Proving that Hollywood has a distaste towards subtitles, critically acclaimed Spanish horror film Rec has been remade a mere year after it was released.
The finished result, Quarantine, is an almost shot for shot remake of Rec, and for those who have seen that film - and if not, do so now – will anticipate every jolt and every piece of dialogue uttered in this unoriginal, yet still effective retread.
Quarantine stars Jennifer Carpenter, who scared viewers a few years back as a possessed girl in The Exorcism of Emily Rose, and has been busy playing the sister of a serial killer in the popular TV program, Dexter. This film solidifies her position as Hollywood’s new scream queen.
Carpenter plays a reporter for late night documentary program, “The Night Shift”. She, along with her camera man (Steve Harris), accompanies a pair of fire fighters (Jay Hernandez and Jonathon Schaech) during their nightly rounds. There last stop is an apartment building where a highly contagious infection has turned its residents into hyper pissed zombies. Making matters worse, the authorities have quarantined the building with them inside it.
While Rec was tolerable with its docu-style, shaky cam theatrics, too often Quarantine suffers from an overuse of the effect. Also glaring is American horror cinema’s penchant for gore and gross out moments, which its originator wisely strayed, and bettered from.
Yet, despite its flaws – and there are many – Quarantine works because its premise and structure allows it to.
Horror stories have been retold countless times, whether in front of a camp fire, or on the big screen. Sure, the more they are told, the less effective they become. But that only makes its source material more appealing. Hopefully, Quarantine will open viewers to its much superior originator. |