Imdb page: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1038988/
Rotten Tomatoes page: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/rec/
Trailer: http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=GAnbWCjmOkA

mFacts:

01. Old zombies are anorectic and have unusually long arms.
02. When you've got multiple keys to choose from, you'll find the right one immediately.
03. Don't ever chain a woman to a staircase. Chances are she might bite when you want to use the stairs.
04. Pablo will bring all the tape needed.
05. Pablo won't stop filming when you ask him to.
06. Killing the old lady won't help.
07. Sick children are the source of all evil in the universe.
08. When you tell your daughter she's probably a zombie, she realizes it and bites you.
09. When your dog falls into a coma he'll wake up. As a zombie.
10. When the loft of your house has been abandoned for eight years, you might want to look into why.
11. When the fireman dies... you're *beep*.
12. When you're trying to reach for someone who's standing on the same floor as you in the dark, it's a good idea to flail with your arms above you.
13. If you're a reporter don't forget to yell to the cameraman to keep filming, even though it's his profession and he probably knows that already.
14. If you've yelled to the cameraman to keep filming, it's a good idea to stand in between the camera and everything the cameraman is trying to shoot.
15. It's a good idea to never be really quiet even though there are murderous zombies all around you.
16. It's as easy to contain zombies as cuffing them, therefore it's a good idea to lock down a whole building with uninfected humans in it with no help in sight, instead of sending in a swat-team to cuff everybody and then wait and see who's infected and who's not.
17. If you put a camera on a flat surface, it always tilts a little to the left.
18. When you stop and resume recording after a significant amount of time you get distorted cuts in the video, but if you resume after a short amount of time the cuts are seamless.
19. There are no rats in the attic, only zombiekids. That will explain it if you hear strange noises coming from your attic.
20. Never turn your back on the infected, they don't like it and will bite your face off!! Look what happened to the cops!!
21. Never trust those pesky government people, who kinda knew that the building was infected, but cared less about the residents inside. The swines....
22. Firemen are really messy when they eat together.
23. 70% of the time firemen don't put out fires, they do other stuff, like destroy zombie faces with sledgehammers.
24. Any escape plan will not be simple; like get to the roof. But involve going down stairs, going back upstairs to get keys, going back downstairs, going into the most dangerous part of the building, going into a dark basement, and then going into the sewers, which isn't creepy and/or scary at all .
25. Zombies can run really fast.
26. A man's face is bleeding? a non-absorbent red leather jacket is best to stop this, leaving our heroine in an unusually tight white top.
27. The best way to deal with a child possed by the devil is to lock her in a penthouse then leave her there for four years.
28. Last shot of the film? No problem. Instead of the zombie jumping on top of you and eating you like they did in the rest of the film, they will just drag you out of shot really dramatically.
29. When you rewind a tape to watch what you have recorded... you will record the rewinding and replaying of what you recorded.
30. When you run for your life holding a camera, you always point the camera towards the thing chasing you.
31. When making a boring documentary about firemen, be sure to pray for the alarm to go off so you can get locked in a building with zombies.
32. Spanish people are racist against the Chinese.
33. Always put the chinese kid in a FC Barcelona kit just to show that they are Spanish residents.
34. Health Inspectors are not the best people to keep gorvernment secrets with.
35. The one guy with the gun is always the most mentally unstable.
36. Old granny zombies always want to show you their panties.
37. Always be mad at the camera guy, who recorded material that can witness that you shot a zombie in self-defense.
38. Bald spanish firefighters act like chuck norris.
39. All Spanish lady TV reporters act like they are high on speed.
40. While you are searching for keys in desperate situation, dont you ever put your camera down and help. Just suggest where to look for.
41. It's better to be eaten alive by zombies than to break through a door or window and get shot by the police.

(I'm also working on a private course in Screenwriting for Film and Television. This course will be run outside of Orewa College -- co-currently with Advanced Skills in Video Production.)

I had a terrifying time at the cinema, last week. Both Rialto and Village released two small-scale, Horror gems.

