The Spanish horror series gets the fine treatment on home video
The found footage genre is something of a mixed bag. For every Blair Witch Project, Chronicle, Creep, or Cloverfield, there’s an Apollo 18, The Devil Inside, Diary of the Dead, or even an overly milked franchise…looking at you Paranormal Activity. While it offers a platform for low budget filmmaking to many, it’s rare that those crafting such an entry can balance the approach with a true potency and avoid falling into derivative or overly trite fare. The true benchmarks of the genre are relatively few, one such example being [Rec], a Spanish feature made by Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza back in 2007. Now, thanks to Shout! Factory, you can bring home this found footage classic, along with the three sequels made in the wake of its success. My colleague Austin has already shared an unboxing of the set. Read on for a look at what’s been brought together to make up the guts of this new release.
Synopsis:
In 2007, two talented Spanish filmmakers, Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza created a terrifying film that went on to spawn three sequels, an American remake and its sequel. On September 25, 2018, SCREAM FACTORY™ is proud to present THE [REC] COLLECTION 4-Disc Blu-ray set featuring a quadrilogy of terror, including [REC], [REC] 2, [REC] 3: GENESIS, and [REC] 4: APOCALYPSE. A must-have for horror enthusiasts and movie collectors, THE [REC] Collection Blu-ray set includes audio commentary with writers/directors Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza, making-of featurettes, behind-the-scenes footage, outtakes, deleted scenes, trailers, and more! Pre-order is available now at ShoutFactory.com
REC
In the first film, [REC], a TV reporter and her crew are asked to cover a crew of firemen on duty. What seems like a routine story about a night at the fire station soon turns into a nightmare. Trapped inside a quarantined building, the crew must try to survive the terror that rages inside.
Here it is, the one that kicked it all off, spawning not just three sequels but an American remake too. A late night TV show anchor and cameraman are stuck inside an apartment in Barcelona as what starts as an unusual disturbance escalates into something more horrifying.
Why is works so well is in the marriage of approach and content, the handicam filming playing extremely well to the horror unfurling in this dark, confined apartment building. There are genuine suspense and atmosphere, characters to root for (and against), solid jump scares and effects, and an actual plot that plays well against the investigative nature of the lead. Manuela Velasco is great as Ángela Vidal — you need a lead to root for in the face of such events, and she’s very affable, and also resourceful and proactive, which only endears her more. The film plays to certain genre tropes, sure, but it’s above all else a fast paced, lean, unnervingly effective horror, one that on top of this also serves as a benchmark for the use of found footage.
Special Features:
- In Spanish with English Subtitles and English Dub:
- Audio Commentary with writers/directors Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza (In Spanish with English Subtitles)
- The Making of REC (40 minutes): On-set footage and interviews give insights to production. Nice look at some of the special effects too.
- Crew Interviews (46 minutes): Again a nice insight to the production, especially how the crew coordinated to shoot in such intimate environments.
- Extended Scenes/Deleted Scenes
- Behind the Scenes Footage (43 minutes): Spliced with audition and rehearsal footage.
- Teaser
- Theatrical Trailers
- TV Spots
- Still Gallery
REC 2
[REC] 2 picks up minutes after the end of [REC]. The authorities have lost contact with the people trapped inside the quarantined building and chaos reigns. A Special Operations Unit has been tasked with entering the premises … only to discover that this is anything but a straightforward mission.
The sequel follows up directly on the first [Rec], picking up pretty much immediately after its cliffhangery ending. We learn the fates of the survivors, but the film also expands on some of the mythology and mystery seeded in the first film. Additionally, we have a new round of ‘victims’ sent in to the building to try and figure out what unfolded in the first film. While the fleshing out of the story may please some, others will dislike the demystifying of such things, the simplicity of the original removed. So your mileage may vary.
[Rec]2 channels much of the chills and momentum of the first, this continuation of the story being its biggest strength. The use of multiple cameras does break up the flow somewhat though, but it unquestionably has moments that are as frantic and intense as the original. But basically, this is an example of a sequel done right.
Special Features:
- In Spanish with English Subtitles
- Audio Commentary with writers/directors Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza (In Spanish with English Subtitles)
- The Making of REC 2 — In An Affected World (118 minutes): A surprisingly detailed look at the making of the film, good runtime too. Behind the scenes footage, interviews, storyboarding, better than most making of featurettes for sure.
