Photo of Paco Plaza
Directing

Paco Plaza

Profession
Directing
Born
August 2, 1973 · Valencia, Spain

Biography

Paco Plaza is a critically acclaimed Spanish film director, screenwriter, and producer best known for co-creating the influential [REC] franchise, which debuted in 2007 and helped redefine found-footage horror with its intense, immersive style and claustrophobic suspense. Plaza directed and co-wrote the original [REC] alongside Jaume Balagueró and continued to shape the series through [REC] 2 and the solo installment [REC] 3: Genesis, earning international recognition and numerous awards. Plaza is respected not only for his genre-breaking horror films but also for his versatility across other projects like Verónica (2017) and recent anthology work on V/H/S/Halloween (2025). His impact on contemporary horror cinema, especially through [REC]’s visceral realism, has cemented his reputation as one of Spain’s most influential genre filmmakers.

Known for

[REC] poster
[REC]
Film · 2007 · ★ 7.2
[REC]² poster
[REC]²
Film · 2009 · ★ 6.6
Veronica poster
Veronica
Film · 2017 · ★ 6.2
[REC]³ Genesis poster
[REC]³ Genesis
Film · 2012 · ★ 5.3
Quarantine poster
Quarantine
Film · 2008 · ★ 5.8
[REC]⁴ Apocalypse poster
[REC]⁴ Apocalypse
Film · 2014 · ★ 5.6
The Vault poster
The Vault
Film · 2021 · ★ 6.8
The Grandmother poster
The Grandmother
Film · 2022 · ★ 5.9
Sister Death poster
Sister Death
Film · 2023 · ★ 6.0
Eye for an Eye poster
Eye for an Eye
Film · 2019 · ★ 6.7
V/H/S/Halloween poster
V/H/S/Halloween
Film · 2025 · ★ 6.2
Spanish Movie poster
Spanish Movie
Film · 2009 · ★ 5.0

Filmography