“More of the same, only bigger” seems to be the staple of cinematic sequels lately, especially where Hollywood is concerned (I’m looking at you, Iron Man 2!). It also rings true with [REC] 2: a claustrophobic shriek-fest, it ups the ante considerably. Sure, it sacrifices character development for carnage, with the emotional hook of the first film entirely lacking, and instead, we’re provided with a more military-heavy storyline, and more action as a consequence, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Directed by Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza, the gruesome duo behind the killer first instalment, [REC] 2 picks up, quite literally, where the last film left us (in a puddle of our own terror). After re-watching our protagonist from the last film being dragged away into the dark by a nasty lookin’ creature, a SWAT team is ordered to infiltrate the quarantined apartment block, and to locate any possible survivors, as well as any valuable intelligence on what exactly caused this outbreak.

The military presence is a welcome change of pace for the franchise. [REC] 2 has gotten a lot of gruff about how action-orientated it is, but that’s not to say it’s lacking in the chill department. There are quite a few instances that rack up the tension to 11 (an early attic scene, akin to the first installment, for example, does well to subvert your clawing expectations). There are also plenty of jumpy moments, too, to keep things interesting before you’re introduced to yet another hair-raising, snail-like scare that seems to go on forever. The segments involving night-vision mode are utterly terrifying. I dare you to try and watch the film’s climax without feeling every muscle in your body tense up before you eventually jump out of your seat. When the scares do come, they manage to immobilize you.

I enjoyed the different camera perspectives we got throughout the film. The exchange between the main cast felt very natural, which made the small bouts of exposition all the more bearable. The bits involving the teenagers may have felt superfluous to the plot, but they did supply some neat jumps, as well as an entertaining exorcism.

That’s right. This isn’t a film about a virus that caused a group of people to mutate into 28 Days-esque not-quite-zombies, oh no. This is about demons, baby! Bad mouthing, crazy looking, ceiling crawling, freaky as hell demons!

I absolutely love this complete U-turn in the story; it’s my kind of crazy. Perhaps too kooky a concept for some, the reveal that a demon is the cause of this infection opens up this world considerably. It also allows Jaume and Paco to explore new kinds of scares (especially since demons can come at you from all angles, even from above) and provides some pretty chilling, albeit somewhat clichéd, exorcism scenes. The prosthetic and subtle CG work was very well realised and made some of the demonic sequences all the more terrifying.

The film eventually ties into first one, and we’re left with a cliff-hanger that, while extremely gross, opens up so many avenues for yet another sequel, to cap off a fantastic horror trilogy.

  -- Mark Ritchie

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