[Rec]

This movie is awesome! It’s been long since a horror film pulled me into the story in such way that I felt scared. REC is probably the best and most original zombie flick I’ve even seen and far above all the other films shot with a “handheld camera”. Unlike Blair Witch, it never gets boring (really, things move at full steam from beginning to end, there isn’t a single quiet moment), the characters are very believable in their fear, terror and ignorance, and their behaviour is logical (unlike Cloverfield). The old house and the fact that danger can lurk behind every door generate an amazing atmosphere that is best enjoyed watching the film alone and in the dark. I now must correct my ranking of favourite horror movies. Wholeheartedly recommended. (13/02/2008)

Although I'm glad that the "randomly filmed unorganized horror" format still works great, this time it might have been a bit too much for me. While I was willing to hold my breath during The Blair Witch Project and cower in fear during Cloverfield, [Rec] not only failed to make me identify with anyone (kill the reporter with her eternal "Keep filming! Film everything!") but the best parts are not about the atmosphere and the escalating tension, but rather about when there's a moment that stops my heart and bursts my eardrums. And even though those moments are really deadly, I need much more satisfaction than that. (28/04/2008)

Finally, a proper horror after a long time! The story isn’t exactly groundbreaking (zombies + found footage), but [REC] has such a relentless pace that it didn’t let me breathe for a second. The atmosphere is top-notch, and now I’m eagerly awaiting the sequel to this brilliantly intense horror. 90%. (26/05/2009)

Honestly, I was expecting much more, at the beginning it seemed quite strange to me, but once the story got going, it really picked up towards the end. The problem is that it escalated for too long and yet it was clear from the beginning what it was about, as there are plenty of such films. It is possible that I got to the film too late and many similar pieces were already borrowed from this Spanish one, but what I can say for sure is that I never want to see the American remake. 75 minutes is absolutely sufficient for found footage and it surprised me when the film suddenly, and with even greater pomp, ended... 6/10 (03/04/2017)

Even though this film’s creators don’t bring anything new to the table, instead just combining the technique from The Blair Witch Project with the final exposition of The Silence of the Lambs (the green night-vision mode, similar setting), their low-budget result still managed to raise my adrenalin level and in places I was scared so much that I wanted to avert my eyes from the screen (which hasn’t happened to me in some fifteen years). The climax is truly BADASS, because it doesn’t stay in the realm of pure film entertainment, but throws in an unsettling this-could-actually-happen feeling. Brrr! (09/01/2009)