Quarantine 2: Terminal (2001) #390

Like many sequels in the horror genre, "Quarantine 2: Terminal" just doesn't live up to the expectations that were set by the original film in the series. This is not to say that this is a poor movie, only that it would have been stronger as a stand-alone original idea rather than as a sequel. "Quarantine 2: Terminal" breaks from the original in two important ways; first, it isn't shown from a found footage style perspective and second, it is an entirely different story than "REC 2", the Spanish version that "Quarantine" is inspired by. Given all of the source material and expectations that were built from the three films that preceeded this one ("Quarantine", "REC", and "REC 2"), "Quarantine 2: Terminal" was bound to struggle. I feel that this film comes across as a knock off of a "Resident Evil" sequel more than one from "Quarantine". The best part of the film is the first 15 minutes as you watch and try to figure out who exactly on board the plane is the person responsible for spreading the rabies-like infection.

REC 2 (2009)

“REC 2” is the sequel to the internationally acclaimed horror filmed “REC”, which in turn directly inspired the American remake known as “Quarantine” (reviewed 4/21/13). This film takes place immediately after “REC” ends, focusing on a small group of SWAT-like police team and their CDC-like advisor. Once they enter the building, they are only allowed back out with the voice command of their advisor. The advisor turns out to be a covert operative for the Vatican and is there to retrieve a blood sample of the girl who is ultimately responsible for the chaos that is occurring. When they lose the first sample they find, they eventually find the girl herself, losing team members in the process. The team also comes across a group of teens who snuck into the building…because that’s what teens do. Some more people die, the reporter is found, and shaky-cam moments continue non-stop.

It seems that the infected inhabitants of the apartment building are possessed by demonic powers because they were exposed to this girl. Note – this is where the American version and Spanish versions differ; the American version is about a biological virus and the Spanish version is about a religious based virus?!? Soooo, I lost interest in this movie pretty quickly when the teens were introduced. I also didn’t like the religious reasons for why everything was happening. However, what I did enjoy was the SWAT-like team and how they used their cameras in the movie. Overall I thought it was mediocre film at best and the weakest of the Spanish movies I’m reviewing this week.

Quarantine (2008)

“Quarantine” is a remake of the highly successful Spanish film “REC”, which follows a new reporter and her cameraman as they tag along with a fire fighting crew for a typical night shift that soon goes horribly wrong. I have only seen clips from a trailer about the original but I get the distinct feeling that this remake followed the action pretty closely, so don’t let the reviews that the original is better deter you from checking this one out. I enjoyed it, found it pretty entertaining, and the ending makes sense. Due to the nature of this found footage movie, the shaky-cam is very erratic; this might be one of the more difficult movies to watch if this style bothers you. 

TV news reporter Angela and her cameraman are filming a ”slice of life” segment about a local firefighting crew and what a typical night might be for them. The two are given a tour of the fire station and get to the camaraderie among the firefighters, in particular Jake and Fletcher. It’s not before the first emergency call of the night comes in; a distress call at an apartment building. The crew is joined by two cops and they proceed to check out a unit on the second floor where the door is locked and screams had been heard from inside. After breaking down the door, the police and others find an old woman covered in blood. As they are trying to assess the situation, the woman lunges at one of the officers and bites him violently in the neck. They quickly take him out of the room and back to the entrance of the apartment building only to find that the door has been locked from the outside. As the immediate confusion grows, an announcement from outside is heard declaring that the CDC has quarantined and sealed the building completely. They soon discover that the old woman is infected with some kind of mutated form of rabies and it’s only a matter of time before it begins to spread. Thus the terror truly begins.

The movie stars Jennifer Carpenter as Angela and was previously in the horror movie “The Exorcism of Emily Rose”. Jay Hernandez also stars as Jake and is known for his roles in “Hostel” and “Hostel 2” as Paxton.

*Intense moment – An infected little girl attacks the cameraman and he is forced to beat her off with the camera.