Ready for a list of legendary movies on the topic of disease outbreaks?
Some of these will make you appreciate the current coronavirus crisis for its mildness in comparison. Next time you feel a strange sensation in your body you’ll probably start thinking that you’ve caught a terrible new plague. But look at the positive side of it – at least you’ll learn how to fight it!
Check out these disease outbreak movies ranked by IMDB scores.
We guarantee that you’ll find more than one of these to suit your taste.
1. Cabin Fever (2002) IMDB Score 5.7/10
Eli Roth’s directorial debut, Cabin Fever centers on a group of college friends who become carriers of a flesh-eating virus during a camping trip. This horrifying tale of madness was remade in 2016 but the sequel performed poorly in comparison to the original.
2. Outbreak (1995) IMDB Score 6.6/10
When a horrific disease breaks out in a little American town, scientists embark on a mission against time to stop its spread. On top of all that, they find themselves having to deal with a bloodhungry Army general who intends to use the virus as a bioweapon and will do everything in his power to stop them from developing an antidote. This strange story was inspired by real-life virus outbreaks such as ebola.
3. Contagion (2011) IMDB Score 6.7/10
In Steven Soderbergh’s truthful depiction of the possible things that could happen during a pandemic Gwyneth Paltrow dies horribly after catching a new killer virus. It is an ingenious thriller about how diseases spread, the hardships people go through in finding a cure and the way conspiracists and know-nothing political figures can make it all much worse.
4. World War Z (2013) IMDB Score 7.0/10
If you are a fan of the stories by Mac Brooks about how the world narrowly survived a zombie apocalypse, you will likely enjoy this blockbuster directed by Marc Forster. In the role of a UN worker, Brad Pitt races against time to find out what caused the explosion of a global zombie pandemic. Don’t miss out on this nail-biting flick!
5. The Andromeda Strain (1971) IMDB Score 7.2/10
The Andromeda Strain centers around a group of scientists investigating a viral disease organism that came to our planet from outer space. Believe it or not, and without trying to give away anything, they make it in the end. The film has been praised for its beautiful cinematography.
6. Dawn Of The Dead (2004) IMDB Score 7.3/10
George A. Romero’s Dawn Of The Dead is not just an ingenious poke at modern consumerism. It is also a good look at how similarly people act in a zombie apocalypse to an actual plague situation such as the coronavirus. Even though it is highly scary and we definitely recommend you watch it with at least one more person, it has a humorous side you’ll surely come to appreciate.
7. [REC] (2007) IMDB Score 7.4/10
This ingenious Spanish horror flick from Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza tells the story of a reporter and her camera operator going on a dark adventure with a group of emergency services personnel who are called to an apartment building involving a major incident. Eventually our heroes come to realize that some sort of horrific infection is spreading in the building and they all suddenly find themselves locked in by authorities. And trust us, things really get insane after that!
8. Train To Busan (2016) IMDB Score 7.5/10
This outstanding Korean zombie picture is a wake-up call on how fast a viral disease can truly spread. A father, Seok-Woo gets on a train from Seoul to Busan with his daughter while an infected woman boards a different carriage. Eventually, most of the passengers are infected and Seok finds himself having to work with others to try to keep the uninfected carriages separate from the infected ones. This thrilling masterpiece will stop your heartbeat (not literally).
9. 28 Days Later (2002) IMDB Score 7.6/10
Writer and director Danny Boyle redefined the zombie film genre for good with his infamous 28 Days Later, in which a group of survivors joins forces one month after an unidentified virus has devastated the United Kingdom and try to stay alive long enough to be rescued.
10. Children of Men (2006) IMDB Score 7.9/10
Alonso Cuaron’s horror masterpiece may be the scariest movie on this list due to the director’s documentary style of filmmaking and the truthful depiction of our world as we know it. The world is on the verge of total collapse due to an illness preventing the birth of any new babies for 18 years after a global flu crisis. There is only one woman who is able to miraculously become pregnant and she serves as a glimmer of light in a dark world who has almost given up the fight. This one will likely give you new hope when thinking about the current crisis we have all found ourselves in.
We hope this list of movies will bring you a calming feeling of “Oh, things could actually be worse” during the current pandemic that has turned all our lives upside down.
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