Quarantine (2008)

Directed by: John Erick Dowdle | 89 minutes | drama, horror, thriller | Actors: Jennifer Carpenter, Steve Harris, Jay Hernandez, Johnathon Schaech, Columbus Short, Andrew Fiscella, Rade Serbedzija, Greg Germann, Bernard White, Dania Ramirez, Elaine Kagan, Marin Hinkle, Joey King, Jermaine Jackson, Sharon Ferguson

If the story of ‘Quarantine’ sounds very familiar to you: you can. ‘Quarantine’ is an American remake of the Spanish horror film ‘[Rec]’, a blood-curdling story about a fire department that ends up in a building full of people inflamed with blind rage, deformed figures who prey on human flesh. Both stylistically and marketing-technically, ‘[Rec]’ can be characterized as a resounding success. An atmospheric and traditionally produced horror film that was made for an apple and an egg, but which made the cash registers ring loudly. Given the creative anemia that seems to be plaguing Hollywood right now, it’s no surprise then that movie bosses across the Atlantic have also seen the work of Catalan Jaume Balagueró, Valencian Paco Plaza and Basque Luis Berdejo. The Spaniards saw their chance to ‘[Rec]’ and sold the rights to their creation to Andale Pictures. The studio undoubtedly saw the film as an excellent opportunity to increase its own cash in a fairly simple way.

The horror that may accompany the sight of ‘Quarantine’ largely depends on whether you'[Rec]’ or have not seen. ‘Quarantine’ is, in content and stylistic terms, not much more than an English copy of its Spanish predecessor. The same wobbly, claustrophobic and realistic looking camerawork, an almost identical building and the same story. An alternate ending, some extra scenes, and a different root cause behind the aggressive-causing virus are pretty much the only changes the Americans have made. For the rest, there are still a few stylistic differences between the two films, but they are quite marginal. The unpredictability of[Rec]’ made such a thrilling, compelling film is largely absent from ‘Quarantine’ if you’ve seen the Spanish original. Moreover, ‘Quarantine’ is also somewhat paler and less intense than ‘[Rec]’, a film that truly immerses you in a dark micro-universe ruled by chaos and ultimate terror. The acting is also slightly less spontaneous and devoid of that extra bit of authenticity.

‘Quarantine’ is in itself quite a nice horror film. Tension, a bit of sensation and the necessary atrocities, these are all things that are reviewed. Unfortunately, however, the print is mainly a clone of an even better original. ‘Quarantine’ is definitely worth a look if you'[Rec]’ If you haven’t seen it yet, the film has little to offer the more original or startling.