10 More Viral Hits To Check Out
Contagion is a gripping and nail-biting movie about the very real impact of a deadly outbreak. It’s a great film and absolutely worth checking out if you haven’t already.
For those who have finished and are looking for alternate picks, we’ve combed through the archives and saved you the hassle with our top choices for alternate viewing.
As usual, let us know your thoughts about our picks in the comments below!
Outbreak (1995)
Outbreak centers on an outbreak of a fictional Ebola-like virus, Motaba, in Zaire and later in a small town in the United States. The U.S. Army and the CDC scramble to prevent the virus from spreading, revealing layers of personal conflicts and tough political choices along the way.
Both Outbreak and Contagion are disaster films centered around the spread of a deadly virus, and the struggle health organizations have to control it. They both depict a good deal of panic and chaos, working tirelessly to try and stop the virus from spreading, to varying degrees of success.
12 Monkeys (1995)
While the TV series is arguably better, 12 Monkeys movie is a gripping sci-fi all the same. It tells the story of a convict sent back in time to stop a deadly man-made virus from releasing, which has wiped out most of the population in the future. What ensues is a nail-biting race against time.
While 12 Monkeys is more geared towards sci-fi, both movies ultimately involve a deadly virus that has (or threatens to) wipe out the population. Both movies also explore what happens during a global pandemic too, although 12 Monkeys’ time travel may be a deal-breaker for some!
28 Days Later (2002)
The film that started a big trend of fast, unstoppable zombies. 28 Days Later features one of the best movie openings of all time. It’s a post-apocalyptic horror where a group of survivors struggle to stay alive and find safety in a world devastated by the Rage virus. Spread rapidly and turning its victims into angry, snarling, fast-moving zombies, these aggressive “infected” are absolutely terrifying.
28 Days Later and Contagion both revolve around the spread of a highly contagious virus. While Contagion remains more grounded and focuses on containment, 28 Days Later is more about survival in the aftermath of an outbreak.
Doomsday (2008)
Doomsday is an action-orientated sci-fi set in a future where Scotland has been quarantined thanks to a deadly virus. When the virus is then found in London, a team is sent into the quarantine zone to find a possible cure from the survivors.
Both films explore the concept of a deadly outbreak and the tireless efforts to find a cure. However, Doomsday incorporates a lot more action into its plot, creating a more dystopian scenario. Still, it’s another movie that’s well worth checking out.
Flu (2013)
Flu is a South Korean film about the outbreak of a deadly strain of H5N1 that kills its victims within 36 hours. As one may expect, the plot gets absolutely chaotic and in a city of half a million, with 2,000 becoming infected every hour, the struggle of responders to contain the outbreak becomes the real focus here.
Both films are, of course, about the outbreak of a deadly and highly contagious virus and the attempts to try and contain it. The depiction of societal panic and the scramble for a vaccine, are also similarities the two share as well.
Virus (2019)
Virus is an Indian thriller based on the 2018 Nipah virus outbreak in Kerala, and the local community’s fight against the outbreak. The film explores how the medical community and government responded to the crisis, and the film does so with a lot of tension and drama.
Both Virus and Contagion are similar in the way they depict a sudden outbreak of a deadly virus, and then lean into those efforts to control the spread and find a cure. They provide a realistic portrayal of how healthcare professionals and society at large deal with a pandemic too.
Carriers (2009)
Carriers is a post-apocalyptic horror that follows four friends who flee from a viral pandemic. As they travel, the four encounter various challenges that test their friendship and morality, which in turn reveals just how far they’re willing to go to survive.
The two films similarly deal with the severe implications for humanity when a deadly virus is released. While Contagion takes a broader view of society, Carriers is much more focused on a small group, which in turn allows for a much more intimate examination of human nature during a crisis like this.
Quarantine (2008)
Back when found footage was all the rage, Quarantine is another horror film that done well for a while and then disappeared from the cultural zeitgeist. The story centers on a television reporter and her cameraman, who are both trapped inside a building quarantined by the CDC. An outbreak of a mysterious virus has turned people into violent killers. Who will survive?
Both movies focus on the outbreak of a highly contagious and deadly virus, and similarly hone in on that widespread panic and horror associated with it. We also get a good look at the efforts of health authorities to control the situation.
Blindness (2008)
Blindness is a dystopian thriller that centers around a city hit by an epidemic of “white blindness.” As society collapses, the government quarantines the victims in an asylum. However, one woman has secretly retained her sight, and she leads the struggle for the group to survive.
While the contagion in Blindness is not a typical virus, both movies do focus on the effects of an epidemic, along with its devastating impact on society. The two movies portray the breakdown of social order and the extreme measures taken by authorities to respond.
Deranged (2012)
South Korea really knows how to make a gripping viral-centered story, and Deranged is no exception. This science fiction thriller focuses its narrative on an epidemic that causes people to become extremely thirsty and jump into bodies of water to die. In the center of this bizarre anomaly, a man struggles to save his family from the strange disease.
Both Deranged and Contagion depict the outbreak of a mysterious and deadly epidemic. The subsequent panic is also depicted very well here, while the race against time to find a cure is another similarity too. The two films also highlight both the large-scale societal impact and intimate personal tragedies resulting from an epidemic.
There we have it, our list of best movies that are similar to Contagion. What do you think about our picks? Did one of your favourites make the list? Let us know in the comments below!