I have yet to see the movie [REC] which Quarantine is supposed to be the remake of. Many who have seen it told me that [REC] is the better movie, but if that’s the case then it must be really good, because Quarantine is a pretty dam good movie.
It is not really determined what the true cause of the infection in the movie is, but it’s believed that it is a source of rabies. In the United States rabies is very uncommon, but there are cases where larger mammals such as raccoons, foxes, bats and coyotes contract the disease. Smaller animals such as rats and squirrels never have it. Common household pets can get the disease if bitten by other infected animals, as well as human being. But most domesticated animals are required to have a rabies vaccine which minimizes the risks. One thing the writers of the movie did were research the rabies virus very well and were able to incorporate this information in the script. Human beings can also get the virus as well, but it’s usually treated before the virus is able to damage nerves and brain functions. Such is not the case with the virus in the film however as it does seem to be a more advanced strain of rabies, if that’s what our characters are really up against.
Quarantine is about a group of documentary filmmakers whom are shooting the lifestyles of Los Angles firemen and how they do their job. When a random call comes in and the firemen are dispatched, the crew follows along with them for the ride. The call leads them to an apartment building where it is believed a women is in danger. The firemen are also EMT’s so it’s appropriate for them to respond to such a call. The women it turns out is infected with some weird disease and she attacks and bites one of the police officers and then one of the firemen. As the residents, the film crew and the fire and policemen try to exit the building they find that they have been locked in the building and that a government SWAT team along with other various agencies have in fact quarantined the building to make sure no one gets out until they can determine what’s going on. This in turn pits the uninfected against the infected in the building and a fight for their lives ensues, as the outside world is being told that everything is OK, yet hell is breaking loose and it looks like no help is on the way. The surviving people must try to find a way out while avoiding the infected and the snipers and other law enforcement that surround the building that have been given order to shot on sight.
The script is very well written and the writers really did a lot of research on the diseases such as rabies and the procedures of government agencies should such an event occur. There is a very BLAIR WITCH feel to the movie, as it is all shot from one camera and the cameraman himself is a character in the movie. The writers also had a similar film with the same concept called The Poughkeepsie Tapes, of which I have not yet seen, but know it’s does have a similar documentary style of shooting. The script is almost like a guideline for the actors because the actors in this film were actually told not to act, but rather be themselves if they were put in such a situation. While the character development is pretty decent, its only half of what we really get out of the script’s unique and dynamic story. Sure it’s similar to the likes of THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT in it’s style of shooting, and you can almost pin it as being to much like a zombie film. It does have the qualities and the similarities of certain horror films like 28 DAYS LATER and RESIDENT EVIL when it comes to the origin of how the epidemic came to be. But unlike most of the films that QUARANTINE can be related too, the movie does make its story it’s own.
The films overall production value is very realistic and nothing is sugar coated at all. It does have a polished look for a documentary style film, while holding the look of being a real time movie that makes you believe that your actually watching the events that transpired in the building. The acting in the film is very good, and the direction is also very well done. The movie is done all from the point of view of one camera and while the filmmakers did do plenty of cuts in the film, the whole movie moves like it’s in real time and is full of continuous shots with a few camera cuts in-between. While I can’t sit here and say that this is an innovative style of shooting, it is one of the many films that does use this technique of filmmaking very well.
The DVD does have a few special features such as a behind the scenes featurette called “Locked In: The Making of Quarantine” which really gives you a look at how the film was made and what the director expected from his actors and such. “Anatomy of a Stunt” featurette about how the stunts of the film were performed. And another featurette about the make-up design by Robet Hall called “Dressing the Infected”. There is also commentary with writer/director John Erick Dowdle and writer/producer Drew Dowdle.
Overall, QUARANTINE is a very well produced film that takes that documentary horror style to a new level. While it’s ideas are not the most original in terms of the content we see in horror films today, it does bring a new and fresh look to the genre and has the scares and thrills that go along with it.
– Horror Bob
- Interview with J.R. Bookwalter - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Andrew J. Rausch - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Rick Popko and Dan West - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Director Stevan Mena (Malevolence) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Screenwriter Jeffery Reddick (Day of the Dead 2007) - January 22, 2015
- Teleconference interview with Mick Garris (Masters of Horror) - January 22, 2015
- A Day at the Morgue with Corri English (Unrest) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Writer/Director Nacho Cerda (The Abandoned, Aftermath) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actress Thora Birch (Dark Corners, The Hole, American Beauty) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actor Jason Behr, Plus Skinwalkers Press Coverage - January 22, 2015
