15. Blindness (2008)
Based on the José Saramago’s novel,Blindnesscenters on a city stricken by an epidemic of blindness. At the cusp of its spread is an afflicted doctor (Mark Ruffalo) and his wife (Julianne Moore). Soon, she stumbles upon a conspiracy to manipulate and control the afflicted.
Despite its overly safe execution, this Fernando Meirelles film shows the impact of an epidemic on the public. In following Moore’s character, we get a balance of political and social intrigue. But the scariest part? The power dynamics that eerily reflect today’s social climate.
14. Embers (2015)
Embersis set on a world that’s been struck with a killer virus that causes retrograde and anterograde amnesia. The film presents five connected stories about the survivors of the epidemic, who struggle in the dying landscape to recall their past memories or make new memories.
What makesEmbersworth a look is its illustration of the epidemic’s aftermath. In our post-pandemic era, these stories—from the main couple to the mysterious woman with the dress—resonate. What we get is an overlooked yet unique indie film.
13. Carriers (2009)
Real hysteria can come when overthinking whether someone is infected with a virus, which is sharply depicted inCarriers. Starring Chris Pine, this film follows four survivors trying to endure a post-apocalyptic environment while avoiding the growing threat of infection.
Horror and anxiety loom over the four leads, who all experience an underlying uneasiness that feels all too familiar now, effectively brought to life by a cast of young talents. Even if the ending hits low,Carriersbrings true horror about the wrath of viruses.
12. World War Z (2013)
Back in 2013, we got a fitting cinematic counterpart toThe Walking Deadin this zombie blockbuster.World War Zfollows Gerry Lane (Brad Pitt), who’s thrust into a desperate mission to find a cure against the zombie apocalypse. At every point, a zombie horde follows him.
Based on the very dense novel by Max Brooks,World War Zfrustratingly leaves out a lot of great material in favor of a streamlined plot. Even so, it gave us several notable scenes and a worthwhile watch.
11. Pontypool (2008)
Pontypoolhas an interesting premise: shock-jock radio DJ Grant (Stephen McHattie) receives a report about a deadly outbreak that threatens their small Ontario town, with the origins of the contagious virus being specific words from the English language.
That setup makes for a clever script that raises the stakes for Grant’s radio station crew. Think of it like Orson Welles’s radio broadcast of H. G. Wells’sThe War of the Worlds, except this one is an actual broadcast of real zombies ravaging their town.
With B-movie suspense and wit mixed in,Pontypoolproves that words can literally hurt or even spread doom.
10. Zombieland (2009)
Here we have another pandemic about zombies, except this one’s much lighter and funnier than the aforementionedPontypool. InZombieland, we have a ragtag team of survivalists making their way across a post-apocalyptic America in search of sanctuary at a theme park.
Leading them is the gun-toting veteran Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), and along for the ride are the meek Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg), the strong-willed Wichita (Emma Stone), and her plucky younger sister Little Rock (Abigail Breslin).
Zombielandis among the best zombie comedy movies ever made, chiefly for how it embraces its sense of fun and pokes at zombie movie clichés. This bloody riot even features a bloody cameo by Bill Murray!
Related:The Best Zombie Comedy Movies That Are Really Funny
9. 12 Monkeys (1995)
From the bizarre mind of Terry Gilliam comes12 Monkeys, his most successful film. Part time travel story and part apocalyptic thriller,12 Monkeysfollows convict James Cole (Bruce Willis), who’s sent back in time to trace the origins of a deadly virus.
Heavily inspired by the French featuretteLa Jetée,12 Monkeysexpands on its themes of memory, morality, and time. Grim as it may be, there’s always a ray of hope following Cole, and that makes for an engaging thrill ride of twists and turns while fighting the epidemic.
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8. Flu (2013)
Back in 2013, South Korea gave us one of the most interesting pandemic disaster films of all time inFlu(also known asGamgi).
This ensemble piece centers on a populated district in Seongnam that experiences an outbreak of an H5N1 strain, which throws the city into mayhem and causes the citizens to scramble for their lives.
Between its premise and its structure of interconnected stories,Flufeels a lot like South Korea’s answer toContagionfrom two years prior. However, this film has more realistic depictions of a deadly virus epidemic and doubles down on the drama.
