Rhona Mitra, taking a breather from the Doomsday virus.
Hollywood knows that nothing gets under moviegoers' skin like the panic induced by pathogens. Whether the
malevolent microbes reanimate the dead, induce madness and mutations, or cause fatal illness, these viruses
are the unseen antagonists that our brave heroes battle again and again on-screen. The latest director to
get the bug is Neil Marshall, who is batting two for two with Dog Soldiers and The Descent. In his latest, Doomsday, an entire country is
quarantined after the deadly Reaper virus devastates the populace. Chaos and fear erupts when the citizens
are cut off from rest of the world for three decades, which turns their society into a more nightmarish
version of Mad Max's
post-apocalyptic Australia. It remains to be seen if Marshall can do for germ flicks what he did for
werewolves and spelunking shockers, but it's still a good time to get re-infected by Hollywood’s 10 most
memorable, microscopic malcontents.
Resident Evil trilogy
Star pathogen: The T virus
After the Umbrella Corporation mistakenly unleashes a virus that reanimates dead tissue and turns people
(and Dobermans!) into flesh-hungry zombies, "containment" becomes the buzzword in Raccoon City. Milla Jovovich ably steps into the
combat boots of her video game-inspired character, Alice, and becomes the one-woman vaccine for all the
uninfected.
28 Days Later, 28 Weeks Later
Star pathogen: The Rage virus
Guerilla animal activists raid a primate-research lab in an attempt to free its test subjects and instead
unleash a rapidly transmitted blood disease when one of the chimps bites a rescuer. Before long England is
overrun with savage, red-eyed "infected" who vomit blood, tear up the population, and create complete
anarchy. Also known as: punk rock, part deux.
I Am Legend
Star pathogen: An altered measles virus
In this third mutation of Richard Matheson's novel, a doctor (Will Smith) has found a cure for cancer. The
only -- and last -- reported side effect is that it turned the majority of humanity into cannibalistic
monsters whose skin burns when exposed to sunlight. Smith, who happens to be immune, becomes the fresh
prince of a desolate Manhattan with only his German shepherd to rap with.
Outbreak
Star pathogen: The Motaba virus
It's a good thing monkeys don’t have a union to fight discrimination. Here, we have another viral
movie featuring a simian-to-human transmission. This time the African-born virus, which causes the
liquefaction of organs in three days and is, well, 100 percent fatal, crops up in a small U.S. town. Army
colonel Dustin Hoffman must contain
the outbreak before the president decides to firebomb the area—just to be sure. Go, Tootsie, go!
Cabin Fever
Star pathogen: Flesh-eating virus
There would be no "deliverance" for five college chums who go deep into redneck country after finals looking
forward to a little boozing, groping and doping at a remote cabin. What they didn’t anticipate was
the rampant sloughing that would occur—as one girl discovers during a disastrous leg-shaving mishap in
the bathtub — when a flesh-eating virus infects their water supply. Beer: it does the body better.
The Crazies
Star pathogen: "Trixie," a manmade bio-weapon virus
In George A. Romero’s lost germ gem
(slated for a remake next year), an army cargo plane crashes near Evans City, Pennsylvania, and unleashes an
incurable virus that turns people into homicidal maniacs. Before long, white-suited soldiers in gas masks
show up to round up the infected while the uninfected band together and try to get the hell out of Dodge.
With paranoia running rampant and the whole world seemingly gone mad, the distinction between normal and
crazy is as blurry as it is at a Hannah Montana concert.
Mimic
Star pathogen: A polio-like virus
After a crippling epidemic spreads through New York via cockroaches, entomologist Mira Sorvino engineers a toxic Judas breed of
roaches with a six-month lifespan to infiltrate and exterminate the disease-carrying population.
Unfortunately for subway enthusiasts and sewer dwellers, the breed mutates into six-foot-plus specimens that
look like men in dark trench coats with folded wings for arms. Someone order the jumbo-sized Raid.
Grindhouse: Planet
Terror
Star pathogen: A top-secret military virus
In Robert Rodriguez's segment of
the Grindhouse double feature
with Quentin Tarantino, a deadly
viral-laden gas is unleashed from a military base in a small Texas town, turning the infected into oozing,
zombie cannibals. The cure comes largely in the form of amputee Rose McGowan, whose half-gam serves as a
prosthetic machine gun that handily cuts down the enemy.
The Andromeda
Strain
Star pathogen: The Andromeda alien virus
An army satellite infected by an alien viral strain crashes in Piedmont, New Mexico, and kills everyone in
minutes leaving only an old wino and an infant (you know, the useful ones in situations like these). A group
of scientists study them to find this ultimate biological weapon's antidote, which might, given the
survivors, be derived from Night Train and Gerber's baby food.
12 Monkeys
Star pathogen: A population-decimating virus
In a post-apocalyptic future imagined by director Terry Gilliam, a deadly disease has
eliminated all but one percent of the earth’s population, forcing the survivors to live underground.
Scientists send prisoner Bruce Willis
back in time to collect information about the virus before it spreads, which gets him an expedited one-way
ticket to a mental institution...although we're reasonably certain no one would lock him up if he went back to destroy all copies of Hudson
Hawk.
Robert DeSalvo is the associate editor of Playboy magazine, where he oversees the movie and DVD sections in addition to interviewing celebrities, filmmakers and Playmates and writing a weekly blog on Playboy.com. The L.A.-based writer has written for Movieline, Contents, The Holland Herald and others.
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