Now here’s a genuine curiosity. Director Jamue Balagueró, who has given us the superb REC Spanish horror trilogy, turns his attention to another chiller, but this time the tone is much more psychological than gore. It’s extremely well made, brilliantly acted but has at its heart there’s a big flaw but more of that later.
Balagueró has obviously got a thing’ about apartment blocks in REC the first two films were set in a Barcelona blocks of flats invaded by zombies, and here it’s exactly the same setting although in this case maybe the flats are a bit posher. Luis Tosar is Cesar, the lonely night porter of said building. He is a troubled man he has difficulty sleeping, his hours are tough, his own grubby flat is in the basement with no windows, and the building owner thinks he’s useless. He also has a sick mother, to whom he tells his stories and fantasies she is too feeble to muster a reply.
It’s probably just as well, because what he relates to her about his nocturnal activities is pretty shocking. He is obsessed with Clara, a beautiful young woman living on her own on the third floor, but his obsession doesn’t stop at sending her creepy letters and texts. Because he has her key he can creep into her flat, hide under the bed until she is asleep, give her a dose of chloroform and, well, do things to her. He rifles through her things, discovers she has a fear of bugs and covers the bedroom with cockroach eggs.
His idea presumably to make her dependent on him goes to plan until she turns up one day with an old boyfriend, who quickly works Cesar out. It’s here that the film switches from a psychological horror films, with nods to Repulsion and Pacific Heights, to a more full-blown gorefest.
The main problem is Tosar’s performance as Cesar is so good too good? He makes the character so sympathetic it gives the film a highly uneasy feel which may or may not be deliberate. Here is a man doing awful things to an innocent girl, but somehow we are on his side anxious he may be caught every time he is in Clara’s flat without permission. Even when he psychologically tortures an elderly lady living in the block for no reason he remains a sympathetic character, more sad than threatening or psychotic. There is even some comedy, as a very young girl witnesses his behaviour and blackmails him for cash and, bizarrely, an adult movie nothing is resolved with that.
Overall verdict: Deeply disturbing urban horror film which is certainly effective, although it may leave more questions than answers in your head long after you’ve seen it. Great performances and some superb set pieces are all in its favour, but what its underlying message is you’ll have to work out for yourself. Creepy.
Reviewer: Mike Martin