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Quarantine

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Quarantine (2008)

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Reviews Counted:77

Fresh:46

Rotten:31

Average Rating:5.7/10

Consensus: Quarantine uses effective atmosphere and consistent scares to stand above the crop of recent horror films.

Rated: R [See Full Rating] for bloody violent and disturbing content, terror and language.

Runtime: 89 mins

Genre: Horror/Suspense

Theatrical Release:Oct 10, 2008 Wide

Box Office: $31,691,811

Synopsis: A faithful adaptation of the 2007 Spanish film REC, QUARANTINE chronicles the outbreak of a rabies-like disease in a Los Angeles apartment building and the struggle of the unaffected residents to... A faithful adaptation of the 2007 Spanish film REC, QUARANTINE chronicles the outbreak of a rabies-like disease in a Los Angeles apartment building and the struggle of the unaffected residents to stay alive after the authorities trap them inside in an effort to contain it. Equal parts BLAIR WITCH PROJECT and 28 DAYS LATER, the film is presented through the eye of a video camera, putting the audience in the middle of the action and creating a heightened level of intensity and realism. Television reporter Angela (Jennifer Carpenter) and her cameraman, Scott (Steve Harris), are covering the goings-on at a firehouse for a program about night shift workers. As she clowns around with two flirty firemen (Jonathan Schaech and Jay Hernandez), an alarm sounds, and a truck is dispatched--with Angela and Scott on board---to an apartment building where an old woman has seemingly lost her mind. The woman bites one of the firemen and is soon killed, but when more tenants turn up with the same disorder, it's clear that a chain reaction is occurring. Unfortunately for Angela and the rest of the uninfected residents, the authorities have quarantined the building---but she and Scott continue to document the tragic and terrifying events inside the building as those inside are one by one transformed into bloodthirsty monsters. Director John Eric Dowdle, whose film THE POUGHKEEPSIE TAPES also used a pseudo-documentary approach in detailing the crimes of a serial killer, creates a sustained level of chaos and fear that will have all but the most seasoned horror fan cowering in the corner. Though the shaky camerawork may be difficult to take for those prone to motion sickness, it--along with a complete absence of music--gives the film a startling realism and immediacy to accompany its stomach-churning descent into full-on hopelessness and dread. [More]

Starring: Jennifer Carpenter, Jay Hernandez, Columbus Short, Greg Germann

Starring: Jennifer Carpenter, Jay Hernandez, Columbus Short, Greg Germann, Steve Harris, Dania Ramirez, Rade Sherbedgia, Johnathon Schaech

Director: John Erick Dowdle

Director: John Erick Dowdle
Screenwriter: John Erick Dowdle, Drew Dowdle
Producer: Doug Davison, Roy Lee, Sergio Aguero
Studio: Sony Pictures Entertainment

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Feb 17, 2009

[DVD Details]
 
 
  • Television reporter Angela Vidal (Jennifer Carpenter) and her cameraman (Steve Harris) are assigned to spend the night shift with a Los Angeles Fire Station. After a routine 911 call takes them to a small apartment building, they find police officers already on the scene in response to blood curdling screams coming from one of the apartment units. They soon learn that a woman living in the building has been viciously attacked by something unknown. After a few of the residents are also attacked, they try to escape with the news crew in tow, only to find that the CDC has quarantined the building. Phones, internet, televisions and cell phone access have been cut-off, and officials are not relaying information to those locked inside. When the quarantine is finally lifted, the only evidence of what took place is the news crew's videotape.
  • Source: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
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    Reviews for Quarantine

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    1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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    Works as every bit the disposable jolt dispenser it's assembled to be.

    Full Review Source: Cinematical | comment Comment
    12/17/09
    William Goss
    William Goss
    Cinematical

    'Quarantine' is a solid horror movie and one of the better to be released this year. The last 15 minutes is hardcore suspense that redeem any cheap movie making flaws.

    Full Review Source: BET.com | comment Comment
    07/03/09
    Clay Cane
    Clay Cane
    BET.com

    Develops into a legitimately unnerving experience.

    Full Review Source: Paste Magazine | comment Comment
    04/07/09
    Jeffrey Bloomer
    Jeffrey Bloomer
    Paste Magazine

    ...one could surely do far worse as far as horror remakes go.

    Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews | comment Comment
    03/25/09
    David Nusair
    David Nusair
    Reel Film Reviews

    A respectable, if uninspired, adaptation of... [REC], a Blair Witch-style variation on zombie movie cliches that might seem fresher had it not opened after veteran George Romero's grimly pared-down Diary of the Dead.

