4 stars
There were a lot of things I expected Quarantine to do. I expected it to have annoying characters were practically begging to be killed. That by the end credits I’d be rooting for the zombies just to rip out the whiny teen’s trachea. I expected the scares to get formulaic. To spend the whole film wondering why the camera man wasn’t dropping his equipment and just bolting instead of broadcasting some good awful, Hollywood horror flick. I expected that the story would be so razor thin as to make the writer inside me die in a pool of its own bile.
Against all reason, Quarantine was none of these things. Actually, it was basically a perfect filmgoing experience.
Why? Well the story is bare bones, but it needs to be, as it’s all about taking back and reinvigorating the established horror tropes. The entire film is through the lens of a news cameraman, Scott, and his anchorwoman, Angela, as they follow the LAFD on a routine domestic disturbance call in an apartment complex.
One of the real treats of this film is the characters, not the storyline. This is because in a film of ordinary Joes and Janes, there’s no reason or sense to having lengthy exposition or heavy-handed conspiracies, only survival. The entire cast is likeable and for the most part unrecognizable from other movies, so you totally buy into the sheer normalness of the story. The opening scene is quiet, respectful, funny and full of life, and that’s what makes everything appear so stark in comparison as the story progresses. You’re there with the cast through each moment of reprieve, of victory, of terror.
Terror. Oh goodness, gracious this movie is scary. Take Cloverfield and Blair Witch Project, this film’s forbearers, roll them together, and you might achieve 10 minutes of the fear you get in Quarantine‘s 89.
Honestly, I couldn’t watch most of the last 10 minutes. The creature they ultimately face, the space they’re trapped in, the sheer pounding sensation of finality in the cold darkness… I could scarcely breathe. The only thing that kept me stable was the woman sitting next to me who would keep yelling “don’t go behind the door” and “keep still” every few minutes. She was helping me keep my wits about me as I tried in vain to remind myself that it is only a movie, only a movie. Each attack the leads face is fresh and creative, and the camera, being the only source of light, never feels out of place in the story.
Aside from an extremely cliché ending that everyone will see coming, plus the fact that once you see this film you will never need to see it again, there was nothing wrong with Quarantine. It was fun, original, violent and with a well-developed sense of style and characterization.
