Quarantine (2008) User Reviews

Not quite as strong as the original, but still very good.

[A_Roode · 7/10 · 17 October 2008]

There must have been comedians in the projection booth the night that some friends and I went to see a family friendly film. These particular friends tend to watch only light-hearted material and get upset for weeks whenever they see horror films or intense thrillers. They were totally unprepared for a 'Quarantine' trailer and it shocked them all so badly that we nearly had to leave and get our money back. Maybe it was because of their strong reaction that my interest in the film has stayed so high for the past several months.

This week I have seen both 'Quarantine' and 'Rec' the film that 'Quarantine' is a remake of. 'Rec' is not without flaws but it is a very solid and chilling horror film. 'Quarantine' is able to expand on several of the strengths in 'Rec' while falling into a few pitfalls of it's own. Both films are about a TV news crew taping a show about what a night in the life of a fireman is like. A seemingly routine call turns out to be something much more and the news crew is trapped in a quickly quarantined building.

Giving credit where it is due, 'Quarantine' kept me on the edge of my seat for most of the movie. It lures you in with a very relaxed opening ten minutes but once you reach the building and the cop in charge asks why the camera crew is there, the whole tone of the movie changes. The fun and games, the light-hearted banter is gone. We only realize how serious it is though when they enter the apartment of an injured old woman. For me the tension starts with the entrance to the apartment and never lets up. Each new segment that the TV crew starts filming holds potential terror. The set design and the lighting are terrific and 'Quarantine' walks a careful tightrope of character action. So often in horror films the audience is yelling with frustration at what characters on the screen are doing because it all goes against common sense. There is a little bit of that early on but 'Quarantine' does a better job of playing to the characters and their panic. Characters die not through naivety or stupidity as much as they do from inevitability and inescapability. The key performance comes from Jennifer Carpenter.

The film's greatest strength and weakness at the same time, Carpenter is the focus of the camera because of her role as the reporter and it isn't an easy part to play. She is solid for the majority of the film but terror essentially overwhelms her with ten minutes to go and she is reduced to a sobbing, shrieking, shivering bowl of jello. Would I or anyone else be any better in the situation that 'Quarantine' creates? Hard for me to say but probably not. The problem is that there were three primary acting choices for her to make in the final ten minutes: she could play it as a hysteric (which she does), she could play it as numbing down her fear like the cameraman does in order to try and escape, or she could have been so overwhelmed by her fear that she becomes a functional catatonic working on autopilot. Carpenter's choice is probably the 'truest' choice for how people would react. That doesn't mean that it is going to make for good drama. Her transformation from confident and outgoing to hysterical jabbering is so jarring that it feels forced instead of real. The camera man keeps telling her to calm down when they've reached a potentially safe room but she is far beyond the calming down stage and well into the years of therapy one instead. I found it to be just too much and actually pulled me out of the horror and towards comedy instead.

'Rec' felt a bit more organic and gritty than 'Quarantine.' The performances are decent in both but you feel less of a connection to the characters in 'Quarantine.' Many are clearly there to serve as fodder with no attempt to seriously develop them. 'Rec' does a much better job, particularly when the reporter interviews each of the buildings residents. The five minutes spent in filming those sequences gave more of a stake to the audience into the well-being of those characters. That never really takes off in 'Quarantine' and I regret that they didn't follow the lead of 'Rec'. One thing that I thought 'Quarantine' did a much better job of was in plot clarity and how they provided information. The clues to the source of what is going on are much more explicit and come very early in the movie. 'Rec' dropped a few hints for the viewer to put together but relies on the final five minutes to give the major clues about patient zero. What patient zero is spreading is clearer in the remake and I thought the clarity benefited the plot. Of course by the time you find out about patient zero, Carpenter's character is beyond being able to help provide the audience with anymore real analytical power. Don't blink or you'll miss everything you need to know.

I give the slight edge to 'Rec', but certainly recommend 'Quarantine' to horror fans. It's problems aren't severe enough to detract from a very decent effort.

trying to review this without comparing to the original

[iamyourruler2000 · 7/10 · 10 October 2008]

I have to say, this whole hysteria of America ruining foreign films is laughable. Yes, there are some really bad remakes, but that does not effect the original film. You cannot ruin a film by remaking it as the original film is still the same. If you are angry, you are angry because you feel that people who really deserve the fame and recognition are not getting it. This is a justified reason to be angry, but don't go saying the film has been ruined because that defies all logic of possibility.

I must say it's hard for me to review this film without thinking about the original, mainly because it is nearly a shot for shot remake. Obviously this takes away from the suspense and overall fear factor of the film. If you have seen the original, don't expect to experience the same level of terror that you had the first go round. You're going to know what's coming for the most part. If you haven't seen REC, this movie will probably scare you. If you actually have the option of seeing REC first, I would do it because I feel that it is still the superior movie. Of course, if you live in America your local video store won't have it and you'll have to download it illegally, so I guess you're stuck between a rock and a hard place.

