10 Best Films About Pandemics

In the written history of the human race we have seen pandemics that are the stuff of true horror, from The Bubonic Plague to AIDS and everything in between. In the brief history of the human race it is safe to say that we are very well accustomed to the damage that a global pandemic can bring.

Not to be outdone by reality, Hollywood has of course used the global fear of disease to create many works of fiction, some of which seem scarily relevant in today's climate.

Ranging from wildly outrageous to sombre and rather factual, Hollywood's fleeting leaps into the world of disease have most often been rather successful.

From low budget outings in the early days of colour film, to big budget productions from the 90's to recent times there has been a wide ranging look at the effects that disease can have on the fictional worlds they are portrayed in and perhaps more daunting the effects that disease can have on real society even now.

Directed by horror maestro George Romero, this is a hopeless look at the outcome of what can only be described as an early version of the rage virus of '28 Days Later' fame.

After a bioweapon infects a towns water supply with a contagion known as Trixie, most of the town becomes infected with a disease that causes either homicidal violence or death depending on the person's reaction to it. Upon learning of this catastrophe the military moves in to try and contain the situation only for it to spiral out of control.

A great movie for the time only strengthened by Romero's vision, it is unfortunately let down by budgetary constraints. The grim reality of the ending is a definitely ahead of it's time, leaving a bleak outlook for anyone willing to watch all the way through to the end.