Top 20 Outbreak Movies
Top 20 Outbreak Movies
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Stay home! Welcome to WatchMojo and today we're counting down our picks for the Top 20 Outbreak Movies. For this list, we’re delving into the most shocking, upsetting, and of course, entertaining, movies that centre around outbreaks, and their side-effects - be they hordes of blood-thirsty zombies, or droves of supply-hungry humans. We’ll be sticking to films, and excluding TV shows or miniseries. Sorry, Rick…
#20: “World War Z” (2013)
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If you’re a fan of action-packed zombie apocalypse flicks, this 2013 Brad Pitt flick might be right up your street. Following the classic guy-trying-to-find-a-cure-to-a-zombie-pandemic storyline, Pitt plays a former United Nations investigator who finds himself battling through literal walls of zombies. Giving us loads of gripping and ridiculous scenes in equal measure, “World War Z” takes the hordes of zombies framework and arguably pushes it further than any other outbreak movie. Case and point - zombies use each other as climbing frames to haul themselves over walls and to pluck helicopters out of the sky. Jeez.
#19: “Carriers” (2009)
Shifting gears dramatically for this next entry, “Carriers” is as much about psychological frailty and morality as it is about disease. When a viral pandemic sweeps the United States, Chris Pine’s Brian, along with his friends, must keep on moving to survive. Quickly learning that survival of the fittest is the only thing that matters in a world of deadly disease, “Carriers” makes us question what kind of people we’d become in a dog-eat-dog world. The plot may not be totally original, but it’s refreshing to see an outbreak movie that focuses more on the foibles of humanity, rather than the extinction of humankind.
#18: “Blindness” (2008)
This movie gets points for managing to swerve the raging zombies cliché - although we do still get mass chaos as a result of the story’s more original disease: blindness. When the mysterious, fast spreading “white sickness” takes the world by storm, Julianne Moore’s character - who is immune to the epidemic - ultimately ends up feeling isolated and struggling to fit in. With an excellent supporting cast that includes Mark Ruffalo and Danny Glover, 2008’s “Blindness” comes at things from a different angle, but shows us that it still doesn’t take much for people to turn on each other.
#17: “Cabin Fever” (2002)
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Being Eli Roth’s directorial feature film debut, this movie very much set the tone for the rest of his movie career - that tone being blood, gore and a helluva lot of laughs. “Cabin Fever” has the disastrous ingredients of a remote setting, clueless college kids and a flesh-eating virus. And once said virus starts getting passed from person to person - things go a little crazy. Gross, hilarious and cringey in all the right places, “Cabin Fever” is a close quarters thrill ride that will have you screaming at the screen in fear and frustration.
#16: “The Crazies” (2010)
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As the title suggests, this remake of George A. Romero’s 1973 film, centres around a disease that makes people go crazy. After a military plane crashes and inadvertently contaminates a town’s water supply, people who become infected start to exhibit uncontrollable amounts of rage, turning them into relentless killing machines. As a result, there’s moments of explosive tension in spades. Spearheaded by a brilliant performance from Timothy Olyphant, the story is clever, the visuals are stunning and it represents a rare occasion of a remake being infinitely better than the original.
#15: “It Comes At Night” (2017)
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This slow-burning horror about two families trying to live alongside one another in the aftermath of a deadly disease outbreak hits closer to home than most. At its core, it’s about family and the lengths we’ll go to in order to protect them. But wrapped around that is a fight for survival and a lot of paranoia. Showcasing some superb performances by Joel Edgerton and Carmen Ejogo, “It Comes At Night” reminds us that good writing and an effective setting is just as important as kill count. The moments of quiet family time spent around the table in this movie, serve up tension that could cut glass.
#14: “The Andromeda Strain” (1971)
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If you like your outbreak movies with a dose of old school extraterrestrial sci-fi paranoia, then you should definitely check out this 1970s thriller. “The Andromeda Strain” follows a group of scientists who investigate a satellite that crash-landed, killed a town full of people, and may just have brought an alien organism with it. A lot of prodding, experiments and white knuckle moments follow. It offers a highly tense and constantly uncertain atmosphere that’s sort of a hybrid of 1979’s “Alien” and 2016’s “Arrival” - both awesome movies.
