(.Rec) Review

There are two things likely to pump my blood. One is a horror film that is genuinely scary and makes me wanna go poop. The other is the over use of camcorder footage to scare and frighten (see Diary of the Dead Review) especially when weilded by unsympathetic camera crews. Forgetting the annoying shaky cam effect for a second the main problem with these films is that due to the docu feel nature there is little to no emotional engagement with any of the characters. Instead we are left with nameless, faceless victims being offed one by one. Doesn't mean it isn't scary enough to make me wanna poop though.

A local Spainish television crew, complete with foxy, ambitous reporter Angela, are shooting a feature following people who work nights entitled "While you are asleep". This particualr segment follows the local fire crew as they are called out to assist an elderly woman locked in her flat. When the old lady turns pyscho and eats the neck of one of the crew sent to help her the apartment building is sealed by the authorities on the grounds of a health scare. Slowly but surely the residents, the firemen and the camera crew are... well they aren't sent flowers and hugged by puppies lets put it that way.

I'm unsure whether or not I'm starting to respect these "I'll do anything for a story" reporter types or if the more I see of them the more I think what wankers they are. I think its the latter because at the end of the day what valuable help are they really giving to the public. It seems to me that the only positive warning their reporting gives us is don't be nice to crazy deranged zombie kids. Don't worry guys I won't. But really enough of me moaning about this 'type of movie' because the subject matter is of little interest what the viewer really wants to know is, Did it shit me up? Yes, yes and three times yes.

The claustrophobic feel, the primal fears and the cheap shocks were all heaped on in spades. There is a suitable amount of realistic gore to get to the pit of your stomach (if the camerawork doesn't get there first) and the screams, once they start, never stop. After the lamentable Diary of the Dead it seems Romero could get a tip or two from the youngsters in how to make a terrifying flick. And with the added bonus of the Spainish Catholic/Zombie Possesion subtext a George A style 'explicit comment on our times' is included in the ticket price too.