I actually thought the acting was quite good for the most part. Jennifer Carpenter does a great job playing hysterical women. She did a good job being hysterical in the Emily Rose abomination and she did a good job being hysterical in Dexter. She does a good job being hysterical in this movie as well, so kudos to the producers/directors for making a logical choice to cast her. Her dialogue outside of being chased down by rabid tenants is laughable, but this actually makes sense when you consider the fact she's a reporter for a show no one would watch anyways.

The main difference between REC and this movie is the cause of the deranged building tenants. Surprisingly, I thought they made the story work and it played more on "American" fears such as government distrust, terrorism, and viral warfare. The only thing I think they failed on was the choice to use higher quality production. Part of what made REC really scary was the grittiness which gave you the feeling that what was happening was real. Although the camera work is choreographed well, the Hollywood quality takes away the grit and leaves you feeling like you've had a few too many before watching.

Overall, I think this is actually a decent remake. The producers and director realized that the story was already awesome and they didn't try to change it. I think if people would calm down and put aside their national pride and cultural elitism, they would realize that these kinds of remakes only help foreign films. How many people knew about REC before this movie, outside of a small demographic of people (imdb is not the 'norm')? How many people know about that great movie now? Lots of people visit these websites looking for reviews, and seeing "REC" pop up everywhere is only good exposure. Hell, if this movie does well you might actually find copies of REC in your local video store, and believe me, I'd be the first in line to buy a copy.

I Already Saw "REC"

[view_and_review · 6/10 · 24 June 2021]

As a rule I do not like found footage aka shaky cam movies. Besides being terrible quality, most of the time it defies logic and common sense for the person to continue filming while in such dire situations, and I can't get past that. Just like I can't get past the cellphone camera generation today that has an insatiable need to film the most appalling events without thinking, "Maybe I should put the camera down and help." Or my favorite --while holding their cellphone to video-- "Someone call 9-1-1!"

"Quarantine" is a found footage movie based upon the movie "REC." "REC" was a foreign film with the exact same premise, but it was better. In "Quarantine" a reporter named Angela (Jennifer Carpenter) and her cameraman Scott (Steve Harris) follow a few L. A. firefighters out on a call. When they arrive at an apartment they find an elderly woman seemingly on the brink of death. Suddenly, she sprung to life with the vigor of a person one-fourth her age and bit a firefighter on the neck. As weird as this was, no one would become truly panicked until they found out that they were being locked in the building.

From that point on the movie was a lot of screaming, yelling, growling, and running in circles--all with very poor camera shots because the cameraman was a part of the fracas. This movie would've been better had I not seen "REC" already. Also, it would've been better had they gone with a traditional movie format. However, there were a few awesome shots of bodies dropping and/or falling which kept me engaged.

Woah.

[justin_currie · 7/10 · 21 October 2008]

I went into this movie with fairly vague expectations - however I am a fan of scary movies, and not to mention a big fan of Jennifer Carpenter, could be good times. so lets go.

woah.

This movie was horribly fantastic! It was a ride, a very scary, very stressful ride, but an awesome one. True, this flick does not stray far from the typical zombie flick concepts, but I thought the execution was above par. The 1st person views, the sense of confinement/hopelessness, and the great acting (especially ms carpenter, extremely believable job of someone going hysterically frantic) One of the key things about this horror is the scares never let up, there is rarely a "breather scene" where you get to relax for any amount of time, it just keeps hitting you and hitting you.

haha, phew. I truly enjoyed. check it out. cheers

Watch the original before this.

[moselekm · 6/10 · 21 January 2010]

If you didn't know. This film is another American-Remake. That's right. Once again, American underlings of the film-persuasion lacked any real originality or motivation to write anything of their own, so they chose to massacre an existing one. That isn't to directly say this movie is horrible. But the strange thing you may notice if you educate yourself is that the ORIGINAL had a plot, where as this one, sadly, comes out with little to NO plot.

Now if you like the common films that have no regard to your intelligence or sense of accomplishment that one can get from watching a good film. (Like 'One Missed Call' 'The Ring' 'The Eye' etc). Then you will think I have no clue what I am talking about. However, if you're not a dolt, you will agree and wonder why this movie delivered the higher budget film, but removed the plot.

The film is 85% it's original. However it does take some originality in developing the 'infection' earlier on in the plot, however you really don't get any explanation on much anything. (It's like they teased you with it. Although the tease being a very weak attempt at a conclusion).

Honestly, you cannot grasp the entirety of this film without watching Rec. The same can't be said inversely, but both are enjoyable to watch.

In conclusion if you just want a drive-by horror. Go ahead. If you actually want to have something to talk about with your friends, get Rec and this one and watch them back to back with the gang and make it your own discussion.

Under rated

[wiemerscarson · 7/10 · 9 November 2020]

The reason a lot of people don't like this just doesn't make sense. Many people complain about the main actresses performance but I thought she did amazing. Many other people complain that its to slow because nothing happens in the beginning, hate to break it to you but thats called developing the characters, something that a lot of horror movies lack. This movie is really good, really scary, and one of the few horror movies that is actually re-watchable. Its such a crime that this has only a 5.9.

