The Most Terrifying Found Footage Horror Film Is Now Free to Stream Online

One of the most popular found footage horror movies, the Spanish film REC, is now available to stream for free. Although it never had a theatrical release in the United States, REC quickly became a cult classic and is still loved by horror fans around the world. Released in 2007, the movie received great reviews, earning a 90% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Now, all four REC movies can be streamed at no cost on Tubi.

REC tells the story of a reporter named Ángela Vidal, who works on a show called While You Sleep. Alongside her cameraman, she ends up capturing a terrifying outbreak inside an apartment building, where a disease is turning people into cannibals.

The film was directed by Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Luiso Berdejo. While REC didn’t hit U.S. theaters, it made $32.5 million internationally and started a film franchise, although the sequels never matched the first movie’s success.

The title REC, short for “record,” follows Ángela and her cameraman Pablo as they join firefighters responding to an emergency call in a Barcelona apartment building. There, they discover an infection spreading rapidly, forcing authorities to quarantine the entire building.

The movie’s intense, real-time style shows the horror unfolding through Ángela’s camera. Manuela Velasco stars as Ángela, delivering a memorable performance.

REC premiered in August 2007 at the Venice International Film Festival and later showed at the Sitges Film Festival and Málaga International Week of Fantastic Cinema before its wide release in Spain. The directors explained in an interview that their main inspiration came from TV, not from other movies or previous horror traditions.

They said, “Our main reference was TV; it was not other films, or a tradition of previous features. I think the main influence for us was TV. What we wanted was to build a classic horror story, but telling it in the way of a TV show.” The film later came to the UK in 2008 and hit DVD in North America in 2009.

Critics loved REC. Rotten Tomatoes shows a 90% approval rating based on 40 reviews, with an average score of 7.6 out of 10. The site summarizes, “Plunging viewers into the nightmarish hellscape of an apartment complex under siege, [REC] proves that found footage can still be used as an effective delivery mechanism for sparse, economic horror.”

The movie’s success led to three sequels: REC 2 (2009), REC 3: Genesis (2012), and REC 4: Apocalypse (2014). The second film picks up right after the first, with Manuela Velasco returning as Ángela in both REC 2 and REC 4. Additionally, the story inspired an American remake called Quarantine in 2008, starring Jennifer Carpenter from Dexter, which also got its own sequel.

Overall, REC is considered one of the best found footage and horror films ever made. It remains a favorite for horror fans who want a chilling, suspenseful experience grounded in a realistic style. And now, thanks to Tubi, it’s easier than ever to watch this classic for free.

Have something to add? Let us know in the comments below!