    Full Review Source: Miss FlickChick | comment Comment
    03/01/09
    Maitland McDonagh
    Maitland McDonagh
    Miss FlickChick

    Real no frills filmmaking. Anything that gets in the way of the main idea is stripped to the bone. This includes certain niceties like character, humor, and even story.

    Full Review Source: CinemaBlend.com | comment Comment
    02/25/09
    Brian Holcomb
    Brian Holcomb
    CinemaBlend.com

    Not as frightening as it should be, but still better than the average Hollywood scare-a-thon.

    Full Review Source: Lessons of Darkness | comment Comment
    02/24/09
    Nick Schager
    Nick Schager
    Lessons of Darkness

    We are saddled with the limitations of the 'found' film premise - seemingly endless screaming and scrabbling around in the dark, filmed from just a single angle.

    Full Review Source: Apollo Guide | comment Comment
    02/16/09
    Brian Webster
    Brian Webster
    Apollo Guide

    An eye-popping both metaphorical and literal genocidal rat race scare scenario made especially haunting when it kicks in, with its post-9/11 domestic terror lurking around every corner, hyper-paranoid sensibility.

    Full Review Source: NewsBlaze | comment Comment
    02/08/09
    Prairie Miller
    Prairie Miller
    NewsBlaze

    An affair that aims low and succeeds well in such.

    Full Review Source: Slant Magazine | comment Comment
    01/02/09
    Rob Humanick
    Rob Humanick
    Slant Magazine

    The camera bounces along, its path blocked frequently by the back of some fleeing figure, so that you're never quite sure where you are, where you're going or what you're looking at...

    Full Review Source: Sydney Morning Herald | comment 6 Comments
    12/01/08
    Sandra Hall
    Sandra Hall
    Sydney Morning Herald

    The premise isn't bad; I like the fact this hysteria happens in and around people's homes, because it's an excuse for the filmmakers to uncover secrets normally kept behind closed doors. A pity there are no great revelations here.

    Full Review Source: MovieTime, ABC Radio National | comment Comment
    12/01/08
    Jason Di Rosso
    Jason Di Rosso
    MovieTime, ABC Radio National

    It's one of those rare movies where you can't quite ascertain as to whether the filmmakers are trying to create scares or laughs.

    Full Review Source: FILMINK (Australia) | comment Comment
    12/01/08
    Andrew J. McGlinn
    Andrew J. McGlinn
    FILMINK (Australia)

    Delivers a pleasingly high quota of decent jolts as the body count mounts and the TV airhead becomes increasingly hysterical.

    Full Review Source: The Age (Australia) | comment Comment
    12/01/08
    Jim Schembri
    Jim Schembri
    The Age (Australia)

    The Spanish film worked better than John Erick Dowdle's remake, which is, if possible, even more chaotically filmed to the point that you often haven't got the slightest idea what's happening -- you just know that it's nasty.

    Full Review Source: At the Movies (Australia) | comment 1 Comment
    12/01/08
    David Stratton
    David Stratton
    At the Movies (Australia)

    As a visceral, camera-shuddery ride into foamy-mouthed zombie hell, it’s efficient enough — but if you’ve already seen [Rec], steer clear...

    Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment 1 Comment
    11/21/08
    Simon Crook
    Simon Crook
    Empire Magazine

    An American remake of the Spanish horror movie ‘[Rec]’ that adopts the same basic recipe, but removes any hint of flavour or texture, reducing cutting-edge Catalan cuisine to bland, bite-sized McNuggets.

    Full Review Source: Time Out | comment 3 Comments
    11/21/08
    Nigel Floyd
    Nigel Floyd
    Time Out

    Just like its forebear, this is bluntly effective exercise in first-person horror.

    Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
    11/21/08
    Daniel Etherington
    Daniel Etherington
    Channel 4 Film

    Quarantine is a lucrative steal by Dowdle. The Spanish original is arguably the best vérité fright movie since The Blair Witch Project. The American version is not quite in the same league.

    Full Review Source: Times [UK] | comment Comment
    11/21/08
    James Christopher
    James Christopher
    Times [UK]

    Good news for those who missed the Spanish zombie horror [REC] when it opened here a few months back. Here comes the inevitable fast-tracked Hollywood remake, which covers the same ground without the burden of all those subtitled hysterics.

    Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
    11/21/08
    Xan Brooks
    Xan Brooks
    Guardian [UK]
     
     
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