What a waste of time

[ignitione · 4/10 · 7 February 2009]

You need to see the original "REC" movie to know how bad this one is. It tries to introduce more zombie attacks than the original making it way boring. And it is a failure in its end.

1) To scare people you need to introduce pauses so there is thriller. In this movie they put too many zombie attacks compared to the original. It was much more explicit than REC so it becomes more a gore funny film than a horror movie.

2) You can't choose such a bad actress, she screams so much you quickly want her to be caught by a zombie. What a bad performance.

3) This is a Hollywood movie, it is supposed there is more resources, how can the zombies look so fake? the Spanish one was utterly superior. SPOILER The final monster is a joke compared to the original one. Incredible. The original monster was a girl and you could see her breasts, Hollywood censored this??? how funny. What about the night vision scene???? It didn't look like night vision at all!!!! It has to look like a negative or something, not like a dark version of a normal vision!!!

3)They skip the most important thing here!!! In the final scene, they turn on the tape and NO EXPLANATION OF WHAT'S GOING ON IS HEARD! In the original movie you can hear the guy living in the flat talking about how he kidnapped the girl from a church where they kept her in Portugal, about his experiments and how he tried to cure her. It's several recording sessions and you see how desperate he gets because he can't heal her and he thinks he won't be able to keep her UP THERE for much longer. You can figure out he has been a victim of her.

So the devilish nuance is lost in favor of the less scaring virus point of view. What made REC so good is that in the end it seems the girl ("Niña Medeiros") is some creature from hell it's not only about an infection.

All in all, another Hollywood waste of money, instead of welcoming foreign movies they copy them and make them a shame.

definitely not boring

[austrumubanka · 8/10 · 12 February 2009]

May be my vote is so high, because I haven't seen the original, however it makes my judgment more objective, because I didn't have to compare anything except other horror movies, which use cheap camera from first person, which seems like is a new trend of all horror movies. And this is the only thing I don't like - may be the movie would not be so capturing if it would be taken in classic style, in other words, in my opinion such technique does not make so much effort from the director to make the scenes scary. On the other hand, due to lack of frame cutting there is very high pressure on actors. Whatever some here comment that they did not like the play of leading actress, I think she was very good, surprisingly good for quite unknown actress. Perhaps many thought that those hysteria scenes were exaggerated, but I'm sure that people in similar situations act exactly so disconnectedly. It seems that Jay Hernandez is slowly gaining his future popularity and I have nothing against it, he has quite good potential.

Infectious Horror

[Simon_Says_Movies · 7/10 · 21 October 2008]

Even at a glance, it is clear that Quarantine has boarded the 'fad' bandwagon it two respects. Firstly, this chiller joins up with the abundance of remakes that choke the gullet of Hollywood, and at an impressively rapid pace I may add, duplicating its Spanish predecessor (Rec) within a year's time. Secondly, it is the successor in a line of films, some from earlier this year in fact, that adopt the hand-held camera technique (which may soon be classified more accurately as a gimmick) to construct a first hand, real time account of events. Yet, despite succumbing to these popular fixations, and the flag of death that is the studios reluctance to screen the film, Quarantine is crisp effective horror.

When comparing (Rec) and Quarantine, the similarities are glaring. In fact, the films are almost identical, save a few altered snippets. Which is good in the sense that nothing was lost in translation and although nowhere near as disgraceful as remaking classics or art films, it still begs to ask the question why? Alas, the average viewer does not wish to read subtitles, especially when watching horror, so the update went through. Directed by newcomer John Erick Dowdle he makes the most of his debut. Procuring a larger budget then its inspiration, Quarantine looks better as a whole (despite more frequent incomprehensible shots involving darkness and jiggle cam) and is able to incorporate some effects into the production, such as a continuous and chilling shot of a person being tossed down a stairwell. Comparisons to 2008's earlier films Cloverfield and Diary of the Dead are unavoidable, and remains squarely in the middle; a far-cry from the ingenuity and atmosphere of Cloverfield, but avoids the horrendous acting and scripting of Diary.

Mirroring (Rec) Quarantine begins with a reporter, Angela Vidal (Jennifer Carpenter) who hosts a late night television program. On this particular night, Angela and her cameraman Scott (Steve Harris) are doing a ride-along with the firemen of a local station in L.A., including Jake (Jay Hernandez) and Fletcher (Jonathan Schaech). After a tenuous night of boredom and anxiety, they are finally called to the scene of an apparent accident in an aging condo, involving an elderly tenant. Things are not as they seem however as soon after, the CDC seals off the building with the foursome, and the reaming residents still inside. Their reasoning is good it seems, as all hell breaks loose as a mysterious rabies virus rips through the building turning those exposed into zombie-like fiends. The survivors must work together to battle the infected, the authorities and each other.

