Broken Mirrors, Broken Minds

10th September 2010

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[Rec] (dir. Paco Plaza & Jaume Balaguero, 2007)

There’s been a lot of hype surrounding this Spanish horror piece. With a predictable US English language shot-for-shot remake already wrapped up and forgotten about, maybe it is time to believe the hype and watch this before. Like Les Diaboliques, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, like Ringu, [REC] plays with tension levels rarely seen in the horror genre. A simple setting, simple narrative, allowing for the full horror to unfold. Best seen with no idea of what is to unfold, [REC] may well be one of the great exercises of effective, no-nonsense horror films ever made. Certainly for a ten minute period mid way through, the viewer is left stranded with the protagonists on screen, just hoping to come out of the other end intact. As with all the best horror [REC] uses minimum gore, sparse dialogue, great visuals. Comparisons to The Blair Witch Project are unfair, as this is superior horror, utilising the slower scenes perfectly by bringing depth and compassion to the characters. Lights out, get close to the screen, and be scared witless. A+