'Quarantine' re-ignites zombie genre

By: Dave Hodge

Posted: 10/15/08

It's been awhile since a good scary movie hit the box office, but "Quarantine," directed by John Erick Dowdle, finally put an end to that long dry spell with its blend of suspense, horror and acting.

The story follows up-and-coming reporter Angela Vidal (Jennifer Carpenter/"The Exorcism of Emily Rose") as she and her cameraman Scott Percival (Steve Harris) conduct a ride-along with the Los Angeles Fire Department. Upon receiving a call about an emergency at an apartment complex, the LAFD and the news crew hit the scene and scariness ensues as the group is quarantined inside the building.

"Quarantine" is shot in the "Cloverfield" style of movie making, in which the movie is filmed strictly from the perspective of a cameraman. This film, however, is everything that "Cloverfield" was supposed to be and more.

For those who haven't seen "Cloverfield," it depicts a small group of friends' experiences as a Godzilla-like monster attacks New York City.

The story of "Quarantine" is at least plausible, unlike the aforementioned film, as the victims are essentially turned into "28 Days Later"-style zombies affected by a hyper-strain of rabies. It's nice to see a refreshing take on the zombie horror movie, as the genre seems to have become stale .

The standout scene involves Percival using his camera for purposes other than filming, as he kills a crazed lady who tries to bite Vidal.

The film also meets the quota of little-scary-zombie girl. It would appear Dowdle intended to poke fun at the cliché as the girl bites her mother and runs off into the darkness with her arms flailing in the air and laughter resonating in the movie theater.

"Quarantine" does have legitimate scares.

One of the creepier moments occurs as a rabid woman is handcuffed to a stair rail and nearly rips her arm off trying to attack the news crew walking by. It's not supposed to be one of the big scares in the movie, but it's so intense that it invokes a real sense of horror.

To further the strong story is the acting talents of Carpenter, who can play both the nice, quirky girl-next-door, as she does in the beginning of the film, and the horrified victim. This brings one of the negatives about the film to light, as Carpenter plays the role too realistically and insists on hyperventilating during the movie. This takes away from the mood of the film and reminds the audience they are watching a movie.

The other problem is the ending of the movie is given away in the trailers. That's always a big problem. One of the most intense moments of the film that was ruined because the viewer already knew what was coming.

Aside from those issues, the film is a scary and sometimes hilarious walk through of a hellacious apartment building filled with zombie fun.