In Scream 2, screenwriter Kevin Williamson detailed some “rules” for making a successful horror sequel: bigger body count, bloodier and more elaborate deaths and to “never assume the killer is dead.” While that may be the formula for financial success in horror sequels, it rarely makes for movies that are very good. As one character in that same movie astutely observed, “sequels suck.” [REC] 2, the sequel to the surprisingly great 2007 Spanish demonic contagion film [REC] manages to avoid sucking, precisely because it ignores the rules for “success.” Rather than trying to up the ante laid down by its predecessor, it simply picks up where that film left off (at the precise moment it left off, in fact), and continues doing many of the things that movie did so well.
Of course, the fact that the “killer” wasn’t dead — that there was no happy resolution — was part of what made [REC] so chillingly effective. So there was no chance of following that particular rule. As for the others, in terms of bloodiness and complexity of the deaths, [REC] 2 feels nearly identical to its predecessor, and while I didn’t count, I think there were actually fewer lives lost, or at least a similar amount. That’s not to say it’s nearly as good as the first film; but it’s still better than the average horror movie, let alone the average horror sequel.
The events take place in the same Barcelona apartment building where a news crew, a group of firefighters, and the residents were trapped by a government quarantine when a contagion was unleashed that turned anyone who was bitten by the infected into a raging, bloodthirsty maniac. The movie was entirely made up of footage shot by the news camera. Those are all familiar genre elements, and [REC] was unapologetic about appropriating bits and pieces from modern zombieless zombie movies like 28 Days Later, as well as shaky-cam found-footage flicks like Blair Witch and Cloverfield (though it was far better than either of those two). Its sequel continues the trend, but adds new sources of inspiration (or wholesale theft, depending on your level of enjoyment), most obviously Aliens and The Exorcist.
