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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.

Rated: 18 [See Full Rating] for bloody violent and disturbing content, terror and language.

Runtime: 89 mins

Genre: Horror/Suspense

Theatrical Release:21-11-2008

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; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 >> >|
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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 1 Comment
11/21/08
Simon Crook
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 3 Comments
11/21/08
Nigel Floyd
Nigel Floyd
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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
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
Xan Brooks
Guardian [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

What director John Erick Dowdie has done is veer away from the supernatural atmosphere of the Spanish version and ramped up the bloodletting – it’s more gory than ghostly.

Full Review Source: Sky Movies | comment Comment
11/21/08
Tim Evans
Tim Evans
Sky Movies

Despite tweaking the format, Quarantine successfully replicates the claustrophobic tension of [REC] and cranks up the sudden eruptions of frenzied violence, making it as much of a white-knuckle terror ride as it was the first time around.

Full Review Source: Total Film | comment Comment
11/21/08
Total Film

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]

If you didn’t catch REC fever first time round, let yourself get bitten by Quarantine. Such brilliance is an isolated incident in modern scary movies.

Full Review Source: Sun Online | comment Comment
11/21/08
Sun Online

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

Quarantine is a well-acted, competent remake that doesn't betray the original, though it's somehow less scary and slightly longer than it needs to be.

Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
11/21/08
Matthew Turner
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon

Unlike so many other jerky camera horrors, and even zombie film shockers, Quarantine escalates the tension with a perfect sense of fearful exploitation. One of the best chillers of 08.

Full Review Source: Teletext | comment 1 Comment
11/20/08
Victor Olliver
Victor Olliver
Teletext

Rather too hysterical to be coherent, but it's still jittery and thoroughly unnerving

Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
10/15/08
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall

'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

Develops into a legitimately unnerving experience.

Full Review Source: Paste Magazine | comment Comment
04/07/09
Jeffrey Bloomer
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
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
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
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
Nick Schager
Lessons of Darkness
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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Latest News for Quarantine

February 16, 2009: RT on DVD: High School Musical 3 or Midnight Meat Train?
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