10 Foreign Horror Movies You Must Watch For Halloween

2. Rec (2007)

For decades, Hollywood had the monopoly on the zombie genre, but the success of British movies like Shaun of the Dead and 28 Days Later opened the floodgates for other countries to take a shot at the undead. One of the most successful attempts at this is the Spanish Rec franchise, which has spawned three sequels and a Hollywood remake since its original release seven years ago. The first film focuses on a late-night reporter called Angela who joins a firefighting team as they visit a nearby apartment building. Everything seems normal until the team discover an old woman who has turned feral and bites one of the firefighters. When the alarm is raised, tenants try to escape the building, but the military have arrived and already begun to seal the building, trapping everyone inside with the infected. Zombies and found footage movies had already been done to death by the time Rec arrived on the scene, but directors Jaume Balaguero and Paco Plaza revitalize both concepts with their startling script and urgent shooting style, which throws viewers into the midst of the horror. The unusual supernatural slant helps Rec stand out from its competitors, but what makes it one of the best horrors to emerge from world cinema in decades is the constant tension which refuses to relent from start to finish. The sequels are also worth watching, but no Halloween is complete without a viewing of the first and best of the series.