Films about Infection, Contagion and Epidemics

Directors often try to imagine what a global infection would look like if a terrible virus took over the world.

Five Most Interesting Films About Infection

The recent pandemic proved that screenwriters’ guesses are not far from reality. And whatever the virus is, it can destroy the usual way of life of billions in just a few months. However, in infection movies, the main characters almost never have a chance to survive. In these films, the contagion spreads quickly and completely annihilates civilization.

“Zombieland”

This horror comedy tells what happened to humanity after the spread of an unknown virus. Within weeks, humanity plunged into darkness. The few survivors try to escape the hordes of the undead zombies.

One of the main characters, Columbus, is used to following a list of rules. After all, that is the only thing helping him survive. One day he meets Tallahassee, a man traveling the country in search of Twinkies.

Columbus joins him, and soon they meet two sisters. The girls want to reach an amusement park that, according to rumors, zombies have not yet reached.

“Train to Busan”

The action of this Korean thriller takes place on a high-speed train. Just before departure, an infected girl sneaks onto a carriage. The infection spreads quickly, and soon most passengers turn into zombies. The survivors manage to barricade themselves in some cars.

The survivors hope to reach their destination where they will receive help. But the unknown virus takes over one settlement after another. The protagonist, Seok-woo, is responsible for his young daughter.

His only goal is to get her alive to Busan.

“Daybreakers”

In this film, a mysterious virus turned people not into zombies, but into vampires. A few years ago, most of the planet’s population became bloodsuckers. There are fewer and fewer humans left, which means vampires soon won’t have anything to feed on.

Dr. Edward Dalton works on creating artificial blood. He never wanted to become a creature of the night but was turned by his brother. One day, he meets Cormac, who was once a vampire but somehow became human again. Edward hopes to replicate his experiment, believing it to be the only way to save the world.

But not everyone welcomes his desire to restore humans’ appearance to vampires.

“28 Days Later”

This film revolutionized the genre. Zombies here are shown not as slow and clumsy creatures, but fast and able to catch a human in seconds.

The main character was in a coma after an accident. When Jim woke up, he found that humanity was destroyed by an unknown virus. The world now belongs to zombies, and the survivors move in sprints from building to building. Jim meets Selena and later a surviving father and daughter.

Together they decide to escape London to join a group of soldiers in Manchester.

“Twelve Monkeys”

This dystopian film tells not only about a mass infection but also about time travel. The year is 2035. Almost the entire population of the planet was taken by an unknown virus. The survivors are forced to live underground.

James Cole is a criminal sentenced to 25 years for disobedience to the authorities. But his sentence may be reduced if he completes a mission. Cole must be sent back to 1996, shortly before the epidemic began, to find out its cause. However, by mistake, the prisoner ends up in 1990.

And immediately finds himself in a psychiatric hospital due to his erratic behavior.