no..not xxxxxxx again".
It's probably all my fault for being too old and having seen far too many films of this genre already.... Read more ›
I've been searching for a really scary horror film that creeps me out the same way classic Asian horror films and "Blair Witch" did. I've been true-fright-free now for a couple of years and the current celluloid trend for questionable torture-porn/gore-no is something I deliberately choose to avoid.
Anyway, after several recommendations I arrived at "Rec"
Yes, admittedly the PoV thing is generally overdone. Personally I can never see any reason for a character continuing to film in situations of fear and terror and as we see more films using this technique the more tenuous it becomes as a device. Surely it would be the last thing on your mind but finally here we have a film where the continuation of filming is 90% believable. "Rec" starts as a documentary until things start to go downhill. The inclusion of real TV presenter Manuela Velasco as the main character (Angela) is clever but obviously means little to those of us who don't watch Spanish television.
As events take a turn for the worse, Angela's insistent demands (for the unseen Pablo) to "keep filming" are reason enough to keep the PoV going. Later on several static, accidental and incidental shots reinforce this illusion effectively and later still the camera becomes a tool rather than just our surrogate eye.
So having effectively conquered the "keep filming" issue Rec is free to indulge itself and to crank up the tension. Sadly (for me) after an intial peak I found the survival horror element slightly less than original and in danger of becoming "same old, same old". I actually caught myself thinking "oh no..not xxxxxxx again".
It's probably all my fault for being too old and having seen far too many films of this genre already.... Read more ›
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By M. Crossman
Format:DVD
Whilst the roots of the 'hand held horror' film can be traced back as far as Cannibal Holocaust it was The Blair Witch Project that kicked started the craze properly.
After the phenomenal success of BWP a slew of horror films such as Cloverfield, Paranormal Activity and Diary of The Dead littered the video stores but for me REC is the best of the bunch.
Don't be put off by the fact that it's Spanish and with subtitles (unless you understand fluent Spanish which means you should enjoy the film even more).
Whilst filmed on a budget it does not show and all of the cast perform superbly.
It's a short film (77 minutes) with a fairly slow build up but those final 20 minutes or so are quite terrifying.
Watched under the right circumstances (at night, with the lights off, the sound up loud and preferably on your own) this film will scare the crap out of you.
I watched it during the middle of the day and it still had me jumping and I'm a veteran horror film watcher of over 40 years.
Highly recommended. Just don't be tempted to watch the US remake entitled "Quarantine". The original version is far superior.
After the phenomenal success of BWP a slew of horror films such as Cloverfield, Paranormal Activity and Diary of The Dead littered the video stores but for me REC is the best of the bunch.
Don't be put off by the fact that it's Spanish and with subtitles (unless you understand fluent Spanish which means you should enjoy the film even more).
Whilst filmed on a budget it does not show and all of the cast perform superbly.
It's a short film (77 minutes) with a fairly slow build up but those final 20 minutes or so are quite terrifying.
Watched under the right circumstances (at night, with the lights off, the sound up loud and preferably on your own) this film will scare the crap out of you.
I watched it during the middle of the day and it still had me jumping and I'm a veteran horror film watcher of over 40 years.
Highly recommended. Just don't be tempted to watch the US remake entitled "Quarantine". The original version is far superior.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Mark G.
Format:DVD
A TV documentary crew (well a cameraman and a reporter) are doing a piece on what happens at a fire station on the night shift when they get a call from a woman who is trapped in her flat. They then end up trapped themselves when the building is placed under quarantine, leaving them stuck inside with the tenants...and not not all the tenants are exactly human anymore.
Shot in a hand held first person style in the same way as Cloverfield this is a really good film although to get the most out of it you need to watch it on your own, in the dark, with the sound cranked up. Once the action starts it barely lets up and the final half hour is fairly relentless and filled with tension.
Well written and well filmed and even though it's all shot hand held it doesn't suffer from "shaky cam" like others shot in the same way.
If you are one of those people who can't handle subtitles ( the film is Spanish) then it has been through the remake grinder despite being only a few years old & has been released as Quarantine but what that's like I can't say as I really have no interest in watching that version.
A great movie that will have you on the edge of your seat.
Shot in a hand held first person style in the same way as Cloverfield this is a really good film although to get the most out of it you need to watch it on your own, in the dark, with the sound cranked up. Once the action starts it barely lets up and the final half hour is fairly relentless and filled with tension.
Well written and well filmed and even though it's all shot hand held it doesn't suffer from "shaky cam" like others shot in the same way.
If you are one of those people who can't handle subtitles ( the film is Spanish) then it has been through the remake grinder despite being only a few years old & has been released as Quarantine but what that's like I can't say as I really have no interest in watching that version.
A great movie that will have you on the edge of your seat.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By S. Clarke
Format:DVD
Don't think about buying this film anymore, just do it! Although a slow start this film builds and builds to an intense climax that will leave you behind the sofa. I think this is probably the first spanish film I have seen but I will be looking for more now. Don't be put off by the subtitles, the acting is great and the charaters very watchable - especially the lovely Manuela Velasco who is very convincing in her role. This film will appeal to wide range of horror and suspense fans and not just those of the zombie genre.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Super Cereal
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
REC in general is a good horror movie with parts that make you jump and some tense moments and I really like the POV camera movements, however for me it just takes too long before the real action starts and the plot moves forward. The one to one interviews, although perhaps used to allow the audience to get to know the characters better dragged on more than it should. All this said REC is deserving in the 4 stars i give it and no one should be put off by the language barrier and should definitely give it a chance.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Will Have You Scared!
Yes this maybe a spanish movie, but coping with the subtitles will be the least of your problems when watching this well-paced, tense horror movie. Read more
Published 23 days ago by Josh
2.0 out of 5 stars
Don't know why it's so highly rated..
I love horror films and I watched this movie with high expectations with it being rated 96% on Rotten Tomatoes and also from seeing other great reviews on it. Read more
Published 2 months ago by cmcintyrex
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very Impressive!
Arguably one of the finest examples of the "found footage" horror genre this Spanish gem, well scripted and brilliantly acted, deserves the critical plaudits it received on first... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Adrian Drew
2.0 out of 5 stars
i hate the movies
was waiting for the horror to scare me but i was left wondering what kind of movies this was do not buy it is crap
Published 3 months ago by winston reid
5.0 out of 5 stars
Horror Movie Perfection.
I have watched this film 3 times since getting it a little over a week ago. I cannot recommend it enough. It is the definition of what I would call a good horror film. Read more
Published 3 months ago by jimmy890
5.0 out of 5 stars
[REC]
An apartment building has been quarantined off due to an infection spreading throughout it, among the people left inside are a TV camera crew who are filming the whole thing as the... Read more
Published 5 months ago by potatoes351
2.0 out of 5 stars
Nothing special!
I recently purchased this film to watch during Halloween because of all the good reviews I'd seen about it. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Flowerpotfaerie
5.0 out of 5 stars
THE BEST HORROR FILM EVER !
Seriously.I have watched many, many horror films over the years.I liked "Blair witch","Saw","Hostel", French film "Them", "Vacancy", "Right at your door", "Eden lake" and few... Read more
Published 7 months ago by Polishguy
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best horror movie I've seen.
I watched this with English subtitles, but it is still the best horror movie I've seen. The fear and anger does seem very real. Read more
Published 8 months ago by ref
5.0 out of 5 stars
The scariest film I've ever seen!
No, seriously. That probably sounds like I'm exaggerating but it really is. Horror films don't usually scare me at all but this one made me jump off my seat several times! Read more
Published 8 months ago by Sam Woodward
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