Do you remember when you were a kid and faked being sick to avoid school? You thought you were so smart. Then you realized there’s nothing worse than daytime TV. Ok, maybe coronavirus is a little worse. But, at least Netflix and other streaming services saved us from awful daytime talk shows. Right now, the whole world is having a sick day. China has quarantined whole cities. Japan shuttered all its schools. Hong Kong followed suit. Even world leaders aren’t safe.
The death toll in the U.S. is climbing. Consequently, forced quarantines may become a temporary reality for some Americans. It may even infect the global economy. If you get stuck indoors, don’t get your face mask in a knot. Above all, remember to stay calm. For some people, watching a horror movie actually relieves tension. If you’re one of those people, we’ve got the flicks for you. Here’s a list of 10 terrifying movies about how getting sick destroyed or almost destroyed the world.
Cover Photo: Warner Bros.
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Coronavirus Movie Marathon
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'Outbreak'
Outbreak is the archetype for modern medical thrillers, though most of its cast are now disgraced due to sex abuse scandals. At least the monkey who also played Marcel on Friends is only dead.
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'Contagion'
The production team behind the 2011 film Contagion consulted numerous doctors and public health officials to ensure its accuracy. No wonder it depicts so many aspects of today’s crisis, from the bumbling political response to the valiant effort of those on the frontlines.
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'Pandemic'
2016’s Pandemic is easy to confuse with 2007’s also awful film of the same title, though other than that, they share nothing. This 2016 film is quite literally a first-person shooter game come to life, but sometimes what you really need is just a mindless distraction from real terrors.
Photo: New Artists Alliance
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'The Flu'
The Flu is a 2013 South Korean horror film that might seem a little too real now. Once again the heroic actions of individuals are contrasted with the self-serving and incompetent response of those in power.
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'12 Monkeys'
The plot of 12 Monkeys may seem like something written by a thousand simians on typewriters. Like many other films on this list, it explores the twin fears of plague and radical politics, which tells you where everybody’s priorities are.
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'28 Days Later'
The zombie-inducing plague in 2002’s post-apocalyptic horror flick 28 Days Later may be fiction, but a real crisis can bring out the worst in people. We love this flick but vowed to never speak of the sequels.
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'Children of Men'
This 2006 film Children of Men is set in a world where a plague of infertility has humanity alive but teetering on the edge of extinction. Social dislocation is as much the villain as a pathogen, which sadly can be true in real life as well.
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'Invasion of the Body Snatchers'
Seldom is a remake better than the original, but 1978’s Invasion of the Body Snatchers is the exception that proves the rule. The scary part of this film — like a deadly virus — is the end.
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'The Omega Man'
The 1954 novel I Am Legend has been adapted to film three times with three different titles. The most recent version starring Will Smith is definitely the worst of the bunch. The 1964 version called The Last Man on Earth with Vincent Price is a classic, but we love 1971’s campy The Omega Man.
Photo: Walter Seltzer Productions
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'World War Z'
Brad Pitt’s turn as an international zombie sleuth in World War Z had a plot as bad as its CGI. It’s totally a metaphor for Pitt’s tortured marriage to Angelina Jolie.