Ant Timpson heavily promoted [Rec] Dir. Jaume Balaguero & Paco Plaza (2007) at the Incredibly Strange Film Festival and Rialto Cinemas. I understand why -- [Rec] is a rollercoaster thrill ride. Despite my problem with the inability of faux-docos (like Cloverfield and The Blair Witch Project) to truly engage an audience with a story -- the appearance of the 'skinny thing' in the last five minutes of [Rec] will NEVER leave your memory.

The Strangers Dir. Bryan Bertino (2008) is a blast of cold air. A Minimal, disciplined attention to craft keeps you in a vicegrip of suspense. 

The cumulative effect of unexpected knocks at the door, creaking floors, shadows, noises and strange happenings is a heart-pounding experience -- Louise Keller, Urban Cinephile.

Only 24 reviews of The Strangers were posted on Rotten Tomatoes.com -- Have critics simply dismissed a superbly crafted Horror gem?

The Waiting Game is over -- I received an invitation to 12 Seconds.tv — expect micro vlogs, no longer than 12 Seconds…

• Watch McCain didn’t pull it off on 12seconds.tv

As you know -- I contribute to a collab channel -- Oddly enough, there are entire websites dedicated to the premise of vlogbytes. 12seconds.tv & Seesmic.com

• Watch the new INTRO to future vlogbytes by simonPARASITE 

• Also, for your viewing pleasure, I've embedded the NEW Trailer for Milk Dir. Gus Van Sant. Judging by a genuinely AMAZING trailer, expect Oscar Buzz in ALL major categories. 

En Hollywood tienen problemas con los guionistas: Que si huelgas, que si falta de ideas... Así que a partir de ahora en la meca del cine americano van ha pasar un montón de cosas. Renacerán viejas películas, que si Terminator, que si otro Rambo, que si Tiburón... También abundarán las adaptaciones de cómics, de series de televisión, etc. Pero lo más fácil será el remaque. Hace unos años eran los films japoneses (The Ring, The Eye...) Ahora es el turno de Rec, y por lo que se ve en el trailer, un remake plano a plano y sino fijaos... fijaos...

Aquí van los dos trailers para que podáis comparar.

Quarantine:

Rec:

Pau Plana

Nace TEASERLAND, un festival de teaser trailers de películas inexistentes. El objetivo no es otro que el de generar en el espectador interés hacia la futura película através de un pequeño collage de imágenes . Quizás, inspirado por piezas como las que acompañaban a Grindhouse (Machete de Robert Rodríguez, Thanksgiving de Eli Roth, Werewolf Women of the SS de Rob Zombie o Don't de Edgar Wright) el cineasta de Lleída, Jaume Balagueró se ha convertido en el impulsor de este festival tan peculiar. Las condiciones del mismo permiten presentarse a cualquiera que tenga una pieza de un máximo de 90 segundos, 100% original y grabada con cualquier tipo de cámara. El plazo de entrega de los trailers comienza el 15 de Septiembre y terminará el 31 de Diciembre. El premio 30.000 euros para realizar un cortometraje. Una sorprendente iniciativa en la pensamos participar y a la que ya se han sumado directores de prestigo como el propio Balagueró, Isabel Coixet, Juan Antonio Bayona o José Corbacho.

El truco se esta haciendo viejo, me refiero a la cámara como si ella estuviera filmando una realidad verdadera, en algún largometraje. Aunque el origen de esta propuesta la encontramos desde el inicio del cine mismo, este truco se ha usado con mayor frecuencia en la ultima década, la primera que yo vi, fue “El proyecto de la Bruja de Blair” [1999], pero también están “Diary of The Dead” [2007], “Cloverfield” [2008], etc; y ahora se une a esta tendencia mas que dignamente “[Rec]”.

Esta cinta cuenta la historia de una reportera de televisión y su camarógrafo, quienes realizan un reportaje nocturno sobre un grupo de bomberos. La noche transcurre sin gran emoción, hasta que se dirigen a un edificio en donde se enfrentaran a un terror oculto. Lo único que le queda al camarógrafo es seguir grabando hasta el final.