Both films incorporate the inherent problem of the disease itself, which seems to frequently shift in its required incubation period, but is not really a huge impediment for the film as a whole. The opening act which is situated entirely at the station is both surprisingly involving and witty, and works to some extent as character development. The finale is also pulse-pounding, if not entirely inspired, but lacks the sheer terror I felt at the finale of (Rec). When breaking it down, Quarantine's opening is better then the original, and (Rec)'s final act is better then its imitator, so things balance out. Each film boast a superb scene mid to late film, including the aforementioned stairwell plummet in Quarantine and a scene in (Rec]) involving the same stairwell in which the heroes peer down to see the lower floors of infected peering back; eerie stuff. I would encourage horror fans to see both before making their choice, and to be honest I haven't quite chosen myself which is superior. Regardless, Quarantine takes advantage of a ploy that has not yet become stale, and yielding authentic portrayals from its relatively unknown cast and an ominous atmosphere, this flick is infectious to be sure.

See all my reviews at: http://simonsaysmovies.blogspot.com

This movie was...OK, at best.

[ironhorse_somo · 3/10 · 22 July 2009]

I watched this movie a few months ago. Last night, I watched REC, the movie this one was based on. All I can say is I have no idea why they felt the need to remake it. the original is far better, whereas this one is...OK, at best.

I almost feel insulted, as this movie was a stripped down version of the original. The plot isn't as dynamic, and the tension is not nearly as contagious - as if they felt a need to "dumb it down" for the American Audience. So - if you want to see what a GOOD low budget horror film is like, leave this one on the shelf and rent the original - you won't regret it.

Entertaining as a standalone film but pale comparison to Rec

[amesmonde · 5 November 2010]

A television reporter and her cameraman are on call with a group of fireman. When they are called to an apartment building their night takes a turn for the worse… The building becomes quarantined confining them with the inhabitants who are infected by a virus that turns them into bloodthirsty killers.

If you've seen Rec (2007) this version adds nothing new. Director John Erick Dowdle and writer Drew Dowdle can't fail as it's almost a paint by number remake, only with English dialogue instead of the dubbed or subtitles of the original.

While Hostel's Jay Hernandez give a great performance, the majority of the rest of the cast are less convincing. Quarantine it's a lot sleeker in it's execution and looks really good. That said, the griminess of REC has been lost and this version sadly loses the raw innate fear factor.

As a standalone point of view shot film it's entertaining enough. Blood, gore, tension and claustrophobia but if you've seen the original it's an unnecessary remake and cash-in on Rec (2007) made less than a year earlier.

Kept me at the edge of my seat....

[erinraiano · 8/10 · 22 October 2008]

Don't let the beginning of the movie stop you from watching the whole thing. Granted the lead actress is obnoxious (but I knew this coming into the movie because I love Dexter, but hate that girl in it) When the movie started I was worried it was going to be cheesy throughout its entirety, about 20 min. into the movie I found out I was wrong. The whole concept of the movie was what kept me so interested. I wanted to find out why everything was happening and I loved the fact that you actually do get all your questions answered by the end of this movie. (unlike the strangers) Trust me, sometimes I like when movies force you to stay up all night replaying the scenes in your head trying to figure out "why?". But with Quarantine, you still think about the movie after it ends, just in a different way. I love scary movies and jump at every chance to see a possible real horror flick. I'd have to say that Quarantine was one of those good horror flicks. Just don't only listen to the people who are saying Quarantine isn't as good as its' original, because it doesn't have to be.

Suspenseful but ordinary

[track_42000 · 6/10 · 10 October 2008]

I had high hopes for this movie when I saw the trailer and felt that the movie delivered what it intended to.

The movie itself takes place from the point of view from a cameraman named Scott. The cameraman is shooting a take on what firemen go through on an ordinary day when their ordinary day turns into extraordinary. They get a call to an apartment complex and get locked inside with what appear to be zombie like creatures.

It is a movie that I would place in between the 28 days/weeks movies and Cloverfield. It has suspense (will be great on DVD w/surround sound in the future) but some of the characters lack common sense. The fact that the movie is shot from one camera had some people disappointed since it didn't involve too much of a story as to what is being "quarantined", but that is to be expected.

I would say that the movie could have been a heck of a lot better with a solid story and a bigger climax/plot. It is worth your time to watch, but if you don't like shaky cameras like Cloverfield and Blairwitch Project, then I wouldn't watch it.

Horrible remake

[Leofwine_draca · 3/10 · 7 January 2012]

A very poor, shot-for-shot remake of the superlative Spanish horror flick REC. Despite my fondness for the 'found footage' sub-genre, QUARANTINE is every bit the patience-tester and although it features exactly the same story and action of the Spanish original, it fails in every respect. For one, it's too dark and the camera work is too shaky, meaning that much of the zombie action is impossible to make out. REC was just as dark and also shot on hand-held cameras, yet you could make out every single shot thanks to the time and effort having gone into its undertaking.

