Bravo 128 rolls out, with a local film crew in tow. The firemen are there to help a poor old lady trapped in her apartment. The reporter and camera man are from a show entitled "While You're Sleeping", a fluff piece about life after dark. Once the gang arrives, thinks take a slightly weird turn when the old lady turns out to be sick. Then, things turn deadly.

[REC] is daring and, as such, at great risk of failing. Thank goodness it delivers. Directed by Jaume Balaguero and Luis Berdejo, this is a horror movie in the tradition of Ju-on and Cloverfield, but with more impact than either. The cinema verite style used here is off-putting to some, and I don't think [REC] is going to be the movie to change your mind on that score, so if that's not your bag, steer clear. If you can handle some shaky camera work, there just isn't a better example of this style of filmmaking in the genre. Part zombie flick, part Blair Witch, it outplays Papa Bear for best through-the-lens scarefest. Sorry, George.

This is an amusement park ride: the slow climb to the top, followed by an all-too-brief period of utter chaos and terror. For the first time in a long time, I got spooked. I'll tell you the scene once you've seen the movie. For once, the hype is warranted for this import, a movie that does not fail to give the audience some mean-spirited scares.

The acting is very good, especially the performances of Ferran Terraza, as the heroic Manu, and Manuela Velasco as Angela, the reporter who regrets her wish for some excitement on the shoot. Her terrified screams are very real and they echo in the id. One can imagine the directors playing not-so-nice with their actors to get some of these reactions.

It's going to be hard to catch this one, as the rights to a remake got gobbled up while this film was in the theaters overseas, and a dvd release may be forestalled until the producers of the remake can cash in. Unfortunate. I was dedicated enough to you faithful readers to grab a copy from www.zavvi.co/uk. A week later, I'm writing the review, thanks to a region 2-friendly player. Careful though, the exchange rate on the Euro is rough. Just don't bittorrent this one, it belittles us all.

If it's playing at a con, seek it out. If you can wait a week, order it. This is a great spookhouse film, light on the social commentary and heavy on scares. Already, it's topping my list for best of the year. Judgment will follow for the Americanized Quarantine, the remake's moniker, but I prefer my horror movies from the tap, not the bottle. I urge you to do the same.