Rather too hysterical to be coherent, but it's still jittery and thoroughly unnerving
Quarantine (2008)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:76
Fresh:45
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
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Release:
Feb 17, 2009
Reviews for Quarantine
Despite Quarantine's theft from nearly every film in the subgenre, there are parts of the film that just plain work, no matter how much it doesn't seem like they should.
Too much information in the trailer spoiled some of the suspense of the film
When the month's horror options boil down to a modestly clever exercise like this or yet another Saw sequel, you know you could do worse.
Quarantine feels awfully familiar, and it grows less convincing with each passing moment. At its worst, it abandons realism entirely and flirts with gory kitsch.
Quarantine is based on the 2007 Spanish thriller [REC]. Like any imitation, the quality's not as good, but this is about cheap thrills, of which there are not enough.
Give Quarantine credit: Without resorting to computer-generated monsters or supernatural explanations, it uses consistent logic and confinement to find new ways of being scary.
Quarantine, yet another pseudo-documentary horror movie, delivers the heebie-jeebies with solid acting and perfectly calibrated shocks.
I have seen many execrable films -- Plan 9 From Outer Space, Disaster Movie, Batman & Robin -- but never has a movie made me so physically ill.
Quarantine is the type of movie that is made to see in a theatre. The film is brutally realistic and shot in such a way that you feel like you are watching real footage.
This isn't as good as CLOVERFIELD, but it does a pretty decent job at generating some thrills. Unfortunately, the movie is ruined by Carpenter's distractingly awful performance.
Underdeveloped and predictable, there is little compelling about the film other than the premise and a few of the kills.
In some ways 'Quarantine' is better than 'Rec,' not only xeroxing all its shocks but managing to add more.
Grows increasingly repetitious and tedious as the same cinematic tricks are played over and over...the effect is suffocating rather than enjoyably spooky.
The original Spanish thriller (REC) is no doubt better acted and executed, but considering the bad "prestige" movies recently it's hard to understand why Screen Gems decided not to press screen the cheap, quicky horror flick that delivers the basic goods
Disregarding its Xeroxed pedigree, it's easily one of the best American horror films of the year.
If a remake must be made in lieu of original thoughts and ideas, one could do far, far worse. Quarantine is the real deal--a primal, uncompromising vision of insanity run amok.
Quarantine fails to correct some of the problems evident in its predecessor while also incorporating a few defects of its own.
Latest News for Quarantine
February 16, 2009:
RT on DVD: High School Musical 3 or Midnight Meat Train?
It's a good week for mediocre films (Body of Lies, Changeling, Quarantine and Flash of Genius, which all walk a fine line between Fresh and Rotten) and an even better one if... More...
February 08, 2009:
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February 08, 2009:
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. ![]()
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November 21, 2008:
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It's a varied pick of films in the UK cinemas this week; we have Sir Ridley Scott's latest collaboration with Russell Crowe, the CIA thriller, Body Of Lies. Julianne Moore and... More...
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