REC (2007)

The critically acclaimed Spanish found-footage horror film, *REC (2007)*, immediately immerses viewers in a relentless, escalating nightmare. What begins as a routine documentary following a local fire department rapidly devolves into sheer terror when a television reporter and cameraman follow emergency workers into a dark apartment building. Their standard coverage quickly turns horrific as they, along with the residents and first responders, are unexpectedly locked inside with something terrifying – an unknown, rapidly spreading infection turning people into rabid aggressors. While primarily a visceral horror experience, *REC* truly earns its place on a "Best Mystery movies" list through its meticulously constructed and terrifying enigma. As the situation inside the quarantined building rapidly deteriorates, the trapped survivors – and by extension, the audience – are forced into an investigative role, desperate to understand the true nature of the outbreak, its unsettling origins, and the sinister secrets harbored within the building’s walls, particularly the infamous penthouse. The film expertly doles out clues, from unsettling documents to horrifying revelations, making the piecing together of this dark, bio-supernatural puzzle as gripping and crucial to the terror as the immediate threat itself.