Paco Plaza records again and comes up with the scary good sequel [REC] 2

[REC] 2 is currently available on VOD, VUDU, Xbox Marketplace, Playstation Network, Amazon and will be in theaters July 9th. Killer Film spoke with one half of the directing duo, director Paco Plaza. The original [REC] is considered by many horror fans to be one of the most frightening films of all-time. You can visit the official website for [REC] 2 here and become a fan of the film’s Facebook page here.

Jason Bene: Was it always your intention to make a follow-up to [REC], or did the worldwide success leave you no choice but to make a return visit?

Paco Plaza: It was only after the release and success of the first one that we began to think that it was worth developing the cosmology we had created. When we thought about it, we came back to the original idea to rescue some old ideas. For example, the demonic possession, that left a lot to explore. Then we thought of doing a sequel. And after it became a success as well, one thing lead to another.

Jason Bene: The way the virus spread and infected people in the original, it gave the impression that this disease was akin to something like the Ebolavirus or Hantavirus. What made you do a turnaround and add supernatural overtones to the proceedings?

Paco Plaza: Yes, that is the background we created; at the end of the first [REC] we somehow gave a lot of clues, in the tape, in the newspapers on the wall…everything was already there.

Jason Bene: Are there any religious horror films that were a foundation for the mood and atmosphere that you were looking for?

Paco Plaza: Only in the scene where we clearly pay tribute to The Exorcist, maybe the best horror film ever. But in general, our model on this was James Cameron’s Aliens and its turn into action.

Jason Bene: You and Jaume Balagueró share directing duties. How do you decide who films what? Do egos ever get bruised when you have to share the responsibilities of being in charge?

Paco Plaza: It’s great collaborating with someone you respect so much and enjoy the same type of horror. I think the combination of our very different approaches to work was good for the film. We are there together for the whole process, from writing to grading, the whole way together. We have a pact, and it is not to argue; ever. If one of us is not 100% convinced of anything, we simply take it out of the way, never try to convince each other.

Jason Bene: Are either of you ‘gamers’? The way the machine guns glides from room to room with the barrel out front looks like something right out of a first shooter videogame?

Paco Plaza: Absolutely; both of us have spent a lot of hours at that; we think even for the first [REC] it was important to reinforce the experience of being in the middle of the action, not being just passive, and that’s the essence of video games.

Jason Bene: I was quite happy to see the return of Manuela Velasco as Ángela Vidal. Her role is significantly smaller, but her importance is robust seeing that she is a pawn in a much bigger picture. Did you make a point to answer the question as to what became of her after she was yanked away in the last frame of [REC]?

Paco Plaza: Of course; we knew that was one of the main questions we needed to answer, we couldn’t just ignore it.

Jason Bene: The finale of [REC] 2 is a great set-up for a sequel that looks to take the demonic terror out of the apartment complex and let it loose like a bat out of hell. Is [Rec]: Genesis going to lurk out even further and possess a larger segment of the population?

Paco Plaza: Excuse me if I don’t say very much about it. All I can say is that we’re working really hard in making it the funniest and scariest of the three.