Five-Legged Iguana

A Rundown of the 13 (plus) Best Horror Movies I’ve Seen in the Past Year
[1 of 13]
The Jaume Balagueró Slot

Yes, the admitted Jaume Balagueró slut kicks off with a Balagueró tie.
Can I help it if the man kicks righteous a$$ and deserves his own slot/category?

PARA ENTRAR A VIVIR
(TO LET)
(March 2006)


Since I’m proud to be a self-confessed Jaume Balagueró slut, it shames me to admit that it’s only now that I’ve finally gotten around to checking out the Filmax/Telecinco TV co-production, Peliculas Para No Dormir (6 Films to Keep You Awake)*, in particular, Balagueró’s contribution, Para Entrar A Vivir, which he directed between Frágiles and his collaboration with Paco Plaza on [REC].
Following the travails of a young couple (played by Dagon's Macarena Gómez and Adrià Collado) as they check out an apartment, this one turns out to be a twisted little number, a nasty piece of work that should tide me over till I get a chance to see Mientras Duermes (Sleep Tight).
If you haven’t seen this one yet, please do.


* These six television movies looked back to the original ‘60’s TV series, Peliculas Para No Dormir, and one of the 6 Films, La Culpa (Blame), was in fact directed by the show’s creator, Narciso Ibáñez Serrador.


MIENTRAS DUERMES
(SLEEP TIGHT)
(September 2011)


As it turns out, Para Entrar A Vivir didn’t have to tide me over for too long before I luxuriated in my next Jaume Balagueró fix.
In Mientras Duermes, Clara (Marta Etura) is waking up groggy and progressively out of sorts, and is being harassed by text messages, email, and yes, apparently even snail mail.
Clara’s got an obsessed stalker, and he’s a lot closer than she might expect.

Scripted by Alberto Marini (who co-wrote Para Entrar A Vivir with Balagueró), this one has a similar premise to the recently reconstituted Hammer production, The Resident, the difference being, Balagueró and Marini handle the material a lot more intelligently, creating a disturbing portrait of a sociopath who should be quite at home in this day and age of haters and Schadenfreude.

And while this dark little number is yet another Balagueró film that I love, I will admit to missing his collaborating with Xavi Giménez; Pablo Rosso has been Balagueró’s go-to cinematographer since Para Entrar A Vivir.
Of course, Giménez has gone on to directing, and I’ve been trying my darnedest to check out his feature directorial debut, Cruzando El Limite (Yellow), so maybe, everyone concerned is just spreading the love and astounding talent around a little more…
Rosso, after all, is one mean shooter too, what, with all the tricksy stuff he pulled off in the [REC] films.

So, while I eagerly await Balagueró’s [REC] 4: Apocalypse, it’s Mientras Duermes’ turn to keep me all warm and snugly…
Allow it to do the same for you.


(Para Entrar A Vivir DVD cover art courtesy of aullidos.com; Peliculas Para No Dormir screenshot courtesy of moviescreenshots.blogspot.com; Mientras Duermes and Sleep Tight OS’ courtesy of impawards.com.)