“[REC]” a milestone for the horror genre

Maybe it’s just me, but over the last decade I’ve seen more and more Horror films that belong in the Comedy section of the DVD racks than in the actual Horror Section. The genre is dying, it’s just that simple.  But last night I saw a film that could single-handedly bring it back. That film, is called “[REC]”.
    “[REC]” is a Spanish horror film, which was later taken and made into an American shot-for-shot remake entitled “Quarantine”. I went into the film not knowing this, but eventually recognized it’s resemblance to “Quarantine”. That being said…I’ve lost all respect for this American version, despite never seeing it.  Shot-for-shot remakes can be great, but only when they’re done by the same director who’s trying to bring his film to a new audience (see: “Funny Games”). “Quarantine”, unfortunately, is an American director stealing another director’s masterpiece.
    I assume “Quarantine” is good, but I can’t fathom it would be as good as it’s originator. “[REC]” centers around a news reporter and her cameraman as they spend the night with firefighters and tag along for a call. They end up being called to an apartment building where a woman has been acting strangely.
    “[REC]”, I will state on record, is possibly the Best Horror Film I have ever seen.  In terms of feeling actually, truly scared, I cannot come up with a single competitor. It’s extremely well written for it’s genre. There are moments of predictability, but they never seem forced.  I think that the more impressive feature of the film is how long some of the shots are.  One shot lasts twenty minutes.  The cameraman (Pablo), did an amazing job.  There are also several moments where the film seems to sense what you want to see…and keeps it just out of sight, as if to taunt you with it. Damn you clever filmmakers…damn you.
    Another impressive aspect are the un-knowns that make up the cast.  Each delivers a believable performance, something not always seen in horror films nowadays. In fact, as some outside research told me, at several points throughout the film the directors did not tell the cast what would be happening, they just told them that ‘around this time, something will happen’, so most of the reactions captured are genuine reactions.
    To be honest, I don’t want to give any more details about the film, because there is literally action every second of it. A fairly short film, “[REC]” clocks in at about an hour-twenty minutes, and you’re drawn in for every second of it.  “[REC 2]” is on it’s way, and a third installment is planned.  Part of me can’t wait to see the sequel and part of me never wants to so the original film isn’t tainted, but from the sound of things, the upcoming movie will due it’s predecessor justice.
    If you watch horror films and are generally un-phased by their twists and turns, I highly recommend “[REC]”. This type of film is what inspires filmmakers to make a better contribution to a given genre.

Four Stars.