The October Zombie-Thon - Day 10: [REC]

Posted by Trevor Snyder on 10.10.2008

The Spanish original with a "quarantined" American release.

[REC] (2007)



Directed by: Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza
Written by: Jaume Balagueró, Luis Berdejo, and Paco Plaza
Country: Spain

In my review of Automaton Transfusion, I mentioned my trepidation anytime I approach a film that's built up a surplus of positive buzz – too often the films fail to live up to the high expectations that come along with such great word-of-mouth. Well, the good news today is that [REC], the 2007 Spanish horror phenomenon, really is every bit as good as you've heard – a scary thrill-ride (and I rarely use that term…at least not while being serious) that was not only the second biggest horror hit of the year in Spain (after The Orphanage), but even managed to win two Goyas (for Best New Actress and Editing), the Spanish equivalent of the Oscar . Not too shabby for a zombie flick, huh? It's really no surprise, then, that it was almost immediately snatched up for an American remake, Quarantine, which opens in theaters today…but we'll get to that in a moment.

[REC] is yet another entry in the recent "First Person POV" boom, joining the ranks of similar shaky-cam genre fare such as Cloverfield and Diary of the Dead. It would be tempting to complain about the sudden frequency of this style, if not for the fact that it continues to be so effective. Since most genre films are almost inherently detached from reality, it's nice to see a gimmick that instead brings a certain immediacy and personal feel to the table. These movies essentially turn the viewer into one of the characters, and when said characters are being chased around by giant monsters or bloodthirsty zombies, what could be scarier than being along for the ride yourself?

As [REC] begins, we meet Angela (the ultra-cute Manuela Velasco, recipient of that Best New Actress Goya), a reporter who, along with her cameraman (and audience surrogate) Pablo, is filming a story on the nighttime lives of firefighters for her television series, "While You Are Sleeping." It seems like a pretty boring assignment at first, as the two are hard-pressed to find anything worth filming at the fire station. Things finally appear to pick up, however, when a call comes in concerning an injured elderly woman in a local apartment building. What should be a pretty routine call, though, quickly goes all-kinds-of bad, as the old woman suddenly bites one of the police officers on the scene.

Unfortunately for everyone, the woman is infected with what appears to be a highly contagious strain of amped-up rabies (the zombies here are a lot more "Boyle" than they are "Romero"), and to make matters worse the local health authorities, having been notified of the problem, decide to seal-off the building to prevent the infection from getting out. This is bad news for Angela, Pablo, the firefighters, and the rest of the buildings occupants, who are now trapped inside the small complex with an ever-growing horde of murderous maniacs. Hoping to reveal the truth of what happens, Angela and Pablo vow to continue filming everything, even as their situation continues to spiral more and more out of control.

Separately, co-directors Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza had already made several Spanish horror films in previous years, but nothing that hinted at the masterpiece they would design with this, their first collaboration. It might lack the social commentary of Romero's Diary of the Dead or the big-budget extravagance of Cloverfield, but [REC] is every bit as effective as those films (if not more so) in using the shaky-cam POV gimmick to elicit both a heavy sense of dread and white-knuckle thrills. There are a few minor flaws, including some easily-telegraphed scares and a dialogue heavy middle section that slows down the action and comes this close to overstaying its welcome. Otherwise, though, the movie is near perfect from beginning to end…and what an end it is. The final few minutes of [REC] is easily one of the most intense and frightening sequences to grace the genre in some time. It's not often than one sequence can cement a film's status as a modern horror classic, but I'd argue that's exactly what we have here.

Given how effective it all is, it's kinda easy to understand why Screen Gems bought up the American remake rights even before the original hit theaters. But just because I understand their decision doesn't mean I have to get behind it. I'm not about to go on a generic "anti-remake" rant. In fact, I'm actually in the minority of hardcore horror fans who really aren't that bothered by the recent glut of "re-imaginings." But Quarantine, in my opinion, represents the worst kind of remake…a completely unnecessary re-do that offers little originality.

I give Screen Gems credit for hiring an intriguing, emerging talent to helm their version. John Erick Dowdle's recent The Poughkeepsie Tapes is, like [REC], a much-buzzed-about horror indie that earned numerous critical accolades while touring the festival circuit, so in a way he seems almost perfect for the task of remaking Balagueró and Plaza's film. And if it sounded like Dowdle was indeed going out of his way to put his own stamp on the story, perhaps I would have a different attitude. Unfortunately, all evidence seems to point to Quarantine being damn-near a shot-for shot remake. Much work was put into making sure the apartment building in the American film looks exactly like the one in the Spanish version and, in a recent issue of Fangoria, Balagueró and Plaza revealed that when they visited the Quarantine set they saw the filmmakers constantly referring to a copy of [REC] to make sure they were getting every detail as close as possible.

So, what's the point? I mean, for one thing, I don't see how this approach offers any sort of creative satisfaction for the filmmaker. Can Dowdle really make an argument that Quarantine is his vision if he's sticking so close to the original? It's also frustrating to hear that the American version had a budget of $17 million, roughly 17 times the cost of the original. I suppose this proves how wasteful American productions can be – if it looks exactly the same as the original, why the hell does it need to cost so much more? It's not like throwing more money around is going to make it scarier.

The question is, if you're so dead-set on making the same film, why bother remaking it at all? For the money they spent on their version, Screen Gems could have simply bought the American rights to the original film and released it over here, either subtitled or – more likely – dubbed. I suppose, in the end, that's what bothers me the most about this. It's not like [REC] is an old classic that Screen Gems are trying to introduce to a new generation. Instead, with this remake Screen Gems is essentially saying that much of the American audience will only see a movie – no matter how well-done or critically acclaimed it is – if it's an American production starring recognizable faces. And what's worse…they're probably right.

I won't go so far as to tell anyone not to see Quarantine. I'll probably give it a look, out of sheer curiosity. And the truth is, if they really have done a decent job replicating [REC], then it's going to be a pretty darn good flick by default. Screen Gem's deal has frustratingly postponed any American release of [REC]. And while the very fact that I'm reviewing the original proves it's not impossible to see it if you're really so inclined, it's still true that most fright fans will probably have to settle for Quarantine if they want to experience this tale anytime soon. That's fine, I suppose. Go see Quarantine if you must…but I hope even those who enjoy the remake in the theater will then do as I am doing, and save their DVD-buying money for the (hopefully) eventual American release of [REC]. After all, it's not only one of the best zombie movies to come along in a while, it's one of the best horror films in recent memory, period.

FINAL SCORE: 3.5 out of 4 Bubs (Highly Recommended)