La derivativa pero esplendida cinta de horror dirigida a cuatro manos por Jaume Balaguero y Paco Plaza, esta cinta envuelve al espectador en otro personaje, aunque el truco, como decía, no es nuevo, los directores logran revitalizarlo con una ingeniosa puesta en imágenes que sugiere mucho mas de lo muestra. Los acontecimientos suceden con rapidez y contundencia y la breve duración del filme evita que la premisa se agote, y bueno al parecer habrá un remake hollywoodense que tal vez si lo agote, se estrenara al parecer en octubre, pero que remedio.

//[Lars]///

• I've changed the name from Blog Stew to (insert name here) because Blog Stew verges on Lame. And don't you think (insert name here) has the potential to build up hipster street cred?
• Began story boarding an effective slug for future videos. Expect a slug inspired by the graphic design of Saul Bass. 

• Entries will be organized under (insert name here) in the sidebar with a provocative title, date and category. And will be formatted in bulletpoints. Videos will be edited with lots of jump cuts, reminiscent of the Vlogbrothers.

• I completed an undergraduate course in Documentary Production last year. As part of the course curriculum, we had to pitch an idea that would sustain a ten week project. Except I struggled to find a character suitable for an intimate portrait. In the Shadow of the Moon Dir. David Sington (2007) however renders triumphant historical figures in intimate close ups -- which reveal the lifelong affect a sublime experience like the moon landing has on individual consciousness.
• Regular meetings with Jun Arita -- an insanely talented POP artist from Japan -- to design my new vanity website. Here's the beginning stages of...

• I wrongly assured Tenani and Jess that [Rec] Dir. Jaume Balagueró & Paco Plaza (2008) wouldn't sell out. Even though Tenani insisted we book. So I effectively spoilt Friday night -- instead of watching a digital horror film in Espanol -- we switched to Miss Pettigrew Lives For a Day Dir. Bharat Nalluri (2008). Luckily, they enjoyed the great performances in a schmaltzy, neat little movie. Must admit I have a soft spot for the musical number Amy Adams sings.

Wykorzystany pomysł jest dokładnie taki sam jak przy Blair Witch Project, rozgrywające się wydarzenia oglądamy za pośrednictwem kamery - z wszystkimi tego niedoskonałościami. Raz nam ucieknie obraz, drugi raz przy kamerze padnie reflektor, ktoś walnie łapą w obiektyw, innym razem zobaczymy jedynie nogi bohaterów, itd. Jednak w tym miejscu podobieństwa się niestety kończą. Młoda dziennikarka kręci odcinek do swojego programu, podglądając pracę strażaków. Na początku jest nudnie, bo ci tylko śpią w oczekiwaniu na alarm. W końcu w środku nocy rozbrzmiewa upragniony sygnał - jest wezwanie do zamkniętej staruszki. Wydawałoby się nic poważnego, ale w tym miejscu sprawy zaczynają się komplikować. Starowinka rzuca się  z zębami na jednego ze strażaków. Zaraz po tym okazuję się, że cały budynek jest otoczony przez policję, która nie pozwala nikomu wyjść. Zamknięci w środku muszą zatroszczyć się o swoje przetrwanie. Sami.

W miarę oglądania film coraz bardziej tracił swoje podobieństwo do Blair, a zaczynał przypominać 28 dni później. Miejscami był tak samo obrzydliwy, jak ten niby-horror. Oba filmy zamiast straszyć, wytworzyć w widzu choćby nutę napięcia mogą spowodować jedynie odruch wymiotny u osoby bardziej wrażliwej. Najgorzej, że im dalej film robił się coraz bardziej komiczny. Szczególnie scena, kiedy strażak przydzwonił staruszce jakimś dużym młotem czy kijem, cała sala rżała ze śmiechu.  Ale zaraz, chwileczkę! Ja przyszłam na horror a nie głupkowatą komedię.