The cast is also very poor with the actors lacking the naturalism of their Spanish counterparts. I recognised Jay Hernandez from HOSTEL, but he seems uncomfortable with the format and unsure of himself – and it's not just his character, either. The lead, Jennifer Carpenter (THE EXORCISM OF EMILY ROSE) is horrible and encouraged to screech, scream, shout and hyperventilate for almost all of the latter half of the movie, making her one of the most infuriating leads in a horror film ever. Inevitably, the gore and disgust factor is unnecessarily upped – these zombies are more gooey and have legs that break off – yet the genuine power of the original is nowhere to be found.

Not too bad

[astroass34 · 7/10 · 10 October 2008]

Overall, it was a pretty good movie. It entertained me, and it had zombie-like people (well, it was actually a virus, like in 28 days/weeks later- but still, that concept of zombies is always awesome). The camera was pretty shaky at times, which was a bit much, and at the end, Jennifer Carpenter, as hot as she is, got pretty annoying with the screams, crying, and hyperventilating. Kind of wish she would have shut up near the end.

Pretty good jumps, some decent little gore parts- so overall, not a bad movie. I would probably buy it on DVD. Obviously no movie is perfect, and everyone will have their own views, likes, and dislikes. If you look at all the other past horror movies, this one isn't too shabby. Look, a movie entertains you, then it did it's job. That's why it's called "entertainment." Just because some jackass on the street says it sucks, and just because it didn't get many "stars," doesn't mean it's a bad movie. Plenty of "bad movies" have entertained the hell out of me- in turn, making them good movies- to me, at least.

Horror story plenty of suspense, restless terror and in documentary style that itself takes place from point of sight from cameraman.

[ma-cortes · 6/10 · 28 May 2011]

A television reporter and her cameraman occupying to spend themselves the night shift in a fire station. After a routine call take them to an apartments building. There they meet residents,cops, caretaker already in the scenario ; all of them are trapped inside a building quarantined by the CDC after the outbreak of a mysterious virus which becomes humans into bloodthirsty murderers . Acceptable remake full of eerie scenes with zombies and creepy scenes .This following packs a sinister and horrifying atmosphere by means of shaky camera and videotape as well as the former Spanish films titled REC 1, and 2 . The eerie tale deals with a reporter (Jennifer Carpenter )who leads a TV team inside the quarantined building , in which communication means have been cut-off and police agents are not relaying information to those closed inside. They soon learn that a woman living in the building has been infected by something unknown and after that are attacked by the zombie-like creatures . The journalist , a fireman (Jay Hernandez) and his cameraman occupying to spend themselves the night against the zombies . There , they find residents already in the scenario have been possessed by strange demoniac forces . After that , the tenants and inhabitants are brutally attacked by psycho people ; they soon learn that people living in the building has been infected by something unknown. The group attempts the getaway but they only encounter that have been sealed off and try to avoid the bloody attacks .

This sequel to one of the highest earning horror movies of the last years titled ¨Rec¨ is realized in similar premise to original and contains a good cast as Jennifer Carpenter, Jay Hernandez , Johnathon Schaech ,Steve Harris and Rade Serbedzija. It's a solid movie , a terror story plenty of suspense, restless horror, and in documentary style. Film itself takes place from point of sight from cameraman. The flesh-eating zombies appearance deliver the goods plenty of screams, shocks and tension .The horror moments are compactly made and fast moving . It packs tension, shocks, thrills,chills and lots of gore and blood , but the original is far superior . Well worth seeing if you like shaky cameras, such us ¨Blair witch project¨, ¨28 Days/Weeks¨ and ¨Cloverfield¨ . Dark cinematography filmed in Downtown, Los Angeles, California, Hollywood, Los Angeles, and Sony Pictures Studios by Ken Seng .The picture produced by Julio Fernandez (Filmax Productions) is professionally directed by John Erik Dowdle but with no originality and based on the Jaume Balaguero and Paco Plaza film, two magnificent experts on terror genre . Both of whom are directing the third part (in pre-production) titled ¨Rec, Genesis¨ with similar crew and actors . Furthermore another filmed titled ¨Quarantine : the terminal¨ by John Pogue. Rating : 5,5 , passable follow-up that will appeal to horror fans .

The Movie was Bad!

[PIBecky · 22 October 2008]

I found myself frustrated because the camera moved way too much. It started off okay but then the camera moved so much that it was frustrating to anyone who was watching it. The remarks by everyone in the theater made that real clear. I am a private investigator and would loose my clients if I ever let my camera take that type of film. My film has never looked that bad, even when running, crawling or driving. A qualified cameraperson would have never moved the camera that much. It was impossible to see what was really going on in the movie and who was who during most of the time. Whenever a person was observed who had the rabies could not really be seen. The only thing the movie showed was people standing, running or sitting with foam running down their mouth It made me feel sick, frustrated and difficult to enjoy the movie. I was disappointed and would not refer anyone to see this movie.

A decent remake, but Rec better...

