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.”