Nie wspomnę już o niekonsekwencjach w samej osi fabuły, im bliżej końcówki tym było ich coraz więcej.  Mówiąc kolokwialnia - kupy się to nie trzymało. Zresztą samo wytłumaczenie całej sytuacji woła o pomstę do nieba, jeśli ktoś jest bardzo tego ciekaw niech się sam przekona. Ale z perspektywy obejrzanego filmu mówię - nie warto. Jedna sprawa nie daje mi tylko spokoju. Przed pójściem na seans przeczytałam parę recenzji i muszę powiedzieć, że były one raczej pochlebne. Zaczynam się zastanawiać czy ci recenzenci i ja oglądaliśmy ten sam film? A może tylko mi trafiła się taka niedoróbka? [Rec] nie powinien zaliczać się do horrorów, to koszmar. Dla widza, który przyszedł z nastawieniem pooglądania dobrego kina grozy. Jeśli miałabym wystawić ocenę, byłaby to 1/10. Tylko czemu cały czas mam wrażenie, że dla tego filmu to cały czas za wysoko? Ale niestety skala się już skończyła.

Angela
Continua a riprendere…

When a movie is said to be the scariest film of all time - those are big words.  The Blair Witch Project, a film this Spanish horror resembles in style but not in subject, was hyped the same but disappointed due to a tiny budget and few genuine scares.  Not so for this story of a female reporter, her camera guy and a team of firemen who become trapped in an apartment building after a routine night shift turns into a gruelling battle for survival.  The feisty female (Manuela Velasco) at the centre of the action is superbly convincing, all ambition and naivety following these firefighters and trying to make a documentary in the process.

In much the same way as Blair Witch and Cloverfield and more recently Diary of the Dead, this is all hand-held camera work that cranks up the immediacy and intensity - but unlike those films there is more believability and  genuine point to the 'keep on filming' and the directors here (Jaume Balaguero & Paco Blaza) have nailed the concept perfectly.  Now what makes this film so damn effective is the well staged shocks that will have you jumping out of your seat on several occasions even if you can sometimes see them coming.  Also add to this the claustrophobic atmosphere of the building, and the use of black outs, night vision and a superb sense of hopelessness - this is easily one of the most terrifying movies I have ever seen.

For full effect watch in the dark with the sound cranked up!!

Verdict:  5 /5

I'm new to the genre of the zombie, both in film and print. Max Brook's World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War brought me into the fold. Since I read the novel, I cannot get enough zombie entertainment. I'm systematically working my way through zombie classics and also examining the "new" zombie films and books that are a part of this pop-culture zombie resurgence.

Thus far, I've learned that, generally, zombie movies follow one pattern: the camera follows a small group of (doomed) survivors trying to survive a zombie infestation of apocalyptic proportions. The good ones will, as George Romero has suggested, use the trope of the zombie-monster to examine the monster within us.

Jaume Balagueró's [REC] examines those ideas. A young TV hostess and her cameraman are (unwittingly) pulled into the quarantine of an apartment building. Hostess and cameraman learn that the quarantine isn't for your "run of the mill" quarantine but one to contain a zombie virus. As they deal with zombies, the characters must also deal with the monsters that frustration, fear, and anger create within them.

[REC] has the feel of an independent Cloverfield; namely, that the camera is held by a character in the movie, but the budget isn't at J. J. Abrams levels. This "amateur" camera adds to the tension in the film as many scenes are only lit, shakily, by the camera's light and night vision. The close quarters of a quarantined apartment building also provides tension (how far can you run from zombies when you're locked in a building with no power and now way out?). It's really a brilliantly simple film with only one subplot: run from the zombies and figure out why you're stuck in a zombie infested building in the first place.

Zombie "purists" might be turned away from the film because the "dead" do not really rise; these zombies are more like the "rage zombies" from 28 Days. Those of you who have read Monster Planet and enjoyed David Wellington's explanation of zombie existence will probably also like how Balagueró's zombies come into "being" (as much as you can "be" if you're dead).

Overall, though, if you're looking for a zombie movie to frighten you, I recommend [REC].

Here it is on IMDB.  I've also heard you can download the entire film on veoh.com.