[kevin_crighton · 6/10 · 27 November 2008]

Angela Vidal and her cameraman are making a documentary about the fire brigade. Joining up with a couple of them, called out to an apartment building, they soon discover something horrific is going on....

Quarantine is a an American remake of Rec. This means it has two major problems to overcome. First, Rec was to me the scariest movie I've seen in a cinema for almost 18 years (the last, was The Exorcist III)! The second, is that it IS an American horror movie remake. Now, the track record for this has been awful. Consider the evidence - The Ring, The Grudge, One Missed Call, The Wicker Man to name some. Hell, they can't even remake American movies! The Hitcher, When A Stranger Calls (I still shudder about that one!), Prom Night, Halloween. So this movie starts with two major points against it.

However, despite a couple of minor issues, and one major one, it's not that bad.

The reason it works, is that the director John Erick Dowdle has taken the scares from the original and simply re-done them. In fact the movie is almost a shot for shot remake of Rec! The fact that despite having seen Rec, the scares still work is a testament to not only how scary the original was, but also how well they've been re-done.

As I said, there are a couple of minor faults. Some of the make-up effects, don't quite work. The other minor fault is that the cast, while good aren't as convincing as the original cast were. Case in point, Jennifer Carpenter as Angela. At the start she's fine, but by the end she's a bit over the top in hysterical and terrified mode compared to Manuela Velasco.

But the major fault, and this one is harder to overlook is that they've changed what is actually going on. In this movie, it's suggested that it's a strand of rabies that has caused the outbreak. In the original, it's never really revealed what is causing it, although events towards the end suggest a possible supernatural cause. But because they've changed it here, it means the final scenes don't work as well, and don't really fit. And the final shot, which was revealed in the trailer by the way, again doesn't work in the remake.

The movie is slightly longer than the original, spending more time with the fireman at the station before the events begin, and has a little more emphasis on what is going on outside also, but these little changes don't affect the movie that much.

How you view this movie will depend on the original, Rec. If you've not seen the original then it is a pretty effective scary movie, especially the last 15 minutes. However if you've seen Rec, then this movie offers nothing new, and isn't as good overall.

Booo this movie

[terrencepatrix · 1/10 · 13 October 2008]

Seriously I'm sick of this genre of movies. Shaky videos found in the aftermath of a horrible situation...enough already. This probably won't be the best review you read for this movie, but for an avid horror movie enthusiast watching with eyes wide open...this movie was just...bad.

Simple plot summary. A reality show that features late night careers is showcasing a fire station. They eventually get a call to a complex with an undisclosed issue. When they enter they encounter a strange old women standing there with blood and spit hanging from her mouth and she's growling. Now for the plot...get together a group of people with absolutely no survival or social skills who all happen to be mentally handicapped. Next lock them all into a complex with each other. Mix in a very unintimidating zombie wannabe virus and let them all run around with their arms flailing about. That's this movie.

I'm sorry, but this movie was just...stupid and ridiculous. The story is actually really good (I hear it is based of some other movie that I've never watched, but whatever) and could have been executed soooo much better. The acting wasn't really bad, just completely without direction. The gore was there, but the camera was so damn shaky you could never focus on any of the action. The way the people reacted and the ending was just so pathetic it's unbelievable.

-SPOILER- Really, if I'm trapped in a complex with some weird virus that turns people into violent monsters...I would not gather together in a lobby. I would gather the uninfected and secure myself behind one of the very thick well locked doors that the complex offers and wait it out. I would definitely not: Try and gather the infected into my arms, put my head near the infected persons face, lock myself in a room with the infected, run after the infected when they go crazy, eat someone, and take off. These people basically offer themselves up on a platter in this movie and it's just pathetic to watch. The end of the movie is so sudden that the audience actually groaned and stomped out of the theater.

DO NOT PAY TO SEE THIS MOVIE, it is an OK rent or download but to pay $10 to see it is ridiculous. This movie is more of a 2 but I'm voting a 1 to help offset the idiots who vote this a 8+.

Rabidly Delightful!

[Kashmirgrey · 8/10 · 10 October 2008]

Perhaps the first "first person" shot film that is shot believably! I saw Quarantine this afternoon and thought is was simply... awesome! See it on the big screen. It's worth the $$$ for the fun.

Angela (Jennifer Carpenter) and Scott (Steve Harris) are a second string news crew assigned to cover a "typical" night shift of their local fire department. The excitement of a late night call to assist two police officers with a disturbance in an old apartment building turns ugly when an old woman tenant takes a hefty bite out of an officer's neck. What begins as an uneventful evening slowly erupts into an explosive fearfest that kicks away all the stops as it pushes relentlessly towards an undeniably foreseen but still-claustrophobic-and-freaky conclusion.

Carpenter's portrayal of the amateurish-but-ambitious-journalist turned scared-out-of-her-skull caged victim is nothing short of spectacular. In the end, it is her performance that stays with you even after the credits begin to roll.

