Paco Plaza
Born: 1973-08-02 in Valencia, Spain
Known For: Directing
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.
Filmography
2025
- V/H/S/Halloween ... (Director)
- Fate ... (Director)
2024
- Mugaritz: No Bread, No Dessert. ... (Director)
2023
- Sister Death ... (Director)
- Jokes & Cigarettes as Chicho
2022
- The Grandmother ... (Director)
- [REC]: Horror Without Pause as Self - Filmmaker
2021
- The Vault ... (Crowd Assistant Director)
- Drag Race España as Self - Guest Judge
- Stories to Stay Awake ... (Director)
- Berlanga!! as Self - Filmmaker
2020
- La suite nupcial as Camarero
- Campofrío: Disfrute en vida ... (Director)
2019
- Eye for an Eye ... (Director)
- Beyond Blood as Self
2017
- Veronica ... (Director)
- Marcians as Self - Interviewee
- Cult of Terror as Self - Filmmaker
2016
2015
- Requirements to Be a Normal Person ... (Executive Producer)
2014
- [REC]⁴ Apocalypse ... (Creative Producer)
- Clawing! A Journey Through the Spanish Horror as Self - Director
- Queridos monstruos as Self
- Ultraviolet ... (Director)
2013
- Habitantes ... (Producer)
2012
- [REC]³ Genesis ... (Director)
2010
- Bunbury 3D ... (Director)
- Cinémas d'Horreur - Apocalypse, Virus, Zombies as Self
- A or B ... (Producer)
- Luna di miele, luna di sangue VII ... (Director)
2009
- [REC]² as Zombie (uncredited)
- Spanish Movie as Municipal
2008
- Quarantine ... (Writer)
2006
- Small Gauge Trauma ... (Director)
2005
- A Christmas Tale ... (Director)
2004
- Romasanta: The Werewolf Hunt ... (Director)
2002
- Second Name ... (Director)
- OT: The Movie ... (Director)
1999
- Abuelitos ... (Director)
1996
- Suburbs as Marido