[REC]

7.1

The next in the long line of new wave cinéma vérité horror flicks comes from Spain and was predictably ripped off by Americans. I can't speak for the remake but the original offers up some genuine scares amongst predicable characters who can't figure out the meaning of "zombie" until its too late. Like most found footage horror films, its too long, even at a brisk 70 minutes. Thankfully it never succumbs to the pitfalls of its sibling, Cloverfield and isn't weighed down by extensive characterization. Like most horror films, we know the characters the instant they appear on screen. Character cliche is narrowly avoided and so many people are briskly introduced that by the time the horror starts, anyone could be next.

The situational exposition is what really weighs the film down. Half the running time is spent setting up the claustrophobic quarantined building. It's refreshing to watch the situation play out through the fly-on-the-wall camera but doesn't stop the audience from lapping the filmmakers. Performances are believable (the language barrier helps) and half the horror comes from the escalating confusion that builds to a scathing 20-minute conclusion that never lets up. 

The film's best trait is the claustrophobia created when dealing with so many people in such a confined space. When Hell breaks loose, it attacks the viewers from all angles. A number of horror films do it better (Night of the Living Dead, The Descent) but not on such a short time table. In fact, the grand finale is so quick and relentless, I'm wondering if so many establishing scenes were necessary. Some of the genre's calling cards (the disappearing corpse; the missing, sick grandfather) set up future scares for the latter half of the film. As far as I could tell from the fast-paced shaky camerawork, the payoffs either last mere seconds or were absent altogether.

I am impressed with the news camera device used to explain the cinéma vérité. Every character remains aware that they are being filmed, but the filmmakers never over-do it. The self-referential camera, despite becoming a popular trend in today's horror cinema is a hard thing to pull off but its done well here. Like almost every found footage horror film, it ends very abruptly. A last-minute twist adds to the convoluted plot but also creates the most disturbing scene in the film. It's a functional horror film that, while highly predictable, contains enough kinetic energy to fill an hour with grizzly thrills.