[REC] 4: Apocalypse Acquired by Magnet Releasing, Gets Release Date

After showing us a bloodbath of a wedding reception in [REC] 3: Genesis, the influential Spanish zombie franchise is going back to its roots in its fourth entry with familiar faces behind and in front of the camera, with the living dead virus this time spreading throughout the claustrophobic confines of a ship at sea. Magnet Releasing has acquired the film and set a release date.

“Angela Vidal, the young television reporter who entered the building with the fireman, manages to make it out alive. But what the soldiers don’t know is that she carries the seed of the strange infection. She is to be taken to a provisional quarantine facility, a high-security installation where she will have to stay in isolation for several days. An old oil tanker, miles off shore and surrounded by water on all sides, has been especially equipped for the quarantine.”

Actress Manuela Velasco reprises her role as Angela Vidal from the first [REC]. Director Jaume Balagueró, who co-helmed the first two entries in the franchise with Paco Plaza, directs from a screenplay he co-wrote with Manu Díez. According to Deadline, Magnet Releasing will unleash [REC] 4: Apocalypse in theaters and on VOD platforms on January 2nd, 2015.

As the trailer below shows, a zombie infection on an isolated ship should make for some tight quarters carnage, but we will not see it via a handheld lens, as [REC] 4: Apocalypse will not feature the found footage filming style of its predecessors ([REC] 3: Genesis used a mix of traditional camerawork and found footage).