We usually go to the movies to escape reality. Why think about our dead-end jobs, relationship woes, and global pandemics when we can wander into fantastic medieval lands or travel across galaxies? Sometimes, though, we like to watch movies which remind us of our (occasionally miserable) reality.
As society continues to deal with COVID-19, it might seem bizarre to want to spend more time watching content about pandemics and disease, but sometimes it’s very entertaining or comforting to watch Hollywood’s depictions of actual life. If you want to watch a more extreme version of a pandemic to feel better that at least you aren’t running away from zombies, or if you simply appreciate the suspense and thrills that pandemic films can offer, you are in luck. Here are some of the best films about viruses and pandemics, ranked.
Updated, September 2022: To keep the article fresh and relevant by adding more information and entries, this article has been updated by Kassie King.
11 Bird Box (2018)
Bird Box is a 2018 post-apocalyptic thriller film from director Susanne Bier, based on the 2014 Josh Malerman movie of the same name. The film stars Sandra Bullock in the lead role and follows her as she and her two young children as they embark on a dangerous journey to find refuge after an unknown phenomenon destroys society by influencing nearly everyone to commit suicide. The catch? They must remain blindfolded or risk contracting the mysterious illness. The film includes flashbacks to when the “entity” appeared five years earlier and shows the catastrophic effects and how Bullock’s character managed to survive.
With enough gore to be included in the horror genre, the film details a horrific supernatural pandemic and the fear of getting “caught” is palpable. Though Bird Box received mixed reviews by critics who believed the film didn’t quite live up to its narrative potential, it soon became the most viewed film on Netflix in the 28 days following its release on the platform. In 2020, author Josh Malerman penned a novel sequel to Bird Box called Malorie,and the film adaptation is reportedly in development with Netflix.
10 I Am Legend (2007)
Loosely based on the 1954 Richard Matheson novel of the same name, I Am Legend is a 2007 post-apocalyptic action thriller starring Will Smith. Within the narrative, a virus originally created to cure cancer mutates and wipes out the majority of the population and turns survivors into cannibalistic mutants. Smith plays US Army virologist Robert Neville, who lives as one of the last remaining uninfected humans in desolate New York City, and the film follows his attempts to find a cure for the virus while avoiding capture by “Darkseekers.”
I Am Legend uses CGI to capture director Francis Lawrence’s vision of a city left abandoned after several years, though not all critics appreciated the special effects. However, Smith’s performance was celebrated as was the film’s exploration into the collapse of civilization. The DVD release includes an alternate ending which appeased many viewers who disliked the fact that the film diverged from the novel. In early 2022, it was announced that a sequel to I Am Legend is in development and Will Smith will be reprising his role.
9 The Andromeda Strain (1971)
The Andromeda Strain is a 1971 sci-fi thriller from director Robert Wise, which was based on Michael Chrichton’s 1969 novel of the same name. The plot follows a group of scientists tasked with investigating an otherworldly pathogen released via a satellite that turns the blood of those exposed into powder, killing them instantly. Starring Arthur Hill, James Olson, Kate Reid, and David Wayne, the film was praised for sticking close to the original novel.
The project was also one of the first films to use advanced computerized photographic visual effects, which were designed by Douglas