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Jaume Balagueró

Jaume Balagueró

Director, writer and producer · Born November 2, 1968 (57) · Lleida, Lleida, Catalonia, Spain

Jaume Balagueró is a Spanish film director and screenwriter celebrated as a defining voice in modern horror cinema. He co-created the groundbreaking horror series [REC] with Paco Plaza, co-directing the original and its immediate sequel and helping establish one of the genre’s most influential found-footage franchises. Balagueró’s creative influence extends throughout the [REC] saga: he co-wrote the screenplay for [REC] 4: Apocalypse with Manu Díez and directed the film, delivering the franchise’s climactic chapter of viral terror and survival. Outside the [REC] universe, Balagueró’s diverse filmography includes The Nameless, Darkness, Sleep Tight, and Muse, showcasing his command of atmospheric tension and psychological dread. Known for blending visceral horror with narrative depth, he remains a seminal figure in Spanish genre filmmaking and a cornerstone of the international horror community.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
November 2, 1968 (57)
From
Lleida, Lleida, Catalonia, Spain
Works as
Director, writer and producer
Titles
18 on MovieCove · 32 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 157 days to Oct 28

What are Jaume Balagueró's films like?

Across their 16 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Survival and Society.

Genres

Horror7 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 38th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Horror movies
Action4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 21st percentile
: browse their Action movies
Drama3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 14th percentile
: browse their Drama movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Survival
53%
Society
11%
Bonds
9%
Morality
9%
Self
7%
Ideas
5%
Power
4%
Survival11 titles, browse their movies with this themeTrauma5 titles, browse their movies with this themeIsolation4 titles, browse their movies with this themeGuilt2 titles, browse their movies with this themeGrief2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 16 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Dark: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their dark movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 0 · Serious 2 · Dark 14

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 8 · Stylized 7 · Heightened 1

Intense: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their intense movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 0 · Charged 1 · Intense 15

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 5 · Shifting 8 · Whiplash 3

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 15 · Some laughs 0 · Funny 1

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 2 · Even-paced 7 · Relentless 7

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 2 · Engaged 9 · Full focus 5

Open-ended: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their open-ended movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 7 · Open-ended 8 · Ambiguous 1

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
16
Dread
12
Thrilling
6
Cold
3
Melancholic
2
Other
4

How their films linger

Unsettling14 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 10 with a twist

  • Happy1
  • Bittersweet4
  • Tragic4
  • Ambiguous7

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Jaume Balagueró's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 13 of their 18 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (9).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Jaume Balagueró's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

32 credits, 18 with a MovieCove page; 7 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Los sin nombre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)

    Show 6 episodes · Story

  • Kimeres (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)

    Show 1 episode · as Narrator

  • Venus(2022)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • Stories to Stay Awake (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • The Vault(2021)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • Unboxing Ibai (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)

    Director · Writer

  • The Pact(2018)

    Thanks

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films

  • Muse(2017)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • Heirs of the Beast (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    Actor

  • Summer Camp(2015)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films

  • Inside(2016)

    Executive Producer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • [REC] 4: Apocalypse(2014)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films

  • 24 cines por segundo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    Actor

  • [REC] 3: Genesis(2012)

    Creative Producer · Producer

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films

  • Sleep Tight(2011)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Quarantine 2: Terminal(2011)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films

  • Miedo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    Director · Writer

  • Spanish Movie(2009)

    as Bombero

    Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all films

  • [Rec]²(2009)

    Director · Screenplay · as Zombie (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • Quarantine(2008)

    Original Film Writer

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • REC(2007)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Sr. Rosso (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    Director · Producer · Writer

  • To Let(2006)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • The Nun(2005)

    Story

    Midcredits score: 5th percentile of all films

  • Fragile(2005)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • Darkness(2002)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films

  • OT: The Movie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    Director

  • The Nameless (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Director · Associate Producer · Screenplay

  • Days Without Light (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    Director · Editor · Writer

  • Alicia (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    Director · Writer

  • Broken Waters (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Executive Producer

  • There's Someone in the Garden (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Director

Career shape

A full career of 31 titles, 29 of them dated from 1994 to 2025.

Biggest box office

Quarantine (2008)

$41M worldwide

Highest rated

REC (2007)

Midcredits 90th

Film career

  • 2009Screen debut· Spanish Movie

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting5 of 31: 4 only acting, 1 with another roleDirecting19 of 31: 5 only directing, 14 with another role · typical Midcredits score48thWriting19 of 31: 4 only writing, 15 with another role · typical Midcredits score26thProducing5 of 31: 2 only producing, 3 with another roleEditing1 of 31: 0 only editing, 1 with another roleOther crew1 of 31: 1 only other crew, 0 with another role

31 titles, 15 with more than one role — directing and writing overlap on 14 of them.

By decade

1990s3 · crew2000s10 · 2 acting · 9 crew2010s10 · 2 acting · 8 crew2020s6 · 1 acting · 5 crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Jaume Balagueró's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 25th percentile, the median of all 18; across their 16 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 33rd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

33rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 16

Approval · how many liked their films

34thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 16

Reach · how many have seen their films

90thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 16

Midcredits score across 18 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up2
  • 50th to 74th2
  • 25th to 49th5
  • Below 25th9

Shape of the crowd

11 of their 18 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Panned1
  • Crowd Pleaser4
  • Broadly Agreed2
  • Mixed11

Most divisive · writer, producer

Inside (2016)

67th percentile spread · 33% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · director, writer

REC (2007)

Midcredits 90th · 79% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 63/100 and the pacing 52/100 in their films, across 16 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Jaume Balagueró's work okay for kids?

Across up to 11 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, profanity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films and alcohol & drugs lighter.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore8 titles50–94 · median 89 · severeheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity11 titles11–51 · median 25 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity9 titles53–86 · median 82 · severeheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs9 titles5–31 · median 23 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense8 titles58–95 · median 87 · severeheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Jaume Balagueró work with?

People who share at least 2 of Jaume Balagueró's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Carlos Fernández shares the most, 12.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles