Directors: Jaume Balagueró, Paco Plaza ([Rec])
Writers: Jaume Balagueró, Paco Plaza
Producer: Julio Fernández
Starring: Manuela Velasco, Jonathan Mellor, Ariel Casas, Alejandro Casaseca, Pep Molina
MPAA Rating: R
Running time: 85 min.

Two years ago, Spanish directors Balagueró and Plaza gave audiences a unique look into the zombie sub-genre with a handheld, first person perspective film taking place within a single building which bore witness to a zombie outbreak that spread like wildfire. Due to the quarantine lock down of said building, the film also gave us a claustrophobic and dark tone which helped in creating one of the scariest films of all time which quickly became a cult phenomena that even gave birth to an American remake within a year of its original release. Here we are just two years later and Balagueró and Plaza are back to up the ante with [Rec] 2. And up the ante they did!

[Rec] 2 begins mere minutes after part one’s credits have rolled so it’s a good idea to make sure you’ve seen the original installment before preceding onward. A special ops team has been called in to quell whatever sort of viral outbreak is causing “the disturbance” inside the building. This cocky bunch of cowboys are told that tenants infected inside the building are “aggressive,” but what becomes quickly obvious is that these boys are ill informed and ill prepared; for once inside the building, the “infestation” is more than they can handle and has grown to much larger proportions than they had originally presumed. On top of this, there is something more than meets the eyes with these infected people than just a mere “illness” or “virus.” If [Rec] was Alien, then [Rec] 2 is Aliens; in terms of structure, plot points and sheer intensity.

So if just taking [Rec] 1 and making it more intense, adding new scare tactics and simply just adding more zombies was the mission, then mission accomplished as the energy output from the screen never lets up and has the audience on seat’s edge for the full two hours.

The first instance you’ll notice of something new is the use of multiple cameras. Fear not friends, this is still the Cloverfield-like, verite style you remember from the first film, but now that the military has been introduced, each member on the squad has their own camera which can be flicked to on a moment’s notice. Even the use of a bit of split-screen technique is employed in the beginning but unfortunately it’s never used to much affect during the movie – which might’ve been a really neat idea. Still, when the director can switch perspective from one player to the next at any given moment it is definitely a gimmick that works wonders.

Beyond this new gimmick is the various scare tactics employed. Quite often in these types of films you’ll just get a series of jump scares that can be fun, but aren’t particularly hair raising. Sure there are a few of those here and that’s fine; but with nearly each attack from our antagonists there is a new and interesting way of their appearance and how they’re portrayed and utilized on screen. As a person who rarely actually gets scared in a movie, it was a delight to feel the goosebumps on the back of my neck pop up as there is some truly terrifying imagery here.

One horror film technique that has become the trend over the past few years is the use of shaky cam – a practice of which I generally abhor. In [Rec] 2, this method is employed, but somehow it’s kept rather in check and actually does add to the experience of general chaos and panic, but still somehow manages to let us see everything that is going on and the fantastic look of these non-CGI zombies.

But what is probably the most refreshing aspect of [Rec] 2 is the story tellers’ idea of what these creatures actually are. We’ve seen the walking dead and infectious rage viruses done over and over again, but here is something new that I hadn’t seen before or even thought of. Without giving anything away it not only adds to the spectacle but gives an interesting premise to the plot point and might even change the way we look at part one.

While obviously not the deepest or overly emotional film on the year, it certainly achieves what it sets out to do and delivers in spades to create what will probably be the scariest movie of the year and I’m sure will spawn another blasphemous remake sometime in the next 18 months. More zombies, more blood, more scares and more intensity along with a few surprises along the way for the fans makes for an uber-fun experience in a crowded theater – one that I can’t really come up with any complaints about. Not one.