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Quarantine

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Quarantine (2008)

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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.

Australian Rating: MA15+ [See Full Rating] Strong horror violence

Runtime: 89 mins

Genre: Horror/Suspense

Australian Theatrical Release:
Nov 27, 2008 Wide

US 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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Reviews for Quarantine

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 >> >|
Arrange By: Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

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
Sydney Morning Herald
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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
FILMINK (Australia)
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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
The Age (Australia)
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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 Comment
12/01/08
David Stratton
At the Movies (Australia)
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Jennifer Carpenter is terrific as the news reporter who gets swallowed up in her own story, and leads an excellent cast, all of whom bring a veracity to this remake in the hands of the talented Dowdle brothers

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
11/20/08
Andrew L. Urban
Urban Cinefile
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

'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
BET.com

Develops into a legitimately unnerving experience.

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

An affair that aims low and succeeds well in such.

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

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
MovieTime, ABC Radio National
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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 Comment
11/21/08
Simon Crook
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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 2 Comments
11/21/08
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
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
Times [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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
Guardian [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
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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. Opens in new window
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