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QUARANTINE

With Jennifer Carpenter, Jay Hernandez, Johnathon Schaech, Steve Harris, Columbus Short, Rade Serbedzija, Andrew Fiscella, Greg Germann, Dania Ramirez

Written by John Erick Dowdle & Drew Dowdle based on the original screenplay [Rec], by Jaume Balagueró, Luis Berdejo & Paco Plaza
Directed by John Erick Dowdle

Remade very shortly on the heels of the original Spanish movie [Rec], Quarantine follows its predecessor very closely. Seen through the lens from the POV (point of view) of a TV news cameraman, the viewer becomes a participant as this virtually real time encounter unfolds. A reporter and her cameraman visit a fire station late at night to capture what they get up to while the rest of the city is sleeping, from the moments of boredom with nothing happening, to the call-out… What seems like a routine call to an apartment building (where a tenant seems to be in distress) soon becomes a living nightmare. The woman in question attacks a policeman accompanying the firemen, and a deadly mysterious viral infection soon spreads. However, the authorities seal off the building to contain the outbreak, leaving the ethnically diverse group of people to fight for survival in this confined space with no help from outside. The handheld camera adds to a lot of the chaos and confusion. While it is not a zombie movie, it certainly contains many of its elements as with other infection movies like 28 Days Later. Some scary moments will have your hair standing on end, the replication of claustrophobia and creepy closing scene very close to that of [Rec]. As far as horror remakes go, Quarantine is one of the best retakes of recent years (even though it very much followed the original almost step-by-step).

Extras include a commentary track and featurettes looking at some of the filmmaking aspects, from the realistic sets and POV camera technique, to the make-up FX and some of the stunts.

PS. While the movie is almost a shot-by-shot remake of [Rec], except for a few additions, I am quite disappointed how none of the parties involved acknowledge the original Spanish movie [Rec] in any of the featurettes or in the commentary.

5 / B
- Paul Blom


0 1 2 3 4 5 6
- A - B
- C


Click below for [Rec]




never let a review decide for you, but for those who need a rating, see the Flamedrop scale below
6 - Volcanic
5 - Blistering
4 - Hot
3 - Smolder
2 - Room Temperature
1 - Fizzled
0 - Extinguished

A: Multi-Viewing Potential

B: Could Enjoy A 2nd Look

C: Once Should Suffice



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