Imagine a disease-ridden world full of desolate streets, abandoned stores, and — wait for it — flesh-eating zombies. Movies have depicted this grisly theme for decades, and with chemical and oil spills in the Gulf, zombie-like face eating attacks in Miami, and the recent scare of the highly feared Ebola virus, it seems these fictional movies could possibly become our future. Here’s a list of movies that show a glimpse of what life would be like after a massive epidemic.
“28 Days Later” (2003)
When animal activist break into a medical research lab freeing virally infected chimpanzees, they unknowingly cause a worldwide plague of the “rage virus.” Jim, played by Cillian Murphy, wakes up from a coma and finds that within 28 days of comatose, the world he once knew has completely collapsed. With the help of two non-infected strangers, Jim is forced into a world wind of learning survival tactics, fighting zombies and attempting to keeping faith alive. Though this movie may have several alternated endings, the underlying message is that 28 days is all it takes to transform the world with a zombie apocalypse”
“I Am Legend” (2007)
New York City is completely wiped out when a cure for cancer backfires and the resulting virus rapidly spreads and threatens the life of all mankind. Will Smith plays U.S. Army virologist Robert Neville, who is believed to be the last non-infected human in the world, his only companion being Sam, his loyal German Shepard. For three years, Neville avidly hunts and experiments on the zombies in hopes to find a cure. Smith takes audiences on a journey about the determination to find a cure and keep faith alive.
“The Crazies” (2010)
When a chemical spill poisons the water supply in a small Midwestern town, locals began acting dangerously bizarre. Discovering a military aircraft underwater, David played by Timothy Olyphant realizes that the contaminated drinking water is the cause of the towns’ behavior. Taking matters into his own hands, he cuts off the towns’ water supply in hopes to revive the locals. Sadly, he’s too late. This movie hits eerily close to home because we’ve already experienced several chemical and oil spills – gulp.
“Cabin Fever” (2002)
When it comes to flesh-eating disease movies, “Cabin Fever” takes the cake — or should I say “the skin.” This movie was inspired by a real-life skin virus the producer was infected with during a trip to Iceland. When a group of college students take a vacation in a remote cabin in the woods, they’re met with much more than a seemingly good time. A flesh-eating bacterium literally begins to eat away at the students one-by-one. While most epidemic movies end on a positive note, the ending of this movie takes an unexpected turn and leaves audiences on the edge of their seat.
“Contagion” (2011)
An all-star cast, including Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law, Laurence Fishbourne and Matt Damon, portray ordinary people faced with the struggle of surviving in an infected society. Though there are several notable epidemic movies, “Contagion” is the most realistic. Beth, played by Gwyneth Paltrow, contracts a fatal disease and passes it to her 6-year-old. They both pass away, leaving behind her husband Mitch, played by Matt Damon, their daughter, and a host of other characters as they try to run away from the infiltration in the city.
Epidemic movies have been a quite entertaining, but now that there is a possible threat of a viral disease spreading, our reality could soon look like these fictitious movies. On a positive note, at least we have a long list of movies to serve as a guide for survival. On a negative note, our guide for survival relies on a long list of epidemic movies.
