There's a Reason I Dislike Horror Movies

One of the perks of my internship at European Vibe Magazine is attending press screenings of movies so I can later review them. Ok, perhaps I am getting a little too far ahead of myself. I got to attend a press screening, but hopefully there will be more. The movie I saw, as you can guess from the title of this post, was a horror movie: Rec2. It is the sequel of Rec, which was released in 2007. Apparently, Rec was so popular and well-received in Spain, that there was an American version, Quarantine, released (so typical of America to do that). Furthermore, Rec gained a cult following and tomorrow's release in Spain is highly anticipated. I feel incredibly important having gotten to see it early, even though I do not like horror movies and therefore would never have gone to see this of my own free will. That being said, I feel that a brief synopsis is in order.

Rec2 begins several minutes after the events that end Rec. The Spanish SWAT team investigates an apartment building, the floors of which are covered in blood. There are several SWAT members and their boss, whom I at first assumed to be a forensics specialist because he was taking blood samples; it turns out he is a priest. The priest leads the SWAT team on a mission around the deserted building, full of possessed demons who were previously humans (probably former inhabitants of the building). It is imperative that the investigating party locates the blood of the first girl who was possessed. Her blood is necessary to make an antidote that will help all the others. The possessed demons hide everywhere and attack out of nowhere; they appear to be immortal unless their heads get blown off or someone sticks dynamite in their mouth. You can laugh. It was funny. At the end, the priest and the last surviving member of his team are deceived by no other than the girl whose blood they are in search of. And then they all die. Brilliant. The main reason I dislike horror movies, apart from the fact they scare me (which this one did not), is because they all have the same formula: seemingly innocent dwelling of some sort+new, creepy, unusual, disturbing occurrences+timid investigation+scary beings attack from the dark abyss+cute child turns out to be the spawn of Satan (optional)+unresolved ending/death=blockbuster hit! Guaranteed, every single time!

This movie not only adhered to the tedious formula, it made the attacks incredibly predictable almost to the point of comedy. SWAT team, after two or three attacks, is it not yet blatantly obvious that when you enter a deserted apartment you will be attacked by a host of possessed demons? Come on. People in the audience were laughing. Fortunately, the movie was only 90 minutes long, although I can honestly say that I would not have minded it being longer if the ending had somehow been resolved. Rec2 was not much more than an indulgence in violent and gory scenes. And the priest bore a striking resemblance to Willem Dafoe.