Editorials
Set Report and Bloody New Images from ‘[REC] 3 Genesis’!
Last week you saw a bunch of behind-the-scenes photos from the wedding of the century, now international Bloody Disgusting stringer Guillermo Tato Reig weighs in with his testimony from the post-vows horror.
Inside you’ll find our set report from Filmax’s [REC] 3 Genesis, which is currently lensing in Spain under the direction of co-creator Paco Plaza. In addition to some cake cutting and bloody family members, BD scored an exlcuisve pair of new photos featuring the happy couple and one of the “infected” bridesmades.
“The action now takes place miles away from the original location and partly in broad daylight giving the film an entirely fresh yet disturbing new reality. The infection has left the building.”
It’s hard to imagine that we are on the set of the third [REC] movie. It’s a sunny day, and we are very near Sant Pere de Ribes, a village 30 minutes away from Barcelona. It’s all very different to the nightly urban look of the first two movies. Here, we are completely surrounded by nature, as the main building, a beautiful and also sinister construction. Like in the movie, this is a building used mainly for weddings, and it used to be a Casino years ago. Big walls welcome us to this ghostly place, scaring the visitors even in broad daylight. All of this brings back memories of “The Shining“, with its undark ghosts and the sinister parties from the old times. There’s a lot of history in this place. But we must remember that we are in the [REC] 3 set. And this is, obviously, a zombie movie.
Like in any other wedding we are received by dozens of guests. Today they’re shooting the banquet, and all the actors are perfectly dressed and happy, unaware of the nightmare that is about to be unleashed. There are few details known about the plot of the movie, as Paco Plaza says “it’s difficult to talk about the plot without revealing part of the mystery. I think that a big part of the success of ‘[REC]’ is down to that mystery. It was a surprising movie and you didn’t know exactly what to expect in the theatre” As far as we’re concerned, there’s a wedding, that will become a nightmare. The wife, Clara, is played by Leticia Dolera; and the husband by Diego Martin. Paco Plaza says that he “was interested to show the greatest horror in a day of great happiness.” And for him, Leticia and Diego are the best actors for that role. “They convey a warmth and humanity that are perfect for this movie.”
Leticia is the wife of Paco Plaza and also a huge fan of fantasy films. For this reason she has been the host of the SciFi Fantasy Film Festival in Madrid for several years. “I feel predilection for fantasy, that’s the way I see the world. And I feel very happy working in this kind of movies, because it’s something very personal to me.” Diego Martín is not so close to the genre, but he thinks that allows him “to do things I have never done in front of a camera. And I’m not only talking about zombies.”
But Paco Plaza reminds us that even with all these differences, [REC] 3 will be part of the [REC] universe. “You must be very respectful with the legacy from the other movies. You try to keep the things that worked and try to contribute with something new.” He also feels very pleased when people compare [REC] 2 with Aliens and he adds that [REC] 3 could be like Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. He wants to drive the saga towards the adventure genre, but always keeping the “ ‘[REC]’ universe, a combination of black humor and claustrophobic horror. We haven been faithful to the rules of the first two movies.” For this reason, Paco Plaza wrote the movie with Luis Berdejo, who was also involved in the writing of [REC]. “We were talking about how the best possible sequel for ‘[REC] 2’ could be. Luis, Jaume (Balagueró) and I are good friends, and we met frequently. In one of those meetings the idea was norn, the great idea that deserved to continue with ‘[REC].’ Something really new to offer to the audience. Then, we began writing it in May last year, a month before the World Cup.”
This is also a great challenge for Paco Plaza because, unlike the other films, it will be the first that he will direct alone. But he doesn’t feel any difference, because “Jaume and I always felt that the first two movies were a hundred percent of each of us, not fifty percent of each. I hope not to let down all the people that enjoyed the previous films. We are working hard to satisfy the audience, which is the main reason for this movie. And we are trying to give something new, and we hope you enjoy it.”
The [REC] saga has become a huge success around the world, and [REC] 3 will be no exception. Julio Fernández (President of Filmax), reminds us that the movie has already been pre-sold in almost every country, including the United States. And this is the confirmation of the good health of the genre in Spain. Mr. Fernández reminds us that the “great change began with Fantastic Factory. This is part of that evolution, which included Paco Plaza and Jaume Balagueró. Now in the international markets the Spanish genre films are sold in much the same way as the Australian or Canadian genre films. There’s no difference. That’s the great evolution of this industry, and all from Barcelona.” Paco Plaza agrees about this good health of Spanish horror movies in the international markets, “there has been a good trend in the last few years, ‘The Orphanage,’ ‘Julia’s Eyes,’ ‘[REC],’ ‘Timecrimes’… They have had a great reception at international Festivals and have also been released at theatres almost everywhere. Comedy is more local, but we are all afraid of the same things. We are living a golden age.”
Now, we have to leave this beautiful place, surrounded by the nature, and the sound of the birds singing. A quiet place, maybe too quiet, which makes us think of horrible things that could happen when the zombies spread among us. We are sure that [REC] 3 will be something completely new in the saga, while sticking to its roots. Keeping the [REC] universe identity. As Paco Plaza brightly reminds us, “there’s something peculiar in the ‘[REC]’ universe. A mixture between Berlanga and Rob Zombie. The grotesque and the raw violence.”
