Pandemic Based Horror Movies

With the second year of Covid, it’s time for a pandemic marathon. There are so many great films that we can now relate to on a whole new level and others that are probably a lot more fear-invoking than they were the first go-round. Whether you prefer a more scientific film or enjoy the action of a zombie outbreak, we’ve compiled a list of all of the best pandemic movies!  

28 Days Later - Director Danny Boyle

Aren’t you glad we don’t have to deal with zombies…yet? 28 Days Later comes after a group of activists release chimpanzees infected with a contagious, rage-inducing zombie virus. The film follows a few survivors throughout their journey to find a refugee camp. There is also a sequel, 28 Weeks Later, if you need more!

Carriers - Directors David and Alex Pastor

Carriers is a post-apocalyptic movie that follows a group seeking a haven from a lethal virus. Their journey isn’t as simple as it may sound, however.  The group encounters armed survivalists, injuries, and even the virus itself.    

Contagion - Director Steven Soderbergh

This pandemic hit leaves out the zombies and instead focuses more on the governmental side. The Department of Homeland Security, CDC, universities, WHO, and more are brought up throughout the movie, showing just how crazy a pandemic could get (and just who might be behind it all).  

Doomsday - Director Neil Marshall

Doomsday is another pandemic film that focuses on the chaos and governmental repercussions. The drastic measures taken by the government to stop the “Reaper virus” come back to haunt during the extreme battle to beat the virus after it is found outside the quarantine area.  

The Happening - M. Night Shyamalan

The Happening is a little different than the other pandemic movies on our list. This airborne neurotoxin doesn’t cause an enraging and contagious illness but makes people commit suicide. You will follow a group of people working together to reunite family during their fight to survive. 

I Am Legend - Director Francis Lawrence

With the new vaccines flooding in, this movie is particularly on-point. This thriller shows a post-apocalyptic New York City after a vaccine and cure for cancer turns deadly. Neville and his German Shepard Sam face cannibalistic “Darkseekers” throughout the city to find a cure for the new virus.

Outbreak - Director Wolfgang Peterson

Outbreak is about a virus that causes a deadly fever and mutates into a highly contagious strain. From the African jungle, the virus finds its way to the US when a monkey is smuggled into the country. This movie features quite a bit of military involvement as those involved chase the virus to contain it.  

Pandemic - Director John Suits

Pandemic offers another zombie virus for us. This film follows a group of people on an expedition to find survivors and bring them back to safety.  Their trip is action-packed and full of suspense, with an ending you would never guess.  

Resident Evil - Director Paul W. S. Anderson

Resident Evil is a favorite of many, with multiple installments to satisfy your pandemic movie needs. These films follow Alice and others in an attempt to survive and end the T-virus outbreak after it is released from the Umbrella Corporation’s lab. The T-virus is a zombie-virus, mutating humans and animals and causing chaos throughout Raccoon City.  

Songbird - Director Adam Mason

Songbird is set in 2024 and features a mutated strain of COVID. With heavy government involvement (daily temperature scans) and inhumane treatment of the infected (quarantine zones similar to concentration camps), people are finding ways to fight back or leave the city. In this intense and drama-filled love story, things might just hit a little closer to home than you expect.