Title: [REC] 2 – Fear Revisited
Directed by: Jaume Balaguero & Paco Plaza
Starring: Jonathan Mellor, Manuela Velasco and Oscar Zafra
Running time: 84 minutes, Rated R
Picking up where the previous film left off, an official from the Ministry of Health along with a SWAT team outfitted with helmet cameras go into the quarantined apartment building in search of the source of the contagion and fight off zombies at every turn. The surviving SWAT members soon discover that the official is really on a secret mission assigned from the Vatican, and the zombies are infected by demon possession.
If you’re not a fan of subtitles, it may be a deterrent. I felt the subtitles were not distracting, and I actually found myself on edge for the majority of the film. The shaky-cam was a little annoying, but it contributed to the realism factor. It didn’t make me nauseous like Paranormal Activity or The Blair Witch Project. Like its predecessor, the filmmakers made it seem like one continuous shot, which is still quite clever. You feel like you’re actually in the moment with the actors as it’s happening.
The special features include a walk-through of the set, footage of the film on tour, deleted scenes and a behind the scenes featurette. I found the set walk-through rather appealing as it showed a lot of the filming depended on the tricky camera work, because the sets were so small and cramped.
[Rec]2 didn’t do very well with the US and even the foreign audiences, but it wasn’t a bad horror film. The language barrier may have played a part since people tend to shy away from having to read. Some of the scenes were a little jarring as well, like shooting a child in the head; but because it was so shocking made it so much more intense. This film was fast paced and had just the right amount of blood and gore. It’s one of the very few contemporary horror films out there I actually enjoyed.
Total Rating: B
Reviewed by JM Willis
