30 in 30: A MONTH OF HORROR. [REC]
DAY 5
[REC] (2007)
I know, found footage’s got a bad rep. Movie after movie of forgettable shakes and blurs, we all got bored of the handheld fashion. But that doesn’t mean it can be done right. And if it’s done right, it can be one of the scariest tools at any storyteller toolbox. A prime example of this is the 2007 Spanish horror smash [REC].
But first of all, what is [REC] about?
A Spanish TV presenter and her cameraman are making a news report on the fire department when a strange call brings them to an apartment building. Once inside, the Spanish police seal off the building, trapping the reporter and the cameraman inside with people that might have been infected by a virus that gives them inhuman strength… and human cravings.
Right off the bat, this is a solid concept for a horror story. We have what could be considered the essential elements of all horror: isolations and threat. But what makes this movie stand out its the found-footage aspect. You see, in a regular film, the audience is some sort of omniscient, 3rd person
witness to whatever is going on in the story. But with the found-footage “technique” the director traps the viewer inside the film. From 3rd person to 2nd person. A much closer perspective to the horrifying situation our characters find themselves trapped.
This change of perspective affects the viewer in two fundamental ways. The first one is the proximity with the characters and the situation. The empathic link of the character and the viewer grows stronger as the distance between them shortens. The second one is the use of information; the audience has almost as much information as the characters which lowers the suspense but heightens moments of shock and surprise, which are many in this film. The immersion is deeper.
The darkness and the modernist design of the building in which the film takes places lend itself beautifully to the horror of the story. The hallways are narrow, the ceilings are tall, the shadows are plenty, and the screams echo through the walls.
All of this is tied in with an interesting mystery of the origin of the infection, which appears to be of supernatural origins.
I want to take a moment to highlight the performances of Javier Botet as the ‘Niña Medeiros’ aka the monstrous woman in this clip.
The uncanny is where a lot of horrors happens. When something that looks human but it is not quite. Breaking the expectation of human moments and forms, Botet creates a character that is both recognizable human and deeply disturbing.
So, what makes [REC] scary?
I have to say that what makes this movie really special is the shift in perspective. Being there trapped with the characters makes us as much part of the story as them. This is somewhat depressing to me, because if shortening the distance between the character and the spectator is the best way to make a story really terrifying, then film might not be the perfect medium for that message. It might be video games, where the wall between spectator and character almost disappear.
Tomorrow: JU-ON (2002)
Yesterday: KAIRO (2001)
