Remakes - Rec and Quarantine

REC – Quarantine
Remakes?  Why are they made? Is it just a ploy for more money or is it more innocently just giving you something you enjoyed once with a fresh face and overhaul?  There are some people who will argue that certain films are classics and should be left as such but the prospect of remakes is not all bleak.  The revenue from a remade film could fund the creation of a future film that could become a classic. First we will be exploring REC and Quarantine.  REC is a successful cult classic supernatural horror and although in Spanish was enjoyed and received well world over causing a huge cult following.  When released it was very well received due to the camera work, unlike most conventional films REC was shot using a handheld camera technique and because of this was surprisingly cheap to make compared to larger films, although the budget may have been lower the film never felt as though it cheaped out and looks very real and not over the top. The overall feeling the film throws out is that this could actually be a real story, the attention to detail in the acting and script really help to make this film feel as though more of a documentary than a fabricated story.  I believe that the huge cult following came from the unique use of camera and the similarities to Video games, this is a positive link that allows those of a younger audience to connect on another level, they could see themselves playing something like this on an Xbox or Playstation.   Not long after the release there were also a few other films using the handheld camera technique for their film, although personally I feel that Rec did it better The director Juame Balaguero Believes that the usage of this particular camera style is becoming increasingly more popular due to changes in the technical and audiovisual world and how the Roles of the audience are changing.  The use of this kind of story telling where everything feels real and live is a way of bringing the audience closer to the horror and allowing them to feel things and a new level as though they are part of the horror and experiencing themselves. The camera sort of acts as your eyes and it makes feel as though you are the one stood there with them instead of just watching a conventional horror where everything feels impersonal and instead of feeling the sense of horror for the other people you can also feel it for yourself aswell.  The usage of particular characters aswell in the story allow you to connect with the characters and also feel even more scared. For example the young girl and old lady characters are often perceived as sweet and innocent so when twisted around and made grotesque this hits harder than just an adult male or female, although sort of cliché in today’s zeitgeist I believe that the film used the roles well and they never came off as too cheesy or boring, a feat with is rather impressive.  Quarantine is the Re-made American version of the film which was created in a very short period after the original film was released this is due to what I perceive as greed, the interest in REC was still fresh and with a huge Niche audience to reap the Americans soon pounced on this film and re-made it basically shot for shot allowing a closer feel to the actual film meaning more revenue and interest in the film. The act of remaking the film for an English speaking audience allows the film to gather even more popularity and fame because some people might not like to watch films with subtitles and would prefer to see the film in English. Although there are dubbed over versions of REC I think it is the Spanish that adds more to the feeling and it just doesn’t seem the same without it.  At box office REC grossed a total of $32,492,948 whilst Quarantine grossed a total of $41,319,906. Although yes Quarantine earned nearly 10 million more I believe that REC is a better film and if released in Cinemas in America in Spanish it would have gained a bit more popularity. The increased audience reach in the English speaking film pretty much guaranteed larger revenue and because it was made by a much larger production company it also had a much larger budget. Personally I feel that When a Cult classic like REC is re-made into an over glorified American version it loses some of its magic and just doesn’t feel the same.