Rec 2 (2009)

Back in 2007 when the cinema verité style of filmmaking was still reasonably fresh, writer/director Jaume Balagueró released his Spanish language horror film effort to huge critical acclaim. It was an excellent film in every way with many truly frightening scenes. Fast forward a few years and we are treated to the inevitable sequel that was hugely anticipated by the fans of the original. Suffice to say it’s a huge disappointment that seems to have forgotten the elements that made the original so popular.

The sequel picks up exactly where the original film ended but this time the action follows a team of Spanish police as they are tasked with entering the building to escort in a medical officer and to search for survivors. They are almost immediately set upon by the infected inhabitants leading the loss of one of the team. After pressing the medical officer for answers it seems as if things are not as they seem and the cause of the infection is much more sinister than a simple infection.

The actual story behind the action of Rec 2 is very good as it ends up going in a completely unexpected direction. There is a much more complex film with many more plot points than the original that even brings in a supernatural element to the story. The problem lies with the films execution; to put it bluntly it plays out more like an action computer game than a film. Gone are frightening scenes of the original that have been replaced by countless action scenes that simply don’t work and are almost incomprehensible at times due to the overuse of shaky cam. The camera point of view shifts at various times from soldier to soldier which almost feels as if you are changing character in a first person shooter game. I really can’t stress enough how similar this looks to the countless zombie games that are flooding the market. Balagueró has actually managed to come up an interesting back story for the infection and if he focused on the slow building tension and scare tactics of the original then this sequel would have been every bit as good as the original. The final twenty minutes are excellent as the plot unfolds without the silly action scenes. Sadly it’s not enough though and we end up with a severely inferior sequel despite the good ideas.

Rec 2 is a huge disappointment that ends up feeling like you are watching someone play a computer game. It’s unfortunate as it has an interesting back story and some nice ideas but suffers from its execution. More of an action film than a horror; this comes no where near to matching the quality of the original.

4/10

The Horde (La Horde) (2010)

The Horde (La Horde) (2010) IMDB Link

France has become the premier European country when it comes to producing horror films with some top class films being produced over the last few years. Although Le Horde is a little more conventional that the likes of Switchblade Romance and not quite to the standard of other French outputs of late, it’s still an entertaining zombie film that’s excellently made.

The storyline is extremely simple; a group of cops storm a rundown apartment block with the intention of freeing their comrade who has been taking hostage by a group of gangsters. Said cops are thwarted by the gangsters though and held hostage themselves. That’s the least of their problems though as a there has just been a zombie outbreak and the apartment block seems to be attracting more than its fair share. The cops and the gangsters have to form and unlikely partnership in order to fight their way out of the building and hopefully survive through the night.

The zombie’s in this blood soaked French film are not your slow rambling along types, this zombies are fast and extremely strong which adds a whole new level of menace to the situation. Yes the story is simple and is reminiscent of Assault on Precinct 13 but it’s the perfect setup for plenty of mindless zombie action. The only problem is that the midsection of the film is surprisingly light on bloody action which is strange for a film of this type. It certainly picks up in the final act though as all hell is let loose with plenty of blood and gore. There are some nice characters to be seen here, particularly the wise cracking old war veteran whose weapon of choice is a Gatling gun. The final scene is also quite brave and not one you would likely see in a Hollywood film.

Le Horde does exactly what it says on the tin, it offers some great zombie action with nice effects and plenty of gore. Incredibly bland story aside, it’s an entertaining watch, particularly for zombie fans.

6/10