Pandemic and Virus Films are typically part of the Science Fiction and Thriller genres and often crossover with Apocalypse Films and Post-Apocalypse Films subgenres. Due to the last few years of Covid-19, the Pandemic and Virus Film subgenre has become increasingly sought out.
During the Disaster Film wave of the 1970’s, pandemic and virus themed films started to gain popularity. A few notable films from this decade include No Blade of Grass (1970), The Andromeda Strain (1971), The Omega Man (1971), The Crazies (1973) and Shivers (1975).
The following decades of the 1980’s and 1990’s saw the subgenre’s popularity wane a bit but there were still a few great films of the subgenre including Warning Sign (1985) and 12 Monkeys (1995). Outbreak (1995) was the star of these two decades and one of the most sought-after films to watch at the outbreak of the very real Covid-19 pandemic.
The 2000’s started to see the Pandemic and Virus Film subgenre gain popularity again mainly within the Horror genre. Resident Evil (2002), 28 Days Later (2002), Cabin Fever (2003) and [REC] (2007) were all films that utilized horror elements within the Pandemic and Virus subgenre. These films also spawned additional sequels and remakes. Other notable films from this decade include Right at Your Door (2006), Children of Men (2006), I Am Legend (2007), Blindness (2008), and Carriers (2009).
The 2010’s saw the floodgates open as the Pandemic and Virus subgenre became even more popular with mainstream film releases. This decade saw Contagion (2011) released which is considered best in class when it comes to a realistic portrayal of a pandemic. It’s also the film that is most like what we experienced with Covid-19. Other notable films from this decade include Black Death (2010), Perfect Sense (2011), The Bay (2012), Hidden (2015), It Comes as Night (2017) and What Still Remains (2018).
Our list of Pandemic and Virus Films includes over 90+ movies from 1964-2021. Most of these films deal with virus and pandemic related situations, but some films also crossover with the Zombie subgenre (as most Zombie films involve somebody becoming infected with a virus that turns them into a Zombie). For our list of The Top Pandemic and Virus Films You Haven’t Seen, we had to exclude a few great films from the list that you should still watch if you can. Honorable mentions include Right at Your Door (2007), Phase 7 (2010), Retreat (2011), The Bay (2012) and What Still Remains (2018).
Note: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.. Here’s the list of Top Pandemic and Virus Films You Haven’t Seen:
Plot: A team of scientists race to contain an alien virus that is mutating and killing people in a small town.
KBZ’s Take: One of Michael Crichton’s novels that was turned into film, this film was considered the classic of the Pandemic and Virus subgenre until Outbreak (1995) and Contagion (2011) were released. Though the film is very slow by today’s standards, it’s a good procedural film showing how scientists react at the onset of a pandemic.
Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3HjHoWr
#9
The Crazies
Plot: People in a small town are infected by a bioweapon that makes them become violently insane.
KBZ’s Take: This film also has a remake – The Crazies (2010) – but if there’s one version to check out, it’s the original written and directed by the late George A. Romero. This is one of Romero’s better films and shows a raw response to how townspeople would react to a military quarantine. While watching the film you’re faced with a dilemma – root for our heroes to escape or root for the military contain them so they don’t spread the virus outside the quarantined town.
Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3jhnTpr
Plot: The last man alive searches for a cure to a man-made virus after biological warfare has decimated civilization.
KBZ’s Take: Based on Richard Matheson’s novel, I Am Legend, this film strays a bit from the source material where the infected are vampiric in nature. Other filmed efforts of the novel, The Last Man on Earth (1964) and I Am Legend (2007), are more faithful to the source material’s vampires. Though the film is dated, it’s a unique take on the novel and focuses more on aftereffects of the virus that has changed civilization. If you grew up watching this as a child, you feared “The Family”. But now, they are just a hokey cinematic curiosity to watch in an otherwise great film.
Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3Rkw5BL
#7
[REC]
Plot: TV reporter and crew are locked inside an apartment building where a viral outbreak turns humans into bloodthirsty killers.
KBZ’s Take: [REC] spawned 3 sequels and was remade into 2 US films – Quarantine (2008) and Quarantine 2: Terminal (2011). While the 2008 remake isn’t that bad, we advise seeing the original [REC] series – especially [REC] (2007), [REC]² (2009) and [REC] 4: Apocalypse (2014). Though the film series initially utilizes the found footage format to document a standard zombie outbreak, it evolves over time to integrate supernatural horror into the zombie and pandemic & virus subgenres.
Additional Lists: Top World Cinema Horror Films You Haven’t Seen list #5
Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3kU4E5U
#6
Hidden
Plot: A family hides in a bunker to survive during a viral outbreak.
KBZ’s Take: Hidden is not a pure Survival Horror film. It’s part Apocalypse film, part Pandemic and Virus film and part Home Invasion horror film. However, the sum of all these various subgenres ultimately make Hidden a unique Survival Horror film. It has creepiness and jump scares along with ‘breadcrumbs’ you’ll notice upon a second viewing of the film. And believe us, once you get to the end, you’ll want to watch a second time to see where all the hints are laid out for what’s to come.
Additional Lists: Top Survival Horror Films You Haven’t Seen #4
Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3JwyBmV
#5
Blindness
Plot: A plague causes blindness and survivors try to survive a government-imposed quarantine.
KBZ’s Take: This is a great but depressing film. It initially shows how a population suddenly developing a viral blindness would be treated by both society and the government. The film then shows how these survivors split into two camps like in Lord of the Flies. Gael Garcia Bernal plays against type as the blind villain who takes over the quarantined hospital. A great film of the subgenre and not one to be missed.
Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/409jpC5
#4
Warning Sign
Plot: An accident in an underground lab releases a deadly bacterium that turns infected people crazy.
KBZ’s Take: One of the lost hidden gems of the 1980’s, Warning Sign is a suspense filled thrill ride. The first half focuses on the scientists trapped in the lab and slowly becoming infected. The second half of the film features an always great Sam Waterson who must enter the lab and rescue his wife (played by Kathleen Quinlan). Though this film was initially hard to find, it should be on major streaming services now and should not be missed by fans of the Pandemic and Virus subgenre.
Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3Hko2AD
Plot: The world population suddenly develops agoraphobia (fear of going outside) that causes instant death.
KBZ’s Take: This film from Spain is one of the best and most inventive sci-fi and apocalypse films out there. It also helps shed light on an actual phobia people experience – fear of open spaces or going outside. The film really revs up once our agoraphobia infected hero sets out to find his missing girlfriend.
Additional Lists: Top Apocalypse Films You Haven’t Seen #3
Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3DrQyPH
#2
Carriers
Plot: Survivors of a global plague drive across the American West trying to reach a utopian safe place.
KBZ’s Take: This is a grim road movie where survivors of a global plague never know who to trust. As society continues to break down, hope comes in the form of a Gulf of Mexico beach that is rumored to be free of the plague. One of the best of the subgenre that shows a more intimate and realistic look at how one might treat someone close to them that has suddenly become infected.
Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3HFD3hA
Plot: A mysterious pandemic sweeps the world where people start losing each sense…one at a time.
KBZ’s Take: This is one of the best films people have not seen – not just in the Sci-fi Apocalypse and Pandemic and Virus subgenres but also in the Romantic Thriller subgenre. Ewan McGregor and Eva Green shine as the two leads who fall in love while the mysterious pandemic takes hold. Sense of smell is the first to go followed by the sense of taste. What follows is an apocalyptic event detailing what would happen to if humans lost all of their sensory perceptions.
Additional Lists: Top Apocalypse Films You Haven’t Seen #2
Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/40dKdRo
