These are trying times. And in these trying times, many people are flocking to Contagion. It's probably not the best move, considering Contagion is a hopelessly pessimistic movie that sees the deaths of 26 million people. Not exactly the chicken soup for the soul we need right now.
Regardless, Contagion is finding renewed popularity on Netflix in the midst of COVID-19, which means people are discovering its qualities. It's a good film, don't get us wrong. It's just a very sad and depressing one as well! But if you want more like it in these trying times, then we have ten more for you. These are ten essential movies for Contagion fans.
Outbreak (1995)
Of course, when most people think of pandemic movies, they usually think of Outbreak. This movie concerns a virus similar to Ebola that travels from Central Africa to a small town called Cedar Creek in California.
It stars an all-star cast - Dustin Hoffman, Morgan Freeman, Donald Sutherland, Cuba Gooding Jr., Patrick Dempsey, and Kevin Spacey among them - and it grossed $190 million when it was released in 1995. It was Contagion before Contagion. It's a little more "Hollywood" than Contagion, but it still has its merits.
28 Days Later (2002)
Unlike Contagion and Outbreak, 28 Days Later doesn't concern a viral pandemic. But it does concern the end of civilization (at least British civilization). This is one of the most popular zombie movies ever made (yes, they're zombies!), and some of its scenes prove eerily topical in today's age of social isolation and distancing.
Maybe we're not quite at 28 Days Later levels yet, but you have to admit that the scenes of Jim walking the empty streets of London have sprung into your mind in the last couple of days. "Hellooooooooo?"
The Andromeda Strain (1971)
The Andromeda Strain was originally a novel written by Michael Crichton, the same man behind Jurassic Park and Westworld. It tells the story of a small American town that has been affected by a mysterious extraterrestrial organism.
A team of scientists then study the deadly organism to determine its origins and prevent it from inflicting even more danger. Even though it's an alien film, the Infectious Diseases Society of America noted that it "accurately details the appearance of a deadly agent, its impact, and the efforts at containing it."
It Comes At Night (2017)
If you want a really good film about social isolation, you should check out A24's It Comes at Night. This movie concerns a mysterious and unexplained "outbreak" that ravaged the world and a family that isolates themselves in the woods.
They can barely go outside, they don't trust other people, and they do anything in their power to protect themselves from danger - both "the" danger and the danger posed by other people. It's a great story about paranoia, trust, and the dangers of extreme social isolation.
I Am Legend (2007)
I Am Legend is another movie much like 28 Days Later. It contains monsters and violence, yes, but it's also a deeply introspective look at isolation and loneliness. I Am Legend takes place in the aftermath of a global pandemic that leaves just 0.2% of the world's population alive.
Everyone else is either dead or has been turned into vampire-like creatures. However, the movie's themes mostly concern Neville's isolation and his battles with mental health, loneliness, and desperation. It's good times...
Carriers (2009)
Carriers is another super depressing film that examines the outcome of a viral pandemic. The movie begins after an unknown infectious disease has wiped out a majority of the world's population.
It then follows four survivors - Danny, Brian, Bobby, and Kate - as they try to survive in the post-apocalyptic world. Of course, everything doesn't go to plan, and they soon start to turning on each other out of fear, panic, and desperation. It's much like It Comes at Night in that regard.
10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)
We're starting to see a very prominent theme, here. While some of these "pandemic" movies focus on the virus itself, most are concerned with the aftermath and the dangerous human behavior that occurs in the face of uncertainty.
10 Cloverfield Lane is only tenuously connected to its predecessor, as it mostly concerns a supposedly crazy man who locks two people in his safety bunker for "protection." Is he telling the truth about the outside world? Is he actually crazy? Can they escape? If they escape, can they survive outside? Those are all the intriguing questions that 10 Cloverfield Lane looks to answer.
12 Monkeys (1995)
12 Monkeys is one of the finest science fiction films ever made. The movie stars Bruce Willis as James Cole, a convict who is sent back in time to collect information about a man-made virus that has decimated the world. Its bleak visions of humanity and the future will shake you to your bones.
It's also a perfect film to represent the "Cassandra Complex," which is when someone's dire warnings are disbelieved and ignored. In this case, James's statements about the pandemic and the end of humanity are blatantly ignored by the people in the "present." It's topical in today's age of reaction over prevention...
Pontypool (2008)
Pontypool is a little-known Canadian horror film, but an excellent one. The entire movie takes place within a small radio studio, and the inhabitants slowly learn of a mysterious and dangerous pandemic that is occurring outside through phone calls.
What makes this movie so great is the fear of the unknown. We can't see the damage being done - we're forced to hear it. We don't know what it is - we just have to react to it. And we don't know how to react.
Virus (1980)
Virus (Japanese - Fukkatsu no hi, or Day of Resurrection) is a very interesting Japanese film that was released back in 1980. This one concerns a virus called MM88 that reacts with other viruses that it comes into contact with, essentially creating an unbeatable "supervirus."
This supervirus wipes out most of the world's population but cannot survive in temperatures below -10 Celsius. This leaves a very small group of scientists in Antarctica who desperately try to find a cure. It's good stuff and contains a suitably epic and apocalyptic ending.