- Behind the Scenes/Deleted Scenes/Extended Scenes
- A Walkthrough of the Set: Construction and walkthrough, works well with the behind the scenes doc.
- REC 2 On Tour: Cast and crew doing Q&As on the festival circuit.
- Sitges Film Festival Press Conference
- Theatrical Trailers
- TV Spots
- Still Gallery
REC 3: GENESIS
[REC] 3: GENESIS leaves the confines of the quarantined building to follow the wedding of Koldo and Clara. Everything appears to be running smoothly and the bride and groom are enjoying a wonderful day … until some of the guests start showing signs of a strange illness and unleash a torrent of violence.
This is where things take a left turn for the series. [Rec]3 drops the found-footage aspect of the series for most of its run-time for something a little more conventional. It’s an action driven, gory feature, focusing on a new outbreak of this virus centering at a wedding, and the pair of newly-weds at its center. Essentially crafting its own story in the Rec-verse, it ramps up the blood and silliness somewhat, making it more more akin to a Resident Evil style film than what came before. The wedding situation provides some more comedic potential, tension replaced by more set-piece action moments. It’s a far more derivative film, but it does deliver some on fun kills, dark humor, and hints of the fast pace the previous two films are renowned for. It’s a departure for the series, but hardly a bold step overall, lacking the signature style and potency of the first two. Still, at least there’s a chainsaw.
Special Features:
- In Spanish with English Subtitles
- REC: Genesis — Preparing A Bloody Wedding (117 minutes): An even more in depth featurette than the last film. Interesting insights into the direction the film takes in terms of story and structure, as well as more production details.
- The Making of REC 3: Pretty much a slimmed down version of the above.
- Deleted Scenes
- Outtakes
- Theatrical Trailers
- TV Spots
- Still Gallery
REC 4: APOCALYPSE
[REC] 4: APOCALYPSE returns focus to Ángela Vidal, the young reporter who has managed to make it out of the building alive. But she hasn’t made it out of the building alone as she carries the seed of the strange infection. She is taken to a provisional quarantine facility: the perfect location for the virus to be reborn.
With the fourth outing, we see the return of Ángela, and also the feel of the first two films in the series after the more derivative [Rec] 3. Darker, more claustrophobic, but keeping up the splatter vibe of Genesis. This doesn’t mean we get a return to the found footage approach, sadly.
Picking up from the plot of [Rec]2, it efficiently brings together the various plot strands and characters left dangling, while also setting up the shit to hit the fan once again. It’s great to have Ángela back, reminding you of how crucial a component she was to the success at the beginning, a survivor to cheer for as the film unfolds. It does feel like a hybrid of the tone of the original and the more gore-fueled action of the third installment; suffice to say, it’s a somewhat muddled affair, not the deserving finale to a series started so well by its illustrious forebear. A more conventional horror film, but one given enough of a tilt into the [Rec] universe round out the quadrilogy in solid, if uninspiring fashion.
Special Features:
- In Spanish with English Subtitles
- The Making of REC: APOCALYPSE: Far shorter than the previous making ofs, and more typical too. Shame it’s not as in depth as the rest, but still an interesting watch.
- Theatrical Trailers
- TV Spot
- Still Gallery
The Bottom Line
[Rec] and [Rec]2 are brilliantly staged exercises in tension and horror. While the later sequels are something of a mixed bag, more generic in approach and execution, in totality the series offers a fascinating vision and are very much worth checking out. Scream Factory does the series justice with a solid package backed up by some fine extras. A great way to celebrate one of the highlights of the found footage genre.
The [REC] Collection is available via Scream Factory from September 25th, 2018.
Shout! Factory will continue to present the on-going SCREAM FACTORY™ home entertainment series in 2018 with specific release dates, extras and key art. Meanwhile, fans are encouraged to visit the Scream Factory main website (www.screamfactorydvd.com), follow them on Facebook (www.facebook.com/ScreamFactoryDVD) and Twitter (www.Twitter.com/@Scream_Factory) or to view exclusive video content on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/user/ScreamFactoryTV/Home