Si ayer me di un buen susto con El Orfanato, hoy casi me infarté con [Rec] de Jaume Balagueró y Paco Plaza y, aunque no es del todo original su forma de presentarnos la historia, logran mejorar el resultado de las mentes brillantes detrás de El Orfanato, crear un ambiente en que la tensión casi se vuelve un personaje. Lo que pasa con [Rec] es que Balagueró y Plaza logran cumplir su objetivo, al dar a luz una película que no es una obra de arte del género, sino que más bien un martillazo directo y brutal al sistema nervioso del espectador, una carga adrenalínica que no para hasta el final de la película. Por otra parte, la cucharadita de originalidad que está dupla le pone a la historia es muy buena y tan simple, que más de un realizador se preguntará "¡¿cómo no se me ocurrió antes?!".

Ángela Vidal (Manuela Velasco) es reportera del programa "Mientras Usted Duerme", que retrata distintos aspectos de la vida nocturna de Barcelona y en esta oportunidad le toca ir a un cuartel de bomberos para conocer parte de sus labores, la rutina diaria y como actúan ante una emergencia. Tras un largo y tedioso rato sin que nada ocurra, una emergencia se desata en un edificio de la ciudad, no se trata de un incendio, sino que otro tipo de incidente que requiere su presencia. Al llegar, la conmoción entre los residentes es enorme, están agrupados en el hall de entrada, mientras que dos oficiales de policia intentan contenerlos. Una mujer llamó a los servicios de emergencia luego de escuchar horrorosos gritos al interior del departamento de una anciana. Al ingresar a dicho departamento, los oficiales, Ángela y su camarógrafo encontrarán a una anciana enajenada, bañada en sangre y fuera de si. Cuando un policía intenta calmarla lo impensado ocurre y el infierno se desata... literalmente. Al intentar escapar del edificio, con la intención de buscar ayuda y refuerzos, descubrirán que han sido aislados y puestos en cuarentena por las autoridades de la ciudad. Puertas y ventanas han sido selladas, francotiradores apuntan hacia cada uno de los accesos del edificio, nadie puede entrar o salir. El caldo de cultivo para el desastre se ha generado al interior de ese lugar y su única oportunidad es descubrir un refugio que les permita aislarse del infierno que los rodea.

Jaume Balagueró, Luis Berdejo y Paco Plaza son amantes del género del terror y desde hace mucho querían hacer una cinta que verdaderamente asustara al espectador, pensándola en esa película de ensueño que les habría gustado ver en su adolescencia. Durante ese proceso de creación dieron con las dos primeras ideas que resultarían fundamentales. La primera, el uso de la cámara en mano para relatar la historia y hacer del espectador un protagonista más, permitiendo así que se sumergiera más fácilmente en el entorno creado. Esto no es nuevo y hace poco tiempo lo vimos utilizado en Cloverfield, pero en la que se desaprovechó, porque el escenario utilizado (toda la ciudad de Nueva York) era demasiado grande para una forma de relato claramente mucho más íntimo y personal. La segunda buena idea fue la locación, un edificio de departamentos antiguo en el centro de la ciudad. El edificio, con una escalera de caracol, un pequeño espacio de hall, puertas antiguas y laberínticos departamentos es el escenario perfecto para una historia oscura y sofocante, que pondrá a más de uno en la punta del asiento y a otros los obligará a mirar a un lado. A este entorno lúgubre, el aporte de las excelentes actuaciones hacen profundizar ese ambiente angustiante en la que los realizadores nos meten de golpe, en especial la linda Manuela Velasco que actúa de forma maravillosa y sumamente convincente.

