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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 source; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

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

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

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

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

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.

Full Review Source: Antagony & Ecstasy | comment Comment
10/14/08
Tim Brayton
Tim Brayton
Antagony & Ecstasy

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

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.

Full Review Source: AV Club | comment Comment
10/13/08
Nathan Rabin
Nathan Rabin
AV Club

'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

If you are looking for a film that will scare the wits out of you, even briefly, you can't wrong from seeing this one.

Full Review Source: BlackFilm.com | comment Comment
10/10/08
Wilson Morales
Wilson Morales
BlackFilm.com

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

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

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

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

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

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

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)

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

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]

I raved about the oddly-titled Spanish horror [Rec], saying it turned the terror up to 10. Now, as night follows day, it’s time for a Hollywood remake – and the result isn’t half bad.

Full Review Source: Daily Mirror [UK] | comment Comment
11/21/08
Daily Mirror [UK]
 
 
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