#13: “Panic in the Streets” (1950)
On the surface, this is your standard film noir, with shady characters and even shadier settings. But when the body of an unidentified man is found with pneumonic plague bacteria in his blood cells, things become less about gangsters and more about the role of the U.S. Public Health Service. While juggling the ins and outs of wiseguy culture, Lieutenant Commander Clinton Reed, along with his Health Service team, have to trace the unidentified man’s steps back to everyone he’d encountered before his death. Who’s carrying the bacteria? Who’s the guy in the docks? And who killed him?
#12: “The Last Man on Earth” (1964)
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Try and imagine what it would be like if Vincent Price was the only man left on Earth - and his daily routine involved killing vampire-like creatures. Well, no need, because that’s exactly what “The Last Man on Earth” is all about. Inspired by the 1954 novel “I Am Legend” - more on that later - it’s a cynical, post-apocalyptic look at how fragile society would become if a plague were to break out. Even though it’s from the 60s, this movie still fulfills all the criteria we love to see in things like “The Walking Dead” - boarded up houses, survivors banding together, mutated monster-like humans. Plus, it’s got Vincent Price in it! What more can you ask for?
#11: “I Am Legend” (2007)
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If the idea of a post-apocalyptic world intrigues you, but you want more of a modern twist, then the 2007 movie “I Am Legend” might be just what you’re looking for. It of course takes its name from the aforementioned book. Essentially combining the story of “The Last Man on Earth” with the setting and bravado of 1971’s “The Omega Man” starring Charlton Heston, it’s about a man fighting for survival in a desolate New York. Will Smith’s performance is excellent in this movie, and some of the visuals are absolutely stunning - and of course, it’s not short of heartbreaking moments either.
#10: “Outbreak” (1995)
Unlike some over the top, Hollywood blockbusters out there, 1995’s “Outbreak” asks the question - what would really happen if a deadly disease found its way into mass populations? “Outbreak” shows how a virus, carried by a monkey, quickly spreads from one person to the next, in a terrifying chaos theory-like manner. And it’s pretty terrifying. Rigorously trying to contain the virus, Dustin Hoffman’s Colonel Daniels has to battle the relentless spread, people’s ignorance towards it, and the military trying to weaponize it. If you’re paranoid about this kind of thing, then “Outbreak” is probably your worst nightmare. But entertaining, nonetheless.
#9: “Shaun of the Dead” (2004)
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From soul-destroying realism, we’re moving on to hilarious, creative zombie kills. “Shaun of the Dead” basically takes every undead outbreak flick that came before it, and rolls it into one pop culture-fuelled thrill ride. Starring Simon Pegg and directed by Edgar Wright, the jokes come thick and fast in this zombie movie, but it still packs a surprisingly emotional punch thanks to some outstanding acting. And although none of us have lived through a zombie outbreak, it acts as a sort of how-to guide for the average Joe on how to come out the other end. Basically, get you and your friends to a local bar and wait for all of it to blow over.
#8: “Rabid” (1977)
What’s a list of grim, apocalyptic worlds without some David Cronenberg? It was a toss-up between this movie and his 1975 flick “Shivers”, both body horror classics. But we’ve got to give this one to “Rabid”, the story of a woman who develops a strange growth under her arm that gives her a bloodlust for everyone and everything, even cows. Stranger still, whoever she pierces with this talon-like thingy becomes a zombie. And so soon everyone becomes infected. Nuts from start to finish, “Rabid” is for those that like outbreak movies with a bit of a weird twist - and a load of deep metaphorical meaning.
