(15) 85min

Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza’s original [Rec] was a taut, unnerving chiller that brought a claustrophobic, Blair Witch-style sensibility to the zombie genre. Its sequel adopts more of an Aliens-style approach by swapping a TV reporter and some firemen for a SWAT team and a medical officer in search of the evil that lurks within.

Picking up minutes after the original, [Rec] 2 still unfolds within the confines of the infected apartment as its central characters’ search for the evil host as well as a blood sample that might offer a cure.

The action continues to unfold through a hand-held video camera and is just as chaotic, with more shocks and a higher body count that are in keeping with the rules of a sequel.

This, in turn, compromises any real character development but Balagueró and Plaza still have fun revealing some of the film’s truths as well as setting things up for an even broader three-quel (already on its way). Gripping enough for those committed to the journey.

General release from Fri 28 May.

Trailer