Por otro lado, el trío de realizadores hace un aporte significativo a un tipo de historia que no es nueva. Un grupo de personas se enfrenta a una extraña y violenta infección que hace que los infectados se convierten en rabiosos seres, alejados de toda humanidad, y ataquen como hordas carnívoras a todos los que están cerca de ellos, perpetuando así la infección. Sí, podría decirse que es una historia de zombies, no muy distinta a cosas vistas en I Am Legend, 28 Days Later..., Dawn of the Dead y en otras películas de George A. Romero, sin embargo, estos tipos le ponen una cucharadita extra de simple originalidad a la historia que nunca antes había sido llevada al cine, hasta donde tengo entendido, lo cual le entrega un nivel extra de miedo en los minutos finales, cuando se va develando el cómo y el por qué. En definitiva [REC] es una genial película de terror, que hará sudar hielo a más de alguno y que efectivamente entrega lo que sus realizadores prometen, mucho miedo. Es de esperar que el innecesario remake estadounidense, llamado Quarantine, esté a la altura. De todas formas les recomiendo no ver el trailer de esta última, ya que las brillantes mentes a cargo decidieron incluir en el la escena final... ¡insólito!

TRAILER: [REC]

FICHA TÉCNICA
Nombre: [Rec]
Año: 2007
Duración: 80 minutos
Dirigida por: Jaume Balagueró y Paco Plaza
Escrita por: Jaume Balagueró, Paco Plaza y Luis Berdejo
Protagonizada por: Manuela Velasco, Vicente Gil, Ferran Terraza, Maria Lanau, Claudia Font, Carlos Lasarte, Pablo Rosso, Jorge Serrano, David Vert, Carlos Vicente, Martha Carbonell, Manuel Bronchud, María Teresa Ortega y Javier Botet
Producida por: Filmax

Para más información pulsa aquí

Para más información pulsa aquí

About fifteen years ago, my then writing partner, Teal Minton, said to me, “You know that scene in ALIENS where we see everything that’s happening through the cameras in the guys’ helmets? We should do a whole horror film just like that.”

It was a great idea. We had many great ideas. This is one we should have acted on.

Today, handheld horror films are spreading like the plague. Starting with THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT and still going strong, these films are a running commentary - whether intentional or not - on our society’s obsession with and technology’s ability to record life as it happens in a way never available to us before. Even “reality” TV is an offspring of this relatively new potential. History will now be recorded and distorted in ways we never imagined before! And stories will be told in ways that are both viscerally exciting and, if done well, almost indistinguishable from real life events and how we experience them. And I’m referring to events that we are not personally a part of, but through the eye of the camera, we become both viewer and participant all at the same time.

Take the Hurricane Katrina disaster, for example. For the billions of people around the world who were not in New Orleans themselves, they experienced those horrific events through - not only the lens of a news camera - but through cell phone cameras, home digital cameras, camcorders, etc. Those events came streaming to us on the web as well as on our televisions. And as a result, the media was no longer able to control what we saw and what we didn't. And technology has expanded swiftly since then. The current war in Iraq is another prime example as soldiers and other eye-witnesses upload their experiences for all to see. A new language is being written; a new way of sharing; a new way of living; a new way of experiencing.

This year’s CLOVERFIELD was another example of a familiar horror genre being adapted to this new language. A monster movie a la GODZILLA or 20 MILLION MILES TO EARTH or, yes, ALIENS. But this time told through the lens of a “witness”, our visual narrator, our third eye.

George Romero, the director who single-handedly defined the rules of the contemporary zombie genre via NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, DAWN OF THE DEAD and many others to follow, has finally found his way to this new form of storytelling. But a little background first. Romero’s early film, NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, changed my life. I saw it at a much too early age and was instantly traumatized. And addicted. Not to the blood and guts that became the primary focus of so many horror films to follow, but to the level of true primal horror Romero’s films tapped into. Never one to miss an opportunity for social commentary, Romero knew the strength of the genre and managed to use it to its fullest and most extreme.

Then came his recent Hollywood studio attempt at the genre, which resulted in the very un-scary and at times downright ridiculous LAND OF THE DEAD. With its awful digital zombies and overwrought action, the film drowned under the studio’s heavy hand, which apparently weighed down on Romero like an anchor.

