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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 comments; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 >> >|
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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
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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)
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
Andrew J. McGlinn
FILMINK (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
Andrew L. Urban
Urban Cinefile
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
Jim Schembri
The Age (Australia)
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Actress Jennifer Carpenter of Exorcism of Emily Rose fame surely deserves some kind of award for giving the most hysterical over-the-top performance in a horror movie since Marilyn Burns in the original 1974 Texas Chain Saw Massacre.

Full Review Source: Sci-Fi Movie Page | comment 19 Comments
09/16/08
James O'Ehley
James O'Ehley
Sci-Fi Movie Page

Too much information in the trailer spoiled some of the suspense of the film

Full Review Source: jackiekcooper.com | comment 8 Comments
10/14/08
Jackie K. Cooper
Jackie K. Cooper
jackiekcooper.com

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.

Full Review Source: Sin Magazine | comment 7 Comments
10/12/08
Austin Kennedy
Austin Kennedy
Sin Magazine

...a movie that didn't need to be made and which no one needs to see.

Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review | comment 4 Comments
10/16/08
Jim Lane
Jim Lane
Sacramento News & Review

Grows increasingly repetitious and tedious as the same cinematic tricks are played over and over...the effect is suffocating rather than enjoyably spooky.

Full Review Source: One Guy's Opinion | comment 3 Comments
10/11/08
Frank Swietek
Frank Swietek
One Guy's Opinion

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

There's never a dull moment in 'Quarantine.'

Full Review Source: ReelTalk Movie Reviews | comment 2 Comments
10/14/08
Frank Wilkins
Frank Wilkins
ReelTalk Movie Reviews

A vertiginous, nauseating, unscary mess of a film.

Full Review Source: Compuserve | comment 2 Comments
10/12/08
Harvey S. Karten
Harvey S. Karten
Compuserve

Despite the Cronenbergian themes, the film is relentless and singleminded: It just wants to scare you, and it succeeds.

Full Review Source: Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN) | comment 2 Comments
10/24/08
John Beifuss
John Beifuss
Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)

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.

Full Review Source: Globe and Mail | comment 2 Comments
10/13/08
Liam Lacey
Liam Lacey
Globe and Mail

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.

Full Review Source: Boston Globe | comment 2 Comments
10/13/08
Michael Hardy
Michael Hardy
Boston Globe

Disregarding its Xeroxed pedigree, it's easily one of the best American horror films of the year.

Full Review Source: EricDSnider.com | comment 1 Comment
10/10/08
Eric D. Snider
Eric D. Snider
EricDSnider.com

Quarantine fails to correct some of the problems evident in its predecessor while also incorporating a few defects of its own.

Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment 1 Comment
10/10/08
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
ReelViews

Quarantine, yet another pseudo-documentary horror movie, delivers the heebie-jeebies with solid acting and perfectly calibrated shocks.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment 1 Comment
10/13/08
Jeannette Catsoulis
Jeannette Catsoulis
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

...feels as if someone had videotaped their trip through a haunted house run by the local Jaycees.

Full Review Source: LarsenOnFilm | comment 1 Comment
10/10/08
Josh Larsen
Josh Larsen
LarsenOnFilm
 
 
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