Quarantine (2008)
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A reporter and her cameraman witness a deadly viral outbreak inside a Los Angeles apartment building that becomes a government-mandated quarantine zone.
The story
On the evening of March 11, 2008, news reporter Angela Vidal and her cameraman, Scott Percival, film a report on the night shift at the Los Angeles Fire Department. They accompany firefighters Jake and George Fletcher to a local apartment building following a distress call. Upon entering, they discover a deadly mutated strain of rabies spreading among the residents. After an initial attack by an elderly resident, the building is quarantined by authorities and the CDC to prevent the virus from spreading. The pair continues to record the unfolding events as the infected residents become increasingly violent and delirious.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
On March 11, 2008, reporter Angela Vidal and cameraman Scott Percival accompany firefighters Jake and George Fletcher to an apartment building where they find residents infected with a mutated rabies strain. After an elderly woman, Mrs. Espinosa, bites several people, the CDC and authorities quarantine the building. As the infection spreads, residents like Lawrence and Briana become violent. A rabid dog mauls a resident, and a CDC officer is attacked. The group eventually retreats as the infected break loose, resulting in several deaths, including Kathy and Randy. Survivors barricade themselves upstairs, but many are bitten, including the inspector and Sadie. Yuri attempts to escape through the sewers but is bitten. Jake is bitten by Yuri, leaving Angela and Scott alone. They discover the virus was stolen from a military facility by a doomsday cult member. In the attic, they find an emaciated infected person who beats Scott to death. Angela is then attacked and dragged into the darkness.
- First release year
- 2008
- Runtime (minutes)
- 89
- Production countries
- United States; Spain
- Original languages
- English; Spanish
- Directors
- John Erick Dowdle
- Writers
- John Erick Dowdle · co-writer; Drew Dowdle · co-writer
- Cast and characters
- Jennifer Carpenter · Angela Vidal; Steve Harris · Scott Percival; Jay Hernandez · Jake; Johnathon Schaech · George Fletcher; Columbus Short · Danny Wilensky; Dania Ramirez · Sadie; Andrew Fiscella · James McCreedy; Rade Šerbedžija · Yuri Ivanov
- Genres
- found footage; zombie; horror; thriller
- Themes
- viral outbreak; claustrophobia; survival
- Tone and mood
- tense; claustrophobic; scary
- Premise and plot tags
- found footage; zombie; remake; viral outbreak; apartment building
- Source material / true-story basis
- Rec (2007)
- Franchise connections
- Quarantine
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics and audiences, with a 56% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 53/100 aggregate on Metacritic.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 56% · review count: 86; Metacritic · score: 53 · scale: 100 · review count: 14; CinemaScore · score: C · scale: A+ to F; Bloody Disgusting · score: 3.5 · scale: 5; Fangoria · score: 3 · scale: 4
- Production trivia
- The film features no actual musical score.; The apartment complex was a set but a fully functioning one with four floors.; The film was shot in chronological order with an average shot length of four to six minutes.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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