Zombies
were just another subgenre in 2002. Horror had surfed the mainstream wave of
the Scream
trilogy and was looking for the next big gimmick (it would find it in J-horror
remakes). Resident
Evil 2002 was successful and
effective but added nothing to the folklore. Autumn saw the release of Danny
Boyle’s 28
Days Later 2002. It
was a game changer. It was the rise of the zombies.
In
2002 Danny Boyle was a former indie darling (Trainspotting 1996)
and a Hollywood director (The Beach 2000)1. There was
mainstream interest in his next project. Using a ruse similar to that used to
promote The
Crying Game 1992 he insisted that the
casualties in 28 Days Later were
not zombies but were ‘infected’. Thus, the doors of the auditorium were opened
to a whole new market.
1 Boyle has since become a mainstream commercial and
critical darling with an Academy Award (Slumdog
Millionaire2 2008) whilst retaining his indie cred (127 Hours 2010).
The difference between Boyle’s Infected and
George A. Romero’s zombies is speed. There have been fast zombies before (The
Return of the Living Dead 1985) but Boyle’s film
focussed solely on that attribute. Its resulting success – a worldwide (all figures
adjusted for inflation) $105million3 on a
$10m production budget – made a whole industry beyond Hollywood and the movies
take note4. 28
Days Later is the second most influential zombie film
ever made. Directors Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza took its central conceit
and made [●REC].
It is one of the best zombie films ever made.
 |
| Manuela Velasco: [REC] girl |
While it is inexpensive to shoot these movies
there are narrative limitations. The most glaring is ‘the cameraman who shoots
his own death’ (Cloverfield 2008).
The few films that succeed in setting up the concept and presenting it as
plausible (other than The Blair Witch Project)
are Paranormal Activity 2009, Apollo18 2011 and [●REC].
It is the best found footage film ever made.
[●REC] opens with its Spanish
distributor’s logo – and the viewer is thrust into the narrative. As previously
noted in Thrill Fiction the audience is not interested in a film’s credits (UK
patrons leave the theatre as soon as the end credits start). If the film is a major
production with stars and/or a name director then perhaps there is a vanity
excuse for displaying those credits before the narrative. Horror films don’t
have stars or name directors. They should all follow the example of [●REC]6.
The POV format is set up in the first scene.
Lead character Angela is a cub reporter taping a fluff piece for local TV. She
and Pablo, her off screen cameraman, are going to shadow a fire crew on their
night shift. The chief tells Angela an emergency is like the lottery: some nights they get one other nights
they don’t. In the George A Romero social commentary tradition of zombie films
Angela hopes they get one.
But there wouldn’t be a film if there wasn’t a call out.
Angela and Pablo accompany firefighters Manu and Alex to a routine rescue of a
person trapped inside an apartment.
 |
| [REC] Grrl |
There is ingenuity in simplicity. The best
genre films are bare boned (Alien 1979);
when they are complicated the result is ridiculous (Prometheus 2012). Angela
is the spearhead of [●REC]. She
is the presenter of ‘While You’re Asleep’ and so Pablo keeps his camera on her.
She serves as proxy for the audience. Through her the viewer meets Alex and
Manu in relaxed surroundings where they eat and play basketball. An audience relationship
is established with Pablo whom Angela trusts.
Romero recalls that the casting of Duane
Jones as Ben in Night of the Living Dead 1968 wasn’t planned7. The casting of Manuela
Velasco as Angela in [●REC] was planned to perfection. In
2007 Velasco’s day job was television presenter – and it shows. Her performance
is so convincing it not only carries the film it transposes the cinema into a
television news channel. She ranks alongside Patricia Tallman in Night
of the Living Dead 1990 as a final girl.
The running time of 75 minutes seems longer
because so much happens to so many distinct characters. One of the money shots in
a zombie film is when a character turns up undead. Romero’s (slow) zombies are
horror; Boyle’s (fast) Infected are terror. It is terrifying when a character
that has been trying to save Angela turns up to eat her. What is horrifying is
in the social commentary tradition when one of the characters points at the Chinese
family and blames the foreigners.
 |
| second only to the Dead trilogy |
 |
| [REC] Final Girl |
Despite
the atrocity that is Genesis the
[●REC]
films
are the second best zombie trilogy ever made. As in most franchises/trilogies
the first one is the best.
2 Slumdog Millionaire
Box Office Mojo
3 28 Days Later Box Office Mojo
4 The Walking Dead comics were
published in 2003. The novel World War Z was published
in 2006
5 The Blair Witch Project Box Office Mojo
7 Duane Jones in NotLD The Wrap
8 Quarantine 2 release details Dread Central
9 Brad Pitt will produce WWZ Variety
10 World War Z green light Den of Geek
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