[REC]

Following in the esteemed tradition of the likes of The Blair Witch Project, Diary Of The Dead and most recently Cloverfield, Spanish horror [REC] takes the template of hand-held camera, lo-fi terror to a new extreme.

Pretty hyped on release, for once, you can safely believe it. Though a mere 80 minutes long, Jaume Balaguero and Paco Plaza’s film is more affecting than much longer fright-fests. Manuela Velasco plays news reporter Angela, who, with her cameraman, is following a Barcelona fire crew around for a shift as part of a documentary on late-night TV. What begins as routine soon takes a turn for the worse as the team are called out to an emergency in an inner-city apartment block.

Where [REC] is so successful is in that it appeals more to the viewer’s imagination than anything else. Using a lot of darkness and hints at nasties lingering just off-screen is far more creative and interesting than a reliance on all-out gore (though there’s plenty of that too). Without revealing too much of the (admittedly not that original, though still somehow surprising) plot, zombie-like symptoms, government intervention and high-pressure bickering combine like a cinematic Molotov cocktail hurled through a window. From the off, it’s clear there will be blood, and lots of it. What comes as such a shock is the sheer visceral ferocity and the actual physical reaction the viewers finds themselves inadvertently experiencing.

A masterpiece in tension-building malevolence, watch this alone at your peril. Currently being remade for an American audience under the name Quarantine, the Yank filmmakers will have their work cut out trying to match the craftsmanship and success of the original.

Extras: Making Of, Crew Interviews, Extended Scenes, Deleted Scenes, UK Theatrical Trailer, UK TV spots, castings and key art.

Released on DVD on 11th August 2008 by Contender Entertainment Group.

Written by Nick Aldwinckle.