XLrator Media’s Pandemic, starring Rachel Nichols (Star Trek, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, Continuum), Mekhi Phifer (Insurgent, Divergent, 8 Mile), Missi Pyle (The Artist, Gone Girl, Big Fish), Alfie Allen (John Wick, Atonement, Game of Thrones), Danielle Rose Russell (A Walk Among the Tombstones), Paul Guilfoyle (L.A. Confidential, Air Force One, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation) and Pat Healy (Rescue Dawn, Magnolia), is now in limited theaters with the first person horror arriving on VOD and iTunes the following Tuesday, April 5th.
Directed by John Suits (The Scribbler), Pandemic features non-stop action from a first person shooter perspective (FPS), putting the audience in the middle of every fight whilst feeling in control of every punch thrown and shot fired.
Bloody Disgusting caught up with Suits and producer Gabe Cowan who share their “5 Favorite Virus Outbreak Films”.
JOHN SUITS
28 Days Later: This film really changed the game in terms of what an outbreak film can be. It was inspiring to me not only because it revolutionized the definition of a zombie, but also because, in a lot of ways, it helped usher in the digital age. When the film came out, I was in film school and had an XL1, so when I heard a studio film was coming out that was shot on that same camera, I was very curious. The result is breathtaking and as an aspiring filmmaker at the time, it really left an impact.
12 Monkeys: This is another film that inspired me. Terry Gilliam has such a unique and powerful voice and I always love the worlds he creates. What I think functioned so well in this particular film is even though the style of the film is fantastical, it creates a believable scenario where civilization is almost entirely wiped out.
Children of Men: This film is in my top five not only for the bleak tone but also for the sheer technical marvel of it. I love films that push boundaries and this film does it in spades. I also appreciate how Couron goes about it in a way that supports the storytelling and most importantly, brings us into the world of the characters, often following along with their journey in real time.
Contagion: This movie seriously freaked me out and probably doubled my hand washing habits for a good while after I first watched it! Soderberg creates what I think is probably the most realistic and true to life end of the world scenario I’ve ever seen. It does an amazing job interweaving stories that span the globe, and I love how it shows how simplistically and seemingly innocently a worldwide outbreak can begin.
The Seventh Seal: My Dad loves this film and I watched it a lot growing up. It’s perhaps the most horrifying of the bunch because it takes place during an outbreak that actually occurred in real life. Its nihilistic perspective in context acts as a sort of a scary reminder of how history can repeat itself. Personally, I’ve always found the film rather haunting, so its stuck with me over the years. Also, I think it has particularly stuck with me as it uses the thematic elements that typically capture my attention.
GABE COWAN
Is the Smurfs an outbreak movie?
The Thing: The John Carpenter version – of course not a traditional outbreak movie but what a wild ride of paranoia and character driven intrigue. I watched it for The first time in my high school film class. I remember thinking how cool it was that I got to spend the middle of the day watching this film in school. After we watched, our teacher explained what was happening within the film sub textually and cinematically and my mind is completely blown. Still is.
Dawn of the Dead: Arguably Zack Snyder’s best film. Dawn of the Dead works so well because it takes typical zombie tropes experienced by three dimensional and relatable characters. An incredible performance by Sarah Polley.
Shaun of the Dead: C’mon – it’s a great cross genre mashup of raucous fun with laughs and scares and gore galore.
World War Z: All that conflict we read about on set ended up creating a joy ride of a movie. Yes… it’s predictable and hits its plot points by the numbers – but that’s what I liked about it. I just got to lean back and be taken away by $150,000,000 worth of popcorn selling fun.
28 Days Later: was one of my favorite outbreak films and from an independent filmmaking perspective is a film worth studying. I believe they shot it on standard definition video and were able to capture London as an abandon city by literally waking up first thing in the morning and shooting before cars and people were moving around.
and The Smurfs. Scariest movie of all.
“Pandemic is set in the near future, where a virus of epic proportions has overtaken the planet. There are more infected than uninfected, and humanity is losing its grip on survival. Its only hope is finding a cure and keeping the infected contained. Lauren (Rachel Nichols) is a doctor, who, after the fall of New York, comes to Los Angeles to lead the charge in the hunt for uninfected civilian survivors.
Lauren’s objective is simple – lead her team into the field and rescue survivors. Lauren and her team: Gunner (tactical command), Denise (navigation), and Wheeler (driver), put on their anti-contamination suits, complete with cameras so their experiences can be used for research, and leave the compound. But nothing could have prepared them for the mayhem they are about to walk into.”
