‘[REC] 3: Genesis’ Showers Wedding Guests in Blood

Rating: 3.5/5.0

CHICAGO – Gorehounds, unite! You fans of the slimy red stuff, those of you who love decapitations and disembowlings while you munch your popcorn, and those looking for something that feels honestly alive after inert horror films like “The Apparition” and “The Awakening” are required to support the ridiculous splatterfest “[REC] 3: Genesis,” opening in New York and L.A. this weekend and now available On Demand. This thing has a pulse. It may be pushing blood through a gushing jugular but it’s beating.

Jaume Balaguero and Paco Plaza’s “[REC]” (2007) is a gloriously tight little horror flick (that was remade as the decent “Quarantine” [2008]) that used the found footage concept effectively before you were exhausted with it. A news crew went to investigate a disturbance in an apartment building and was trapped there as a zombie infection broke loose. It was a tight, scary little piece of experimental cinema and it worked. It’s one of the best horror flicks of the last decade.

[REC] 3: Genesis
Photo credit: Magnolia Pictures

“[REC] 2” is decidedly less successful. Balaguero and Plaza tried too directly to mimic the impact of the first film but lost a lot of the claustrophobia. With “[REC] 3,” Plaza takes sole directorial credit now and cleverly decides to completely blow up his own concept. After a 20-minute pre-credit introduction using the found footage concept, Plaza switches to traditional camera work. He also expands his setting, still staying in one place but giving up on claustrophobia for pure chaos.

“[REC] 3” takes place at one of the happiest of all occasions — a wedding. Friends and family chant “Long life!” and the groom sings “I can’t live without you.” A bridesmaid hooks up with a groomsmen, people dance, people drink, and then a drunk uncle falls off a balcony before biting off the neck of the woman who comes to his rescue and puking blood on another. It’s time for chaos.

Before you can take a bathroom break, most of the wedding party attendees have gone total zombie — pale skin, blood-dripping maws, dead stares. I loved the complete lack of ramp-up in “[REC] 3.” One minute, they’re dancing, and the next minute a few of the survivors are dressed in armor and the place is on fire. When hell breaks loose, it really breaks.

[REC] 3: Genesis
Photo credit: Magnolia Pictures

From here, “[REC] 3” becomes a pretty straightforward survival tale. The bride and groom are separated and we know they’ll reunite before the credits roll. The question is how many zombies will pop up before that happens. It gets a little slapped together and inconsistent in the middle with some repetitive reflections of zombies and jump-cut gags. And the overall piece errs a bit too much on the side of Raimi-esque humor than actual horror.

Having said that, there’s an energy here that’s been too-often missing from 2012 horror. The beautiful Leticia Dolera makes a fantastic horror heroine. Her big eyes practically reflect the gore around her. And Plaza seems to be having more fun than the last repetitive sequel. If you’re one of those people who can’t stand when a horror franchise takes a complete right turn — this film has little in common with “[REC] 2” if you really think about it — then you might be annoyed here and it does feel like Plaza sacrificed atmosphere and dread for pure gore but at least he took a chance. He didn’t do the expected. And we need more horror directors willing to take risks. I’m actually looking forward to “[REC] 4.”

By BRIAN TALLERICO Content Director HollywoodChicago.com brian@hollywoodchicago.com