I really regard myself as an expert on horror movies in the sense that I like and I watched a lot (tons and tons) of it. But I never understood and still understand the fuzz about this movie. I lately re-watched it and still say - it is okay but it is in no way "scary" and first of all, I am still the whole time wondering way the dude with the cam didn't for example helped to close the door or fight the dead but he kept the whole time "doing his cam". Total unbelievable and ridiculous behavior and more important the whole one cam perspective just don't works well. Especially because you can do increase suspense etc. with a good cam work. I only know one movie where it worked well and that's of course The Blair Witch Project. All the other movies I saw using that real-time-whatever-the-special-term-is-cam are not improved but weakened by that choice to use that perspective only. Well, Rec the Spanish original and the American version are not bad movies but nothing special or good. Maybe I need to watch it a third time ;)

Definitely one of the ''realest'' horror movies out there, since it's meant to be a TV crew shooting a show of firemen doing their daily job. The movie looks as if it was filmed with a casual camera, so everything looks real, not to say it lacked in quality, by no means. The shaky camera depicting these events really makes you feel as you are trying to escape for your life yourself.Apart from the movie having a very realistic view, it also has awesome jump scares and manages to keep up the constant tense environment throughout the film, which most horror films fail to do. The screen time is fairly short, but in no way is that a problem with this film, since action being rather quickly it does not have to be dragged out to two hours or even more. We get to the action part 10 minutes in and it keeps on that way until the very end, which is a very unique approach for horror films, since people usually expect the character build up and extensive background info. Can not say i am not one of those people, who love a little bit more information behind the story and characters, but this movie was built perfectly in a way they could afford to skip the usual horror movie cliché nonsense and get straight to the action.People tend to say this film lacks story, but what we need to realize it does not need to have a story simply because of the setup we are given at the very start. They try to reveal a bit at the end, just to stir up the imagination, nothing too much, it is not blatant and something mysterious remains for the sequel. Overall an awesome horror film, with plenty to look out for, despite its short runtime!

I had high expectations for this, being a huge horror fan and seeing this on many top horror film lists and its rating on this site. Having now patiently sat through the whole thing, I am slightly at a loss as to how it has the rating it has.It has some good features - its unnerving at times, the pacing is excellent and it's a decent zombie runout if you're into that type of thing, but I just didn't find it scary at all. Maybe i've just got used to them, but the whole infection/quarantine/zombie attack thing has already been done a gazillion times and a lot more convincingly than this - its essentially a low budget Shaun of the dead with some questionable acting and without the (intentional) comedy. For one, the plot was utterly unconvincing - full government quarantine within 6 minutes of a box standard fireman call (and 1 minute from when they realised it there was a problem) ? The ridiculous commitment of the cameraman and the female lead to their jobs as everyone around him gets ripped to shreds by zombies? The fact they shut in the place down in the first 10 minutes when everyone could have got out safely there and then? Why, if they knew what was going on, wouldn't they just go in and shoot everything already infected?If it didn't try to be something other than a standard entertainment scare-fest that focuses less on trying to be a 'good' film in its own right then it wouldn't matter - but it doesn't and it isn't even particularly scary.If you're after the kind of film that makes you want to look away and crawl up into the foetal position in fear, then stick to the 'sinister,' 'the conjuring' or 'the ring' types. "The orphanage" is another Spanish horror, and its not only a lot more scary but an infinitely better film in its own right. Intelligent, suspenseful, innovative and really well shot. But, unless you're after a low budget zombie flick with psychotic grandmas and a questionable narrative arc, then its probably worth giving this one a miss.

The Spanish film REC is a so called 'Found Footage' film and it's not even a bad one! Angela and Pablo, a television reporter and her cameraman, are working on a program and therefore follow a group of firefighters. The first half hour of the film is actually like you're watching a documentary about firefighter and what they do at night in the barracks. The excitement starts when an emergency call brings them to a dark apartment building where something scary is happening. Once they are inside they have to stay inside with the horror that's among them. Angela, the television reporter, is played by Manuela Velasco. Like the journalist she is, she wants her cameraman to record everything. Velasco shows a character who is at first quite unimpressed because nothing is happening. But once they are called to an emergency, things get really ugly. In the beginning she just want to make a nice show and give a proper view on what's happening before and during an emergency. But this emergency is not quite what anyone could expect. Angela is no after answers and desperately needs to know what is happening and why. Pablo the cameraman is the one who records everything. Sometimes I just thought: "Dude, put down that camera and help the others!" He's the only person we never see but the actor Pablo Rosso makes sure we get to see an exciting horror film, a bit unsteady sometimes which is only normal with Found Footage films.REC is a horror film that never really get that scary. The suspense is very real though, but first you need to get through the boring part inside the barracks. Like I mentioned before, the first 20 - 30 minutes of the film are like a normal documentary about firefighters. What they do at night when everybody else is asleep is something Angela and Pablo wants to find out. When they find themselves locked inside an apartment, along two firefighters - Manu (Ferran Terraza) and Alex (David Vert) - two police agents and the residents, Angela and Pablo get more than they bargained for. Once we see what's happening inside a certain home, we already know what we are dealing with. Therefore some things are very predictable and when you are familiar with Found Footage films, you know how this film ends.The lack of typical horror music is a relief. It doesn't push you in a certain direction of give you some kind of expectation. Therefore the surprise is bigger when something happens, but some might still think it's too predictable. There was one moment I was really surprised, but in general I saw things coming from a distance. The attacks are very freaky though, predictable or not, they look very scary. Definitely no jump scares. There is also no sympathy for the characters. If they live or the die, who cares. They do get very scared and freak out at some point. When someone from outside enters the building, events takes a drastic turn and Angela get some of her answers. But what she and Pablo find in the apartment on the highest floor, raises more questions. Therefore the film seems unfinished. Evil has not been defeated and the building is still in lock down. Maybe "REC 2" gives the answers but to me one film is enough.REC is a Found Footage horror film that is for most people quite predictable. Once the boring part - that looks like a normal documentary about firefighters - is over, the excitement starts. The film doesn't have a typical horror score, but the tension is there. No jump scares though or sympathy for the characters, but the attacks look very real and creepy. There is a second and third film in this Spanish series, but I don't see the need to watch them.