REC

REC
Finally got around to seeing this one on Netflix, the Spanish film that inspired the US 2008 remake as Quarantine. The story is told POV-style, the flavor de juor of horror films these days, it seems. The camera belongs to a cameraman and his excitable on-screen TV show host who are following the late-night outings of some firemen. After some basic character introductions they get a call at the fire house to an apartment where someone is apparently hurt. Innocuous enough but, very quickly, everything begins to fall apart - and the camera's there for just about every minute of it.

The apartment building and cast of characters is quickly quarantined as being a potential deadly virus outbreak epicenter. What becomes clear shortly is that something is zombie-fying people and the numbers quickly begin to dwindle. The best part of this is that the camera here is employed with a good sense of space and timing since, you know, it's actually supposed to be a professional camera op working the thing. The story takes some nice turns and, while fairly predictable, it has a good horror ending to it. Showing how easy it is to make great horror on the cheap REC stands as a big middle finger to idiots like Rob Zombie who wouldn't know how to make a horror film if they had to.

Man, do I hate Rob Zombie.

Rating: B