7. I Am Legend (2007)
I Am Legendadapts the Richard Matheson novel of the same name (the same one used byThe Omega Man) and follows virologist Robert Neville (Will Smith). He’s the last human left in New York, who’s attempting to find a cure against the virus that turns humans into mutants.
As a survival flick, it’s gripping to follow Neville and his German shepherd throughout abandoned New York. The post-apocalyptic thriller action is balanced with quiet moments as Neville strategizes to survive, making for a solid disease movie with sci-fi trappings.
Related:The Best Post-Apocalyptic Movies After the End of the World
6. The Sadness (2021)
What’s even scarier than a viral outbreak of zombies? How about a pandemic that turns people into bloodthirsty maniacs?
The Sadnessis a gem of body horror from Taiwan. It follows a young couple Jim and Kat, residing in Taipei, who try to reunite after a massive outbreak causes the population to turn into mindless savages.
You might not expect it from the title, butThe Sadnessfeatures nonstop blood and gore. It’s almost sadistic with how much the maniacs fawn over violence and depravity—and given how quickly they move, the entire film oozes menace and dread.
Director Rob Jabbaz knows how to push the limits of body horror in this amazing movie, resulting in lots of zombie-like misery.
Related:The Best Body Horror Movies, Ranked
5. 28 Days Later (2002)
28 Days Lateris mostly known for the scene where Cillian Murphy’s Jim is in scrubs and walking along an abandoned London bridge during an otherwise normal morning sunrise. But, of course, there’s more to the scene with its unpinning of zombie-inspired horror.
Directed by Danny Boyle, this horror flick centers on Jim, who wakes up from a coma only to find a transformed London—one that’s been ravaged by a disease that turns people mad.
This highly-contagious, aggression-inducing virus makes every scene a skin-crawling one. Then again, it’s not just the infected that fills this post-apocalyptic world with danger. Humans are often the worst.
Related:The Best Suspense Thriller Movies That Are Seriously Intense
4. Outbreak (1995)
One of the most fascinating facts about the disaster movieOutbreakis that a real-life virus epidemic took place in Zaire after it was released. As it turns out,Outbreakwas pretty spot-on with its depiction of protocols taken by governments during actual virus outbreaks.
The film follows a group of medical and military officials as they try to contain an Ebola-like virus that starts in Zaire and ends up in California. The cast is led by Dustin Hoffman, Rene Russo, Morgan Freeman, and Donald Sutherland.
While it did take several liberties with the science involved,Outbreakis one of the definitive movies about pandemics of all time.
3. Train to Busan (2016)
Back to South Korea, we got one of the greatest zombie blockbusters ever made withTrain to Busan. The premise may sound like a gimmick—a high-speed train from Seoul to Busan is overtaken by zombies—but there’s a surprising amount of depth here.
At the center of the mayhem is absentee father Seok-woo (Gong Yoo) who does whatever he can to protect his daughter Su-an (Su-an Kim).
The success ofTrain to Busancomes down to it giving audiences what they really want in a disaster movie: a balance of carnage and humanity. More than just a disease movie,Train to Busanis essentially a father-daughter story that’s guided by admirable characters.
Related:The Best Korean Disaster Movies, Ranked
2. The Andromeda Strain (1971)
Based on the Michael Crichton novel,The Andromeda Straininvolves a viral organism of extraterrestrial origin and scientists investigating that alien strain but struggling to contain the organism—which adapts to the environment and eventually becomes deadly.
To this day, many in the scientific community consider the film one of the most accurate portrayals of virus containment, from studying the specimen to planning how to stop its spread.
Having such a tight focus on the frontline scientists of this viral outbreak is a noble one that amplifies the sense of fear and paranoia.
1. Contagion (2011)
Of all the disease movies on this list,Contagionis most representative of our current times. At release, it was praised as a competent thriller from Steven Soderbergh. But now? Many view the film as the perfect model of that pandemic era we all went through.
Like Soderbergh’s other works,Contagionfollows multiple storylines—from health officials to ordinary citizens to conspiracy theorists—during the outbreak of a contagious disease. In every storyline, there’s no escaping the horrors of this virus.
In the end,Contagionis a drama-laden film that acts as a harrowing cautionary tale, making it one of the most important movies about pandemics worth watching.
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