But then he bounced back earlier this year with a super low-budget installment of the franchise titled DIARY OF THE DEAD. The film garnered mixed critical response, but I personally found it a welcome return to form for Romero. DIARY is scary, at times darkly funny (Romero’s wit is hard to suppress) and insightful as to the pros and cons of society’s newfound love of the digital recorder. Granted, Romero’s film is a little lacking in subtlety, but this I can forgive as it still posed interesting questions while scaring the pants off of me. Never before had I thought so much about the future of film and felt I might be witnessing the beginning of the end of storytelling as I’ve grown to know and love it. And then there’s the notion of being the detached voyeur; does witnessing these seemingly real events through a camera’s lens allow us to become part of what’s happening, or does it offer us a newfound detachment (i.e who are the real zombies?)? When we record something in our own lives, are we still experiencing it as people who are present, or are we there, but somehow disconnected as our experience is not through our own eyes, but through the comfortable familiarity of a camera lens?

Then there’s the recent Spanish zombie flick [REC], by directors, Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza. [REC] is still unavailable in the U.S., but is currently being remade - for American audiences too lazy to read subtitles - under the new name QUARANTINE. I was lucky enough to score a copy of [REC] and, though not the social commentary DIARY was, it’s one hell of a scary film and a new take on Romero’s style of zombie flick. In a “normal” movie, the director is outside the action. We know that we are being told the story by someone who was not actually there, someone who is not himself in any danger, but who can pick and choose what we see and what we don’t so as to allow us the best storytelling experience. While the reality is actually the same in films like DIARY OF THE DEAD, [REC], CLOVERFIELD and THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT, the illusion is that no one is in control, that we are helpless viewers watching events unfold through the eyes of helpless participants.

[REC] had me covering my mouth in fear as I watched (yeah, I’m a big baby). And, just as I’d done only nights before after viewing DIARY, I asked myself what it is about this experience that I keep coming back to. I loved horror films as a kid, but I all but abandoned them as an adult. They ceased to scare me anymore. Slasher pics, torture porn, the last 20 years of horror films had slipped into a void more obsessed with the makeup and effects than with the psychological and social impact these films were capable of having. It’s one of the reasons I made THE PLAGUE, though, as many already know, that film was destroyed by its own producers who were simply not ready to make a horror film that tapped into real primal fears, and instead reverted back to what I think of as their safety zone of harmless, meaningless, ineffectual horror.

But thanks to some other filmmakers and some (oddly enough) less frightened producers, we are starting to see a trend emerge that still has a lot of unknown territory yet to explore. And hopefully I will continue to be moved to ask myself why I - and so many other audience members like me - feel it is somehow cathartic to experience helplessness, panic and terror, while also being artistically, socially and morally stimulated. 

 Ya sabíamos que yankilandia estaba preparando su consiguiente remake de "Rec". Vimos alguna foto suelta, el trailer (calcadico a la película española en multitud de escenas y encima destripando el final) y ahora le toca el turno al cartel de la susodicha.

Lo cierto es que por mucho que pongamos el grito en el cielo y digamos que preferimos ver la original que el remake (con lo poco que aporta en este caso), todo tiene su razón de ser. Al público americano no se le ofrece la película original en la inmensa mayoría de los casos. Así que los remakes cumplen la función de cambiar los caretos, las localizaciones y a servir en plato caliente a la peña. De esta manera en más de una ocasión pensarán que han tenido una dosis de originalidad en tal o cual película, cuando realmente no ha sido así ni de coña.

¿Tan malo habría sido estrenar en Estados Unidos la película de Balagueró y Plaza? Mejor comprar los derechos y adaptarla por lo que veo. En fin...

 Por cierto, el único aliciente que encuentro en "Quarantine" es la presencia de Jennifer Carpenter. Después de ver las dos temporadas de "Dexter" me apetece verla en otro papel (ni me acordaba que salía en "El Exorcismo de Emily Rose").

Fdo: Snake  

Primul poster pentru [Rec]2 a aparut. (Ar putea la fel de bine sa fie un fake dar sunt prea entuziasmat sa imi pese) Primul film a fost ridicat in slavi de critici si a fost unul din cele mai bune horror-uri pe care le-am vazut in ultimii ani, iar producatorii s-au unit pentru a realiza si o a doua parte. Cat de buna va fi aceasta? - Nu pot spune... We'll just have to wait and see!

 Cartel obtenido gracias a AULLIDOS.com