2010s comedy horror romantic comedy splatter film zombie film

[REC]³: Genesis

REC 3: Génesis

2012 · Spain · 85 min

Director: Paco Plaza
Screenplay: Paco Plaza
Producer: Julio Fernández Rodríguez
Music: Mikel Salas
Cinematography: Pablo Rosso
Editing: David Gallart
Production company: Canal+

What the critics say

42 % Rotten Tomatoes positive reviews45 Metacritic /100

Cast

Leticia Dolera

Diego Martín

Javier Botet

Àlex Monner

Carla Nieto

Carme Contreras i Verdiales

Charlotte Vega

Mireia Ros

What it is about

Koldo and Clara are about to celebrate their wedding at a large country house, surrounded by family and friends. The party is disrupted when one of the guests, the bride's uncle with a fresh wound, begins to behave strangely and violence spreads among those attending. Amid the chaos, the newlyweds are separated, and each must find a way to survive and reunite. The film moves away from the handheld camera of its predecessors and unfolds alongside the events of the first film, in a different setting and with different characters. It is a horror story with moments of humour and a strong streak of gore.

How it was made

The film belongs to the REC series but was conceived as a side story running concurrently with the first two entries. Paco Plaza directed and co-wrote the screenplay with Luiso Berdejo, from a story they wrote with David Gallart, who also edited the film. Filmax greenlit two new installments in 2010; while Plaza directed this one, Jaume Balagueró would handle the fourth. Shooting took place in Barcelona over roughly seven weeks between April and May 2011. Leticia Dolera and Diego Martín lead the cast, alongside Javier Botet. Unlike its predecessors, it largely abandons the handheld point of view and adopts a more conventional cinematic style, with cinematography by Pablo Rosso and music by Mikel Salas.

Reception and legacy

The film opened in Spain on 30 March 2012 and reached the United States via video on demand in August, with a theatrical release in September. Critics were divided: Rotten Tomatoes gave it a 40% approval rating, and Metacritic a weighted average of 45 out of 100. Some reviewers praised its entertainment value, while others regretted the loss of the subjective perspective that had given the series its freshness. Its main legacy is having paved the way for a fourth entry, REC 4: Apocalypse, released in 2014, and expanding the franchise's universe with a comic book published in 2012.