[REC] Series Review: This Is How A Found Footage Movie Should Be Done

"[REC]" is a Spanish horror film. All four "[REC]" movies are currently viewable on Hulu.

[REC]- 2007- Reporter Angela and cameraman Pedro follow the fire department as they respond to a routine call about an older woman trapped in her Barcelona apartment. Things quickly go downhill after that. People transform into blood thirty zombie-like creatures very quickly and there is no escape. Use of the night vision feature of the camera reveals even more terrors at the end of the film. I would say "don't go into the attic" but no one would listen.
[REC]2- 2009- Picks up exactly where the last film left off. Another team enters the apartment. Really bad idea! A health inspector says the virus is something similar to rabies. We later learn that it is a parasite that causes demon possession. Say what? I dont even understand how that works. But it's horror film so I'll roll with it. I do wish we had learned more about the history of the virus. Alas, it was not meant to be. Guzman rescues Angela and we're off to the next movie.
[REC]3: Genesis- 2012- For some reason the franchise abandons the found footage format. I think this is a big mistake since that's what made the other films so good. Not sure why this movie is titled "Genesis" since this is not a prequel. It supposedly occurs at the same time as "[REC]2". A married couple's wedding is ruined when everyone turns into flesh eating zombies. Will these two kids make it out alive and live happily ever after? The installment has a more humorous slant than the other films. All in all "[REC]3" isnt horrible. It just doesnt belong in the same universe as the first two films.
[REC]4: Apocalypse- 2014- The last of the franchise. The found footage format is again abandoned. This time Angela is on a tanker with an old woman that survived the wedding in movie 3. There's not much a plot here. A government scientist tries to isolate the virus to make a vaccine but that doesnt work. An infected monkey attacks and people quickly start zombifying. Angela runs for her life. The final scene leaves the door open for a sequel (but if its like this, dont bother).
[REC] was also remade for US audiences in 2008 as "Quarantine" (starring Jennifer Carpenter from "Dexter"). A sequel called "Quarantine 2: Terminal" followed in 2011.

I love everything about the first two [REC] films. The found footage format (which I typically dont like) works very well here. We see the events as cameraman Pablo does. The long shots down hallways as zombie come screaming towards him is truly frightening. The action is frenetic. The building is claustrophobic. There is chaos everywhere. The government will shoot anyone who tries to escape. The lack of a soundtrack works to the show's advantage. We dont get "teed up" for the scares. It's just an all out brutal fight to survive.

Grade: 4 Monsters (out of 5). I would give the entire franchise a four. The first two movies are close to a 5. In fact, "[REC]" may be the best movie in the "found footage" genre. Yes, I liked it that much. The last two movies shouldnt really be a part of this franchise IMHO. They add nothing to the mythology of the series.