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Movies / On DVD / Quarantine
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.

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 rotten rating; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 >> >|
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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

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

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

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

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

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

Quarantine is the unavoidable American replica, only this version has ingested a bottle of idiot pills and washed it all down with a full glass of directorial incompetence.

Full Review Source: BrianOrndorf.com | comment Comment
10/09/08
Brian Orndorf
Brian Orndorf
BrianOrndorf.com

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

The downside is that for the final half-hour the camera shakes so badly I started suffering from motion sickness.

Full Review Source: Daily Mail [UK] | comment Comment
11/21/08
Christopher Tookey
Christopher Tookey
Daily Mail [UK]

The Spanish did it all a little better but Carpenter rivals her European counterpart in hollering blue murder.

Full Review Source: This is London | comment Comment
11/21/08
Derek Malcolm
Derek Malcolm
This is London

My suggestion is to see the original first and then skip this one altogether...

Full Review Source: Cinema Crazed | comment Comment
10/18/08
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Cinema Crazed

This derivative horror flick can be confined along with its numerous inspirations.

Full Review Source: Hollywood Reporter | comment Comment
10/10/08
Frank Scheck
Frank Scheck
Hollywood Reporter

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

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

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

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

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

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
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Develops into a legitimately unnerving experience.

Full Review Source: Paste Magazine | comment Comment
04/07/09
Jeffrey Bloomer
Jeffrey Bloomer
Paste Magazine
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by rotten rating; Australian critics are listed first)
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Latest News for Quarantine

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