Best of the Decade Marathon Update[REC]
2nd ViewingIf Cloverfield is J.J. Abrams take on single-camera horror, I believe [REC] is how Joss Whedon would do it. With his television shows, Whedon has said, “There isn’t one pilot. The first 5 episodes are the pilot.” Here the first 15 minutes is crucial to the success of this film. While very little happens, we get a terrific sense of character.
In particular we get to see the pluck and brashness of Manuela Velasco’s reporter, Angela Vidal. There’s an instant likeability, which almost but not quite conceals her sense of job entitlement and her anxious desire for something exciting to happen.
We also get how directors Jaume Balaguero and Paco Plaza plan to use the single-camera technique to enhance the suspense. The opening has small moments of sound differences, jump cut edits and offbeat framings. Very natural beats during the opening dull patch that establish the rules. This helps out a lot when the real scary stuff hits later on.
That’s one reason why [REC] is the best single-camera horror film. The camera isn’t just a gimmick. It really is the best way to tell this story. This isn’t about creating false excitement with a shaky camera. It’s about maximizing the horror because you don’t know what you’re going to see, and the filmmakers don’t give you the choice of looking away. There are very few pans to people reacting to the terror. It happens right in front of our lens.
The first scare scene is the weakest, a fairly typical zombie moment. This actually helps because it lowers expectations. You think maybe the film won’t be that special. But the next moment lands perfect. (I jumped during both viewings). By the 3rd scare scene I was definitely locked in for the ride.
At a lean 78 minutes, [REC] doesn’t waste any time. That being said, it’s not all horror climaxes either. There’s some great character building after the first wave of horror. We quickly become familiar with these people, and learn to like (or mistrust) them before the tension seeps back in. Throughout, the script drops clues into the casual conversation, explaining how this happened without stopping momentum for pointless exposition.
The last 30min is where [REC] really earns its pedigree. The shocks come hard and fast and from many different directions at once. The people and the camera don’t know which way to look and everyone quickly runs out of safe places to hide. The film becomes a great haunted house film with uneasy, surprise attacks and some real chilling screams. (Never underestimate the power of an effective sound mix. Some of the animalistic screams here are like nothing you’ve heard.)
I watch a lot of horror films, but [REC] accomplishes the rare feat of terrifying me to the point where I was genuinely afraid of what was going to happen at the end. (On this 2nd viewing I knew what was to come, but I still got major chills.)
My Current List...
55.
Amélie56.
The Bourne Ultimatum57.
204658.
The Lives of Others59.
Gangs of New York60.
Mission: Impossible III61. [REC]
62.
Sin City63.
Monsters Inc.64.
The Royal Tenenbaums65.
Serenity66.
Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang67.
No Country For Old Men68.
District 969.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban70.
Shaun of the Dead71.
Fantastic Mr. Fox72.
Almost Famous73.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone74.
Grindhouse75.
Into The Wild 76.
The Magdalene Sisters77.
In Bruges78.
Million Dollar Baby79.
Grizzly Man80.
Inglorious Basterds81.
The 40-Year-Old Virgin 82.
The Dark Knight 83. North Country
84.
The Last Kiss85.
Bloody Sunday86.
Moon87.
Sexy Beast88.
Cold Mountain89.
X-Men90.
Whale Rider91.
Super Size Me92.
Akeelah and the Bee93.
Interstella 5555 94.
The Departed95.
The Mothman Prophecies96.
Dirty Pretty Things 97.
O Brother, Where Art Thou? 98.
Better Luck Tomorrow99.
Hustle & Flow100.
Road to PerditionHighly Recommended, but dropped from the list...
Blade II,
Charlie's Angels,
Chicago,
Drumline,
Infernal Affairs Joint Security Area,
Lost in Translation,
The Pianist,
School of Rock,
Spider-Man 2,
Touching the Void,
Versus,
The Visitor,
X2: X-Men United,
ZoolanderComing Up soon...
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