Quarantinea.k.a. “Quarantined,” “Rec,” “Cuarentena,” “Eristyksissä,” “Quarantena”

As someone who absolutely loves a good horror film, I thought “Quarantine” was a pretty good effort. “Quarantine” follows the same kind of cinematography as in earlier horror movies such as the “The Blair Witch Project” and “Cloverfield” in which the videotape is the only evidence left after the horrible events that occur in the movie.

The story follows reporter Angela Vidal and her cameraman, Scott, as they cover a night shift with two firemen at a Los Angeles fire station for a reality show about people who work while the rest of the world is at rest.

After an uneventful evening, a 911 call takes them to an apartment building downtown. Two police officers are already on the scene in response to screams coming from one of the apartments. Having stumbled onto a story, Angela and Scott are excited and are determined to get it all on tape. This was the part of the movie that was amateurish and boring, but it soon gets exciting.

As the police and firefighters, along with the reporter and cameraman, enter the apartment unit to investigate, they find an old woman in a nightgown, standing alone in the dark. She’s covered in blood and is acting strangely. When a policeman attempts to help her, she attacks him with her teeth. Those in the apartment help subdue the woman and try to get help for the injured policeman. They all find out, however, when they attempt to leave the building, that the CDC has quarantined the building. All have been sealed and are guarded by heavily armed men. All communications, including telephone, Internet, TV, and cell phone access, have been cut-off, and officials won’t give any explanation to those locked inside.

The residents quickly descend into panic and begin to look to each other for help. Suddenly, there’s another scream from above. In the lobby, where everyone is gathered, a body falls to the ground from the third floor. That’s when the gory attacks begin again, and when the chilling events unfold. I will not go into any more of the details of the plot, so as not to spoil the rest of the story. When the quarantine is finally lifted, the only evidence of what took place is the cameraman’s videotape.

Objectionable moral content

The first thing that bothered me were several lewd comments that the firefighters make about the attractive female reporter. Perhaps what bothered me more is that she really didn’t seem to mind any of the comments, which tells you the state of morality these days.

There are quite a few “F” words and “S” words. They are mostly uttered by the police officer and in distressing situations, however, that does not excuse the fact that they are used at all. The movie would be so good without these words.

The violence is quite graphic. There are countless scenes where human are attacking other humans violently with their hands and teeth. The movie is not for the squeamish. However, the story line prepares you for the violence.

I have to give the movie a morally very offensive rating because of the use of foul language and lewd comments. The violence actually is not gratuitous, in my opinion, and does go along with the story that is told.

I would recommend “Quarantine” to those who seriously like horror movies and to those who go into the film knowing what to expect.

Violence: Heavy / Profanity: Heavy / Sex/Nudity: Minor

See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers.