Rec 3: Genesis
REC 3: Genesis (stylised as [•REC]³: Génesis) is a 2012 Spanish action horror film directed by Paco Plaza. This film is the third installment of the "REC" series. It is a parallel sequel to the first two films, taking place before, during and after the films, following a newlywed husband and wife who struggle to reunite with each other after the zombie plague interrupts their wedding party and infects their families. It was released in cinemas in Spain on 30 March 2012. with more international premiere dates that followed. The world premiere took place in Paris at  the Grand Rex on 7 March, followed by midnight screenings at the South By Southwest Film Festival on 9 March. In the U.S., it was released via video on demand on 3 August and was released theatrically on 7 September 2012 in select cities. Sony Entertainment released the DVD on 6 November 2012. The film begins in the series' trademark found footage format but switches to traditional cinematography early on. It was followed by a fourth installment, "", in October 2014. Plot. Koldo and Clara are about to celebrate their wedding day and have gathered their friends and family in a  sumptuous country house for the occasion. That evening, a veterinarian recently bitten by a dog develops abnormal behavior and becomes aggressive. In a few moments, an uncontrollable wave of violence sweeps over the party as an increasing number of guests are infected as a result of bites. Clara and Koldo are separated amidst the chaos. Koldo finds refuge in the kitchen with his cousin Adrián, Clara's sister Tita, the wedding photographer Atun and a copyright inspector nicknamed "Royalties". They escape through the air-conditioning ducts, apart from Atun due to his size. Outside, the group finds a police vehicle  and a guest eating the policeman's flesh. After killing her, they try to contact the police, but Royalties is devoured by the now-infected policeman. The vehicle's sirens are triggered and alert the infected. The group escapes and joins other survivors within a chapel, which the infected cannot enter. Through the P.A. system, Koldo hears Clara say that she is safe as well as pregnant, and he decides to find her. Clara and the wedding priest have found refuge in the video surveillance room and are helplessly watching the carnage unfold. Spotted by the infected, they escape  and find Rafa, a friend of the couple, and Natalie, Clara's French friend who had retired to a room for sexual intercourse without realizing the situation. Clara, Rafa and Natalie flee while the priest immobilizes the infected by reciting a prayer. Meanwhile, Koldo arrives at the surveillance room and witnesses the massacre of Adrian, Tita, his grandmother, and others as they get cornered and eaten by the infected. Clara, Natalie and Rafa meet another survivor, children's entertainer "Sponge John". Natalie is bitten and Clara faces her infected mother. John shoots the mother before he himself is bitten. Clara  and Rafa flee through a tunnel, but Clara turns around when she hears a song played by Koldo in the ballroom. Clara, followed by Rafa, takes a chainsaw and fights her way through the infected, but Rafa is bitten and Clara is forced to kill him. Koldo enters the kitchen to find a dead Atun, having slit his wrists to prevent infection, and killing the Vet with a kitchen tool. Clara finds Koldo in the kitchen and both are surrounded by a horde of infected, which are suddenly paralyzed by the voice of the priest reciting scripture over the P.A.  system. Clara and Koldo go out into the garden, but Clara is bitten by her infected grandfather, whose deafness renders him immune to the prayer. Koldo cuts Clara's arm just below the elbow to stop the infection, and they arrive at the estate's exit, where they discover that the authorities have quarantined the area. The attempt to stop Clara's infection fails, and she begins to show the first signs of infection; Koldo takes her outside where the police and a GEO team tell him to let her go. Clara and Koldo share a final kiss before Clara , now fully turned, bites his tongue off and then turns to attack the armed men, who shoot both of them down. In their final moments, Clara and Koldo hold each other's hands as they die of their wounds. Production. The film began with the shooting on 4 April 2011 and ended on 20 May 2011. Post-production began on 23 May 2011. The shooting lasted for seven weeks in Barcelona. A teaser trailer premiered in September, while a theatrical trailer was released in December. Release. "REC 3: Génesis" was released on 30 March 2012 in Spain. It was released  on DVD in August 2012. The US release date was 3 August 2012 via On Demand services with a 7 September 2012 theatrical release date that followed. It was released on DVD in the US on 6 November 2012. Reception. The film has received a broad range of reviews, mostly mixed to negative, due to the straying from the original two films' serious overtones. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a 40% with an average rating of 5.24/10, based on 47 reviews. The site's critics consensus reads, ""[REC] 3 Genesis" discards the handheld POV of its  predecessors and loses the franchise's fresh perspective in the bargain, upping the gags and gore to the detriment of the chills that audiences crave." "Metacritic.com" gave the film 45 out of 100 with mixed reviews based on 11 critics. At the "New York Post", writer V. A. Musetto said the film was enjoyable to watch, giving it 4 out of 5 stars It received a negative review from "Slant Magazine"s Ed Gonzalez, who said that "if a fourth entry wasn't already in the works, [Rec] 3: Genesis could have easily represented the nail in the franchise's coffin ." Comic. A comic book compilation was released in 2012 to accompany the release of "REC 3", titled "REC: Historias Ineditas". The book presents five different story arcs set in the "REC" series, illustrated by five different artists. Sequel. A fourth film was released, titled "REC 4: Apocalypse", with Manuela Velasco reprising her role as Ángela Vidal, the reporter from the first two films. In an interview to "Fangoria", Jaume Balagueró stated that the film doesn't have an apocalyptic style presumed by its title, saying that "all of the movies in the "[REC]" series have the same budget, so you 're not really going to see big scenes of Barcelona full of zombies; they're just not intended that way. There has to be a story that's controlled and strong". The film follows the events of the second film, and loses the "found-footage" style. Production began in 2013. At the 2012 Sitges Film Festival, it was announced the film would have its world premiere there in October 2013. An Announcement Trailer was released late November of the same year, confirming the return of Ángela Vidal. However, on early May 2013, Balagueró, in an interview, revealed that the film 's production had been delayed and the film would premiere sometime in mid-2014. A Teaser Poster and updated premise were released early May. Filming began early July 2013. In April 2014 a theatrical trailer was released and in late August 2014 the final trailer was released. The sequel was released on 31 October 2014.