[Rec] 2: Continuing to Blur the Line Between Horror and Documentary

Horror mockumentaries are rising in popularity, but few have lived up to the critical acclaim that 2007’s Spanish film [Rec] garnered. Not since The Blair Witch Project has a film of this genre caused such a commotion, or become such an instant cult hit. It even spawned an American shot-for-shot remake in 2008, Quarantine. This year, CIFF 2010 brings you [Rec] 2, the sequel to the Spanish sensation released three long years ago. The film begins literally moments after the other ends, as emergency crew assess the carnage that has just taken place in an infected apartment building where tenants were transformed into cannibalistic monsters. The horror is far from over, as officials soon find out, and the frightening phenomenon must be controlled before the panic and chaos spread like a macabre plague.

It’s no surprise that this film is highly anticipated by audiences and critics alike. [Rec] was a terrifying, bloody, and psychologically shredding film, with some of the scariest visuals I’ve seen in recent years. Jamie Russell with the BBC said it was “a runaway rollercoaster of a fright flick” that “will definitely jangle the nerves”.
As I clutch my [Rec] 2 ticket in my hand, I can’t help but get nostalgic about the other scary mockumentaries that have savaged the silver screen in recent years. Let’s go over some of them, shall we? Here are my five favorite frightening found footage films (great alliteration, huh?), starting with...

Cloverfield
Although the documentary style, hand-held camera aesthetics in this film had the tendency to make audiences lose their lunches, I couldn’t snub this one from my list. This modern day Godzilla-esque flick trapped you in the middle of a military emergency in New York, and had you watching your back with the rest of the cast. The gigantic monster wasn’t even the scariest part! My stomach jumped every time one of it’s miniature spawns made an appearance, especially in the subway scene. Panic, mayhem, and chaos rule in this creepshow!

District 9
Part alien sci-fi, part political commentary - this film was nominated for four academy awards at the 2010 ceremony: Best Achievement in Editing, Best Achievement in Visual Effects, Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published, and Best Motion Picture of the Year! This film proved that there is more to horror that chills and thrills. Exceptionally acted and socially conscious, District 9 is not one to overlook.


The Poughkeepsie Tapes
I had a hard time getting my hands on this one, but it was well worth the trouble. After enjoying years of secret sadistic torture, the videotapes of an elusive serial killer are discovered in an abandoned house. An investigation is spawned and the disturbing footage is reviewed, along with the testimony of a single survivor. This one will chill you right to your core. Though “footage” from the tapes is only used sporadically throughout the film, the images will haunt you for weeks. Dramatic and insane, the Poughkeepsie killer is a man of disturbing theatricality and enthusiasm for what he does.

The Fourth Kind
This one may not entirely be considered a true mockumentary, but it is close enough for our purposes. Once the secrets of its narrative were leaked, the film bombed at the box office. However, I contest that with the right combination of open-mindedness and thirst for entertainment, this is a film that will have you questioning where the truth is. As if the use of “stock footage” of psychiatric sessions and alien abductions isn’t spooky enough, the testimony of Dr. Abbey Tyler is absolutely spine-chilling. Your nerves will hang on the brink of every word she utters in her otherworldly confession of events.

Paranormal Activity
Bar-none, the most surprising indie-hit of the year. Shot with a budget of only $15,000 American, this film was demanded in theatres all over North America, and made over $193 million dollars worldwide. Bringing to life demons, Oujia boards, and supernatural killers, footage of audiences reacting in shock and horror began circulating over the internet following its wide release. Shockingly realist, the inferred violence in Paranormal Activity had even this horror-junkie sleeping with the lights on.

So there you have it... but I digress. If these movies are your cup of tea, pick up tickets at CIFF Box Office Locations or online for [Rec] 2 playing Wednesday, September 29th at The Plaza at 11:00 PM. I hope to see the rest of my fellow fright fans there!