Typically, I grow pretty tired of the "first person" shot films, but in Quarantine, Harris' Scott utilizes his news camera believably, not only as that of a news cameraman but also as the tool to escape. At no time did I find myself saying out loud "Yeah, right! Like he is going to still be filming..." There is enough unseen footage and plot questions left at the end to cash in on some serious DVD extras which this film will no doubt contain when it is released on disk.

If you have seen the Spanish "REC" as I have and think that Quarantine will be just another American remake like so many of the J-Horror flicks like I did, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at how many times you'll jump and fidget watching Quarantine nonetheless. I know I was.

Terrifying found-footage gorefest is shocking and unnerving, while lacking originality

[Screen_Blitz · 7/10 · 18 April 2017]

This unflinchingly gory found-footage makes a fair endeavor to live up to the standards of 'The Blair Witch Project' and 'Cloverfield' - - two of the most influential entries in the found-footage genre. And the question is does it manage to reach that mark? Not exactly, especially as not only happens to be a remake of the Spanish-horror film 'Rec', but borrows elements from George Romero's zombie flicks and applys them to a found-footage installment that owes similarities to 'Cloverfield'. Nonetheless, this film makes a surprising achievement of delivering a brutally terrifying thrill ride that spears viewers with a relentless surplus of blood and gore, while balancing a barrage of spine- chilling scares. There is little argument that the found-footage format can serve more as a detriment to the visceral atmosphere than a tool for gripping viewers with pure realism, director John Erick Dowdle manages to make things work. This film focuses on news reporter Angela Vidal (played by Jennifer Carpenter) and her cameraman Scott Percival (played by Steve Harris) who tour a Los Angeles fire department to document the behind the scenes work of the firefighting team. When the firefighting unit is called for duty. They along with Angela and Scott race to an apartment that has become overrun by a deadly virus that has infected many of its residents. When the apartment is locked up under quarantine, Angela, Scott, the firefighting unit, and a rest of the survivors must survive against the sadistic virus as it slowly begins to mutate everyone into flesh-eating savages.

John Erick Dwindle never attempts to uproot anything from the genre, which is understandably a difficult feat for a film feels almost like a carbon copy of George Romero's 'Diary of The Dead'. But how he manages to generate a terrifyingly grim atmosphere from the inspired elements is something can viewers, particularly horror fans can admire. This film packs an incredible surplus of nightmarish imagery and a disturbing amount of blood and gore ignite a brutally terrifying thrill ride. From the opening minutes of the first zombie attack, to the final scene, the sense of powerful urgency pops out of corner even when you least expect it. Like Cloverfield, the startling action takes place through the lens of a camera carried by one of the lead characters. Predictably so, the documentary style cinematography occasionally chews away from the tension as the relentless shakiness renders some action visually incoherent, making it distressingly difficult to fully seek out what's going on in the already dark. Luckily, this problem doesn't persist for too long. As for the plot, Dwindle manages to keep things moving, although the story manages to overstay its welcome during the last ten minutes or so. The cast performances are mostly solid, although none of the actors are given a whole lot to work with other than scream and shout in pure distress. None of the characters are people you are expected to latch on to towards the final stretch.

Quarantine is an effectively competent found-footage horror ride packed with startling thrills and a firmly grim atmosphere -- both of which make up for the occasionally flawed script. This is film may feel like a rehash of popular cinematic elements from both the found-footage and horror genre, but director John Erick Dwindle's competently crafts this movie into a terrifying ride.

Seriously, I'm don't right reviews or feedback very often, but heed my warning! Quarantine yourself away from this crap, and never speak of it!

[rubbersoul-1 · 1/10 · 19 February 2009]

Possible spoilers!!!!!!The movie itself may spoil you! The first 20 minutes will sucker you in, the next 10 make you think this could get good! Wait for it----then you waist the next however many are left getting mad, and wanting this thing to end. You feel like your infected. The characters never are able to figure out that the zombies will kill you if you approach them, yet this happens about 10 times in the movie. Apparently they have amnesia, as they approach the infected, "come on buddy come with me, it's gonna be OK". Seriously by the fifth time I heard a version of this, as the zombies attacked the person with the calming voice, I felt like I had never seen anything stupider in a movie. This is pretty much the whole last forty minutes. Please, please don't contribute to this movie by renting it, like I did!

Excellent

[phane · 9/10 · 12 October 2008]

To all the people with negative comments, what where you expecting? Quarantine is an excellent movie, stressful with many jump scene. For the better part of the action, you only see through the shaky camera lens and worst at the end (only night vision). The shaky cam did annoy me at some point because I felt sick! But it adds to the realism of the movie.

Jennifer Carpenter is quite good, liked her in the Exorcist of Emily Rose, enjoy her as the sister of Dexter. She plays her part as the strong girl caught in a very bad situation.

Worth much more than the actual 5.7/10 rating of IMDb....

Think 28 Days Later & Demons 2!!! A Real Survivor Shocker

[lukem-52760 · 7/10 · 17 March 2020]

"Quarantine" was totally gripping & very exciting as well as very scary!!!