#7: “REC” (2007)
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Remade in the US as “Quarantine”, “REC” is a Spanish found-footage horror that sees a reporter and a cameraman trapped inside an apartment building one night. In there with them? People infected by a rabies-like virus. And it spreads fast, making whoever’s infected lash out in an uncontrollable, murderous rage. For fans of horror, this movie has a bit of everything - a claustrophobic setting, unpredictable twists and turns, and some terrifying night-vision POVs. Sure, it’s an outbreak movie at its core, but it’s incredibly involving and only gets more sinister as the film goes on.
#6: “Train to Busan” (2016)
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You thought being trapped in an apartment building with a disease was bad? Try being trapped on a train! Not only is this South Korean zombie apocalypse movie a great survival story, but it’s one of the most gripping action movies you’re ever likely to see, period. When a businessman and his daughter board a train to Busan - which suddenly becomes infected with a sweeping pandemic - a violent fight for survival ensues. The film is silly and surreal in all the right places, with drama and shock-factor coming thick and fast in every scene. It’s totally exaggerated, but wildly entertaining.
#5: “12 Monkeys” (1995)
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This movie makes you think more than most, with a plot that lingers somewhere between “The Terminator”, “Brazil” and, well, pretty much any other movie based on dystopian futures and time travel. “12 Monkeys” sees Bruce Willis play a prisoner in the year 2035, who’s sent back in time to prevent the spread of a humanity-desolating virus. And as with other time-travel movies, things get very confusing, very fast. What are the recurring dreams he keeps having? Who’s responsible for spreading the virus? Why doesn’t anyone believe his story? And what’s the deal with Brad Pitt? If you’re a fan of the surrealist work of director Terry Gilliam, then be sure to check this out.
#4: “Children of Men” (2006)
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Okay, so we’ve seen all sorts of outbreaks and their resulting side effects so far. But this movie is a little different. It focuses on a future in which mass infertility has led to chaos and the UK has become a police state. When a refugee reveals that she’s pregnant - the first pregnancy in almost two decades - various factions hope to use her for their own ends. Clive Owen’s Theo is the reluctant hero in this movie, and on top of its enthralling plot, the visuals alone should be enough to inspire you to give it a watch; Alfonso Cuarón’s single shot sequences are awe-inspiring.
#3: “Dawn of the Dead” (1978)
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This is the film that made malls synonymous with the idea of a zombie outbreak - and for good reason. This low-budget George A. Romero movie has become a staple of horror cinema, and is the second film in the “Night of the Living Dead” series. Following a group of survivors who take refuge from hordes of the undead - and other survivors - in a shopping mall, this movie is littered with now-trademark moments of tension. These include slow, but terrifying, pursuits, iconic choices of weaponry, and archetypal survivors with cut-throat agendas. If you’re after the quintessential flesh-eating zombie survival movie, then this is the gold standard.
#2: “28 Days Later” (2003)
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This is another extremely low-cost movie, proving that scary and entertaining isn’t all about big budgets. Danny Boyle’s apocalyptic “28 Days Later” sees a frenzy-inducing virus, spread by chimpanzees, take over Great Britain. And we follow Jim, who wakes up from a coma to discover the aftermath. It may play on the usual zombie tropes, with a group of survivors coming together in order to survive, but “28 Days Later” is so visceral that it’s arguably the most realistic-feeling movie on this list - with a shaky, handheld style that puts you right in the action. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions. “Daybreakers” (2010) “It Stains the Sands Red” (2017) “Pontypool” (2009) “Resident Evil” Franchise (2002-16) “Virus” (2019)
#1: “Contagion” (2011)
We’ve already talked about movies that give a realistic-feel as to how devastating a pandemic can be. But there’s nothing quite as unrelenting and unforgiving as the 2011 movie “Contagion”. Featuring multiple intertwining character arcs, each with its own dramatic tale, “Contagion” doesn’t pull any punches when it comes to the horrible effects of a pandemic, famously treating its characters - even the ones portrayed by Hollywood A-listers - with little to no sympathy. From the initial outbreak to the search for a vaccine, this movie is a rollercoaster, highlighting just how quickly society can break down given a sudden crisis.
