[REC 2] Review

In 2007 we were given an incredible new take on horror with Spanish film [REC]. These two films were both written by and directed by Jaume Balaguero and Paco Plaza. The first film revolves around a news reporter who tags along with a group of firemen and films what she witnesses. The group are called to an apartment building to investigate a disturbance only to find things are not quite what they seem. If you have seen this film you know the score. The sequel takes place directly after the events of [REC] and a small team of special force soldiers are sent in to investigate what went on, upon entering the building they are joined by an official from the Ministry of Health. They are told to record all that they see.


I was initially rather psyched to see this, the first was amazing and felt incredibly real and very claustrophobic. This sequel however twisted the original plot a little bit as at first we are led to believe it is your usual zombie flick. There's a virus, people get bitten and there's a lot of blood etc but after sometime it is revealed that the official from the Ministry of Health is in fact a priest sent by the Vatican to investigate the activity.


At the end of the first film we are told of a priest who kept a girl who was believed to be demonically possessed. The priest and the team are there on a mission to obtain a sample of the demonic blood from the original source the scary looking girl at the end of [REC]. If they can obtain a sample of this blood the priest believes a cure can be found.

It was still rather frightening, I myself don't get scared but this certainly had it's jumpy moments and these were in abundance. The speed at which the infected move was just like the pace in which most modern zombies move which is a terrifying prospect but it's hardly original.

I didn't really feel for any of the characters this time around. In the first film there was a fireman I quite liked so I felt a tiny bit more invested then I normally would and that is what you want in any film really, a character you feel connected with but this one really had none I cared about. As it went on we are shown the same story from the perspective of three incredibly irritating teens who are messing around on the buildings roof and are told to leave. Instead of leaving they think it would be fun to sneak in and follow a guy who lives there because he is a bit weird! They get more then they bargained for.

I quite liked the fact it all stemmed from a demonic possession and wasn't just your run of the mill military experiment gone wrong crap. The way the demon spoke through others was creepy and when it says there are things they cannot see because they are too evil was cool. The remaining group are later joined by a familiar face and work out that the use of the cameras night vision reveals new doors and paths that were invisible to the naked eye. And this causes a lot of running, shaky camera work and screaming.

All in all I did like it. It had all the chills and spills that a horror should have and it keeps the story alive by throwing a new underlying plot into the mix.

3/5