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Quickie Review - [REC]

My sincere apologies to George Romero and the makers of Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity, but [REC] is what Romero wished The Crazies had been and the others wish their hand held nausea fest turned out like this.  The movie tells the tale of a TV reporter, played by the lovely Manuela Velasco, spending an evening following a firefighting team.  The first twenty minutes is purposely boring, explaining that this is what happens when they don't have any excitement. Then men then get a call regarding a woman trapped in a building.  When they get there, this woman seems a little different.

The movie then turns into a complicated tale. Is the woman crazy or sick.  We don't find out truly what is wrong with the woman and the following victims, but this is basically a zombie flick with a huge twist.  Almost all of the movie takes place in this one building, which seems to have a huge lab in the basement, but it's tenants are what really intrigues us.  One could say, why didn't the people just run out of the building?  Cue, the Romero reference.  The police and government have quarantined the building and we're not sure why until about two-thirds of the way through.  It's worth the wait.

[REC] succeeds despite its quirky handheld video style.  It succeeds on portraying what feels like real horror and it builds beautifully from a quiet night to all hell breaking loose. It's claustrophobic feel is part of the genius.  The building, with it's long hallways and narrow staircases plays a major role in the feel of the film and in one definitive scene, increases the panic levels.  I'll stop explaining, because to continue would give to much away from the wonderful finale moments.  A must see for horror fans.

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