Single camera success

This is not a film for those seeking happy endings – or those with a weak stomach.

It’s a catastrophic situation that no one can survive. An unknown sickness is rapidly spreading, causing everyone infected to bite the flesh of anyone around.

“Quarantine” stars Jennifer Carpenter as Angela, a news reporter doing an in-depth report on firemen. Much like “Cloverfield” and “The Blair Witch Project,” it was filmed in the single-camera, documentary/news-report style.

While Angela works with the fireman on her mostly uneventful feature, they receive a call that seems routine at first.

Upon arrival, they go inside an old apartment building and find a sickly-looking elderly woman foaming at the mouth with blood on her clothes. Moments later, she attacks a police officer like a wild dog. One of the other officers is forced to shoot the lady.

The rest of the movie takes place inside this dank building.

Before long, several other tenants become infected. Once infected, they acquire superhuman strength. Upon trying to leave the building, they discover they are not permitted to leave the building and the Centers for Disease Control handles the case.

Perhaps one of the most chilling parts of the film is when the reporter, cameraman and two others sneak off and turn on a TV in an upstairs room to find out the news media is covering the event. They hear the fire chief in an interview say everyone had been evacuated from the building despite the fact no one had been allowed to leave.

There was no music in the film, only the incessant sound of helicopters and sirens from outside the building, adding to the tension in a really great way.

With the entire movie framed with one camera, “Quarantine” seems like an advanced version of “The Blair Witch Project.” The film does a remarkable job of taking you in and letting you experience a quarantine situation first-hand while making you feel uncomfortable to no end.

With the exception of the first 10 minutes, the entire film is filled with action, and should be enjoyed by anyone who craves suspense and likes zombie movies with a modern twist.