My pal Drew Taylor, who writes so well about pop culture for The Fairfield Weekly, holds down a day job as “head geek” at Media Wave in Fairfield — an independent video store that is the equivalent of a great portable art house.
Drew emailed me today about a special screening of the Spanish film “(Rec)” at the store tonight at 10 p.m.
An American remake entitled “Quarantine” is set for wide release Halloween weekend, but we all know how most foreign horror flicks have fared when Hollywood gets its hands on them (what REALLY scares me at the movies these days is the idea of seeing another Japan-to-Hollywood remake with those foolish little ghost children running all over the place!).
Drew writes, “The movie is a brilliant, totally creepy little story about a female news reporter who’s doing a story on a local fire brigade, when they’re called away to help out an apartment building where something sinister is going on inside…It’s shot handheld, in the tradition of ‘Blair Witch,’ ‘Cloverfield’ and ‘Diary of the Dead,’ but is scarier than all of those combined.”
“I don’t want to say too much and ruin the surprise, but you should see it now, because it’s not available in the United States,” he added.
The picture opened in Spain last fall to rapturous reviews, including one that called it “the next turn of the screw in the history of this genre…(Director) Jaume Balaguero manages to master the false documentary style to create a really scary atmosphere.”
If I didn’t have another commitment tonight, I would be there to check out what sounds like a terrific horror flick.
Concessions will be on sale at the store and Drew will lead a discussion of the film after the free screening. Those who attend are being asked to bring their own chairs.
(For more information on the screening call 255-8643. Media Wave is at 1596 Post Road in Fairfield Center.)
