[REC]
One witness. One camera.
Overview
A television reporter and cameraman follow emergency workers into a dark apartment building and are quickly locked inside with something terrifying.
Backdrop
What makes this movie Worth Watching
[REC] emerged during a resurgence of found-footage horror, capitalizing on the audience's desire for realism and immediacy. It reflected anxieties surrounding viral outbreaks and societal breakdowns, tapping into a primal fear of the unknown and the uncontrollable spread of disease.
- The found-footage style creates an incredibly immersive and terrifying experience.
- The claustrophobic setting and escalating chaos generate intense suspense and fear.
- The realistic performances from the cast, particularly Manuela Velasco, enhance the believability of the situation.
- The film features a unique and disturbing explanation for the outbreak, blending science and religious themes.
Fun Facts
- Manuela Velasco, who plays Ángela Vidal, actually won a Goya Award (Spain's equivalent of the Oscars) for her performance.
- The film was almost entirely shot in chronological order, which helped the actors to react more naturally to the increasingly horrifying events.
- An American remake, 'Quarantine,' was released just a year later, demonstrating the film's immediate impact and widespread appeal.
Available Languages
English
US
Title:
"One witness. One camera."
Italiano
IT
Title:
"La paura. In diretta."
Deutsch
DE
Title:
"Ein Zeuge. Eine Kamera"
Magyar
HU
Title:
""
Türkçe
TR
Title: Rec: Ölüm Çığlığı
"Bir tanık ve bir kamera."
Français
FR
Title:
"Fuir. Se cacher. Mais ne jamais cesser de filmer."
Where to Watch
Cast
Crew
Reviews
**REC is zombie horror brilliance!**
REC is one of the best found-footage and zombie movies ever made. The panic, chaos, and terror that grows and spreads through a small apartment building as residents fall one by one to a zombie plague is overwhelmingly suspenseful and believable. REC starts slow but exponentially builds into a bloodcurdling frenzy with horrified characters frantically struggling to survive. This low-budget horror film belongs in the hall of fame for creativity and genius in the genre. I saw the American remake, Quarantine, many years ago, which is very similar to this film, but REC edges Quarantine with originality and a franchise of 3 other films following it. Any zombie or horror fan needs to add this to their watchlist immediately!
"Ángela" (Manuela Velasco) is a pushy television reporter who is with her cameraman "Pablo" (Pablo Rosso) doing a feature about some local hunky firemen. When they are called to an emergency, they accompany the crews but upon arrival the find themselves subject to a terrifying lock-in as the raging fire proves not to be their most imminent danger. It seems that there is also something afoot that is hungry, and that hunger breeds more hunger... It's filmed from the perspective of the camera and has a lot of "Blair Witch" (1999) to it - and that's where I lost interest. The intensity of the photography in the dark and winding corridors of this expansive apartment block works quite well for about ten minutes, thereafter the hysterical acting, constant screaming and overdoses of ketchup just made me think that they hadn't the budget or the imagination to make something different or memorable. If Velasco's plan was to make the audience dislike her character intensely then she hit the nail on the head and if I'd been one of the fire crew trying to save lives amidst her increasingly annoying histrionics, I'd have happily sacrificed her to their tormentors. It doesn't hang about, but even at just eighty minutes I was weary of it's repetition. Not for me, sorry.
Oscar Awards
Wins
Haven't Won A Oscar
Nominations
Haven't Nominated for Oscar
Media
Trailer
Official Trailer
Clip
Clip: Ay Conchita
Trailer
Teaser Trailer