Having grown up in a religious family, Christian movie night was something that happened a lot more often than I care to admit. However, back when I was a teenager, my parents showed up one night with an unusually cool-looking DVD of a movie that had been recommended to them by a church leader. Curious to see what new kind of evangelical propaganda my parents had rented this time, I proceeded to watch the film with them expecting a heavy-handed snoozefest.
To my surprise, I was a few minutes in when Denzel Washington proceeded to dismember a band of cannibal raiders when I realized that this was in fact a real movie. My mom was horrified by the flick’s extreme violence and dark subject matter, but I instantly became a fan of the Hughes Brothers’ faith-based 2010 thriller, The Book of Eli. And with the film’s atomic apocalypse having apparently taken place in 2024, I think this is the perfect time to dive into why this grim parable might also be entertaining for horror fans.
Originally penned by gaming journalist and The Walking Dead: The Game co-writer Gary Whitta, the spec script for The Book of Eli was already making waves back in 2007 when it appeared on the coveted Blacklist. It wasn’t long before Columbia and Warner Bros. snatched up the rights to the project, hiring From Hell directors Albert and Allen Hughes while also garnering attention from industry heavyweights like Denzel Washington and Gary Oldman.
After a series of revisions by Anthony Peckham meant to make the story more consumer-friendly, the picture was finally released in January of 2010, with the finished film following Denzel as a mysterious wanderer making his way across a post-apocalyptic America while protecting a sacred book. Along the way, he encounters a run-down settlement controlled by Bill Carnegie (Gary Oldman), a man desperate to get his hands on Eli’s book so he can motivate his underlings to expand his empire. Unwilling to let this power fall into the wrong hands, Eli embarks on a dangerous journey that will test the limits of his faith.
SO WHY IS IT WORTH WATCHING?
Judging by the film’s box-office success, mainstream audiences appear to have enjoyed the Hughes’ bleak vision of a future where everything went wrong, but critics were left divided by the flick’s trope-heavy narrative and unapologetic religious elements. And while I’ll be the first to admit that The Book of Eli isn’t particularly subtle or original, I appreciate the film’s earnest execution of familiar ideas.
For starters, I’d like to address the religious elephant in the room, as I understand the hesitation that some folks (myself included) might have about watching something that sounds like Christian propaganda. Faith does indeed play a huge part in the narrative here, but I’d argue that the film is more about the power of stories than a specific religion. The entire point of Oldman’s character is that he needs a unifying narrative that he can take advantage of in order to manipulate others, while Eli ultimately chooses to deliver his gift to a community of scholars. In fact, the movie even makes a point of placing the Bible in between equally culturally important books like the Torah and Quran, which I think is pretty poignant for a flick inspired by exploitation cinema.
Sure, the film has its fair share of logical inconsistencies (ranging from the extent of Eli’s Daredevil superpowers to his impossibly small Braille Bible), but I think the film more than makes up for these nitpicks with a genuine passion for classic post-apocalyptic cinema. Several critics accused the film of being a knockoff of superior productions, but I’d argue that both Whitta and the Hughes knowingly crafted a loving pastiche of genre influences like Mad Max and A Boy and His Dog.
Lastly, it’s no surprise that the cast here absolutely kicks ass. Denzel plays the title role of a stoic badass perfectly (going so far as to train with Bruce Lee’s protégée in order to perform his own stunts) while Oldman effortlessly assumes a surprisingly subdued yet incredibly intimidating persona. Even Mila Kunis is remarkably charming here, though I wish the script had taken the time to develop these secondary characters a little further. And hey, did I mention that Tom Waits is in this?
AND WHAT MAKES IT HORROR ADJACENT?
Denzel’s very first interaction with another human being in this movie results in a gory fight scene culminating in a face-off against a masked brute wielding a chainsaw (which he presumably uses to butcher travelers before eating them), so I think it’s safe to say that this dog-eat-dog vision of America will likely appeal to horror fans.
From diseased cannibals to hyper-violent motorcycle gangs roaming the wasteland, there’s plenty of disturbing R-rated material here – which is even more impressive when you remember that this story revolves around the bible. And while there are a few too many references to sexual assault for my taste, even if it does make sense in-universe, the flick does a great job of immersing you in this post-nuclear nightmare.
The excessively depressing color palette and obvious green screen effects may take some viewers out of the experience, but the beat-up and lived-in sets and costume design do their best to bring this dead world to life – which might just be the scariest part of the experience.
Ultimately, I believe your enjoyment of The Book of Eli will largely depend on how willing you are to overlook some ham-fisted biblical references in order to enjoy some brutal post-apocalyptic shenanigans. And while I can’t really blame folks who’d rather not deal with that, I think it would be a shame to miss out on a genuinely engaging thrill-ride because of one minor detail.
With that in mind, I’m incredibly curious to see what Whitta and the Hughes Brothers have planned for the upcoming prequel series starring John Boyega…
There’s no understating the importance of a balanced media diet, and since bloody and disgusting entertainment isn’t exclusive to the horror genre, we’ve come up with Horror Adjacent – a recurring column where we recommend non-horror movies that horror fans might enjoy.
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