Year: 2008
Director: John Erick Dowdle

Summary: Television reporter Angela Vidal and her cameraman are assigned to spend the night shift with a Los Angeles Fire Station. After a routine 911 call takes them to a small apartment building, they find police officers already on the scene in response to blood curdling screams coming from one of the apartment units.

Times Watched: 2

My Experience: I saw this in the theater with my friend and his wife and it was pretty intense. It was probably the only time as an adult I saw a movie and needed a few hours to decompress afterwards before I could go to sleep. I saw it at home several years later with my wife. It wasn’t as intense as the theater, and multiple viewings really expose some problems.

I will say I’m totally okay with the shaky camera here, as it makes sense for the plot. But I’m also not one to get dizzy from the experience. What I’m not okay with is Jennifer Carpenter’s constant screeching for the final half hour or so. This was filmed shortly after she started on Dexter. Her acting grew as that series went along, but here she’s a little raw.

I’m also not okay with the movie’s climax being in the damn poster.

For those who don’t know, this is a remake of the Spanish film [Rec]. It’s pretty faithful. There’s a couple of added scenes which flesh out the plot without making the movie too long (only 89 minutes). Unfortunately, the acting just isn’t as good and the ending is less satisfying. However, if you prefer your horror non-subtitled, this is still worth your time if you can deal with Carpenter’s screeching.