[REC] 2

(A.k.a. [REC] 2: FEAR REVISITED)

[REC] 2 begins exactly where the first film - Jaume Balaguero and Paco Plaza's surprise 2007 hit [REC] - left off: with unscrupulous cable TV presenter Angela (Manuela Valesco) being dragged into the darkness by a mysterious, malevolent force.

Then we're introduced to a salvage team in full SWAT gear - Martos (Alejandro Casaseca), Rosso (Pablo Rosso), Larra (Ariel Cassas) and their Chief - who are preparing to go into the apartment that was quarantined in the first film's building, and rescue any survivors of the mysterious zombie-like infection being contained within.

The air is filled with anxiety as this breathless quartet prepare to enter the building, and Rosso has been given the task of documenting the unfolding events on video camera.

When we first see the crew arriving at the scene, the surrounding streets are swarming with nervous onlookers and rabid journalists. Ignoring both, the team are given a brisk briefing from their boss and are swiftly ushered into the closely guarded building.

Their task, it transpires, is not only to search for survivors, but primarily to escort Dr Owen (Jonathon Mellor) - a member of the Spanish Ministry of Health - on his mission to learn more about the unknown virus inside.

Pretty soon, the expedition discovers the penthouse flat and the demented cassette recordings of a long-gone scientist. But what, they muse, may be lurking in the attic? Actually, there's nowt this time around.

But it isn't long before they do find something to fear in the apartment block's darkened corridors - and one of their team becomes infected. Hysteria sets in, Owen's motives are questioned and the merciless killing of a deranged child shakes them all to the core...

It's pointless synopsising beyond that point (about 25 minutes in), as the remainder of [REC] 2 pretty much adheres to the conventions of its predecessor: there are lots of scenes which involve people creeping stealthily up and down stairways, fearful of what may be lurking in any of the many shadows; there are a welcome amount of frenzied, gory "scare" scenes that benefit from highly efficient editing and intelligent use of shaky camerawork to disguise any joins in the 'documentary' approach of the filming; there are deception, lies and secrets lending the action a political edge for those who wish to read beyond the obvious.

It doesn't matter though. [REC] 2 may well be more of the same, but the original was great - the best example of the over-populated 'caught on home camera' sub-genre that also shat out the likes of THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT, PARANORMAL ACTIVITY and umpteen pale imitations - and the makers have adopted an "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" approach to great effect.

Slicker, quicker and slightly sicker, [REC] 2 is a good sequel. It would have failed at the first hurdle if the lo-fi filming style had been swapped for a slick Multiplex-pleasing wash, but Balaguero and Plaza are cleverer than that: their film looks, feels and sounds the same as the first one. Pleasingly.

The story is expanded. Of course, it needed to be - the vagueness of the first film could only be stretched so far. While this is appreciated, and necessary, it isn't really detrimental to the film's pace or tone either. Both are intense. It's only come the finale that [REC] 2 falters by being unconvincing.

Still, up until that point it's a riveting, bloody and exciting experience that mostly matches its predecessor in terms of intimate terror. The conclusion is a disappointment, but at least there's hope for a more satisfying part 3.

The film is presented fully uncut in a healthy anamorphic 1.85:1 transfer. Images are sharp and clean, but don't be expecting the veneer of a top studio picture; [REC] 2, much like its famous predecessor, is shot on handheld digital cameras and designed to look ropy. There are no flaws in the presentation - just don't go looking for polish.

Audio is proffered in original Spanish and is available in 2.0 and 5.1 mixes. As decent as the latter is, it doesn't use the back channels to maximum effect and the 2.0 mix is more than adequate. Both are fine. Excellent removable English subtitles are also on hand for those of us who are not fluent in Spanish.

Bonus features are interesting but limited, and begin with 3 minutes of extended scenes.

The only other extras relating to [REC] 2 on this screener disc were a handful of deleted scenes. There are 4 minutes of these and, as with the extended scenes, they come with optional English subtitles and 2.0 audio.

The DVD's animated main menu page is an agreeable replication of the film's shaky, lo-fi video look and feel. From there, a static scene-selection menu allows access to the main feature via 12 chapters over two pages.

E1 Entertainment's disc is defaulted to open with trailers for THE TORTURED, 7 DAYS, UNTHINKABLE and the original [REC].

Looking a bit too much like a video game at times, [REC] 2 is otherwise a solid horror film with plenty of creepiness to complement its gore and panic. It doesn't have the impact of its predecessor but is still a strong film in its own right (ending aside) and hopes are still high for the proposed trilogy's conclusion. This is much better than QUARANTINE.

Also available on blu-ray.

Review by Stuart Willis