In 2007 the Spanish horror movie [REC] gave a jolt to the found footage horror genre. The film told the story from a first person perspective, and featured a reporter travelling along with the fire department when they are sent out on what at first appears to be a routine call. Arriving on the scene they find themselves trapped in an apartment building, right in the middle of an outbreak of a deadly virus, which transformed the residents into bloodthirsty monsters. It was cleverly filmed, had a lot of scares, and was just a treat for horrorfans. The sequel, though not as good as the first one, was still a very enjoyable ride, and picked up the story right where the first movie ended. And then came [REC] 3.

In this third installment we are dropped in the middle of a wedding. As in the first two movies, the story is told from a first person perspective, and features shots of the wedding guests and the wedding itself between the lovely couple Koldo and Clara. At least that is how it starts. Later in the evening all hell brakes loose, as guests begin attacking each other, and it becomes apparent the virus has once again claimed new victims. It is then that the movie all of a sudden exchanges the first person perspective with a normal style of film making, breaking with the tradition of the first two parts. Koldo and Clara become seperated from each other, and the movie alternates between them in their quest to find each other. Will the couple be reunited or are they to fall victim to the mindless horde of zombies?

Wow! What an incredible mess this movie was. As much as i enjoyed the first two movies i can’t believe how bad this third part was. Gone are the scares of part 1 and 2, instead turning this one into a kind of dark comedy, albeit a very bad one. The blood and gore is completely over the top, as zombies get sliced and diced in ever more gruesome ways. That would not be a bad thing in itself if the movie was any fun to watch, but unfortunately it is in this department that the movie fails completely. It’s very short run time, 1 hour and 17 minutes, does not improve it either. I expected a lot more from this one, and was very disappointed by it to say the least. Hopefully the fourth part, that supposedly ends the franchise, will at least redeem the series.

I give this movie a 2 out of 10 score.