I normally Don't like "Found Footage" type films, except for the Brilliant Blair Witch Project from 1999, anyway this movie looks & really feels like a real Documentary & puts you right there in the middle of the madness. I felt the performances were spot on, especially from Jennifer Carpenter, who plays the t.v reporter following around a team of firemen with her cameraman, they answer a call on their night shift. The other standout performance is from the excellent Jay Hernandez, he's been great in Suicide Squad,Hostel & Bright. Here Hernandez plays one of the firemen who answers that fateful call to an apartment building where a terrifying infection has spread & the residents are rabid & trying to bite & kill people. We see what the Cameraman is filming the whole time so it's intense & claustrophobic.

It's a very scary & very real set-up for an intense Horror Thriller.

I got cool vibes of 28 days later & Demons 2 & that waa awesome as I'm a big fan of both films.

The scenes through the dark hallways are terrifying as the infected are all over the place & could pop out of any room, it's very intense fear. But along with the scares & raw gory bits, it's still an exciting film as they move from floor to floor investigating & trying to survive the night in a locked down & Quarantined building.

Quarantine, is a gritty & realistic style found footage/documentary Horror that has a gripping & terrifying atmosphere & some excellent intense performances. Excellent film.

Absolutely Silly but not horrific if you have the slightest clue.

[patchworkworld · 1/10 · 12 January 2009]

btw...although some are calling this a "zombie" movie, there are in fact no zombies in it. Rabies DOES infect humans. The people who have been bitten in this movie are not dying and reanimating and trying to eat everyone --they are supposedly displaying the madness that strikes rabid dogs and running around trying to bite everyone just as the infected dogs will.

It's difficult to imagine the reasoning behind some of the positive reviews calling this silly plot line good or effective or even just frightening. If you missed the advertising and aren't aware it's supposed to be a horror flick the beginning won't clue you in. That's actually one of the good points of the film, a fairly realistically done beginning (informational news piece on the life of a firefighter at the fire station) that provides a few glimpses of some of the man characters and allows the development of some liking and sympathy for them before getting to the action. This segment concludes with the reporter and cameraman riding along with the crew on a call involving a paramedic situation (rather than a fire) that even incorporates the nice touch of the cameraman telling the reporter "I can't slide down that pole with this camera!" and the two detouring to a run down the stairs to jump on the fire truck. The only bad points to this part of the movie was that it went on a little too long and it's impossible to believe a professional cameraman can't figure out how to focus his camera. After the news duo and firemen arrive at the dilapidated apartment building things quickly go south. the film is so DARK that the supposed tears all the victims show can't be seen, and the supposed salivating is actually vomit or blood in most cases. This rabies is scary because it causes disease in minutes instead of in "months" (rabies actually takes 3-8 weeks to develop in most people, and that's do to the physical limits of the virus moving up nerves to reach the brain, which cannot be genetically modified). (And yes, a veterinarian would know that...veterinarians know more about diseases that spread from animals to humans than medical doctors do. They have to...they're the ones most at risk to catch those diseases.)

The CDC, working with the cops, somehow seals off the building (just after the fire department people and news crew get inside) because a man who lived there took a sick pet to the veterinarian and it "ran around biting all the other animals" who started "showing aggressiveness within an hour". Does anyone reading actually think sick animals run around in one big pen in the clinic instead of being kept in separate cages? Well, maybe the sick dog was running around the waiting room biting all the other animals being held by their owners? And of course not biting the owners.....? The CDC being notified and showing up the entire length of the country away THAT fast? For an unknown disease that only affects animals (remember, they said only the animals were showing aggressiveness)? Without the local public health people ever being called in? Let's not even mention that rabies doesn't usually take the furious form (like 'mad dogs') in humans. But it gets sillier.

The CDC comes in wearing moonsuits and start taking samples to see what is causing the problem...with a drill at least 10" long they sink full length in fromt he top of the victim's head! What were they trying to get a sample of, his tonsils? BTW, rabies in living humans can be diagnosed by a sample of cerebrospinal fluid, which only requires a needle and syringe. Oh yeah, and don't forget they handcuff the guy to whatever he's lying on first. at his waist level...so of course he sits up --AFTER they obviously drilled his brain into mush and bites the other CDC guy, unhampered by handcuffs.

No end to sheer stupidity yet. The child who owned the sick dog has had a slight fever for hours, but suddenly goes nuts and bites half her mom's face off...and the cop runs after her, kneels in front of her and assures her things are OK instead of shooting her from a distance --and of course gets bitten too. The building superintendent says he has in his apartment the key to a drain cover they can all escape through (in the basement) while standing in front of glass doors they just shut to keep out an infected guy, and gets bitten. The news crew runs up the stairs after getting the key, blathering about finding a way out that way although we all know by then its not possible, find an apartment full of rodent cages and clippings about doomsday cults and turn on a reel-to-reel tape at half speed but can't tell it's voices at half speed. And the absolute corker...the CDC prevent human egress but forgets all about the mice and rats that infest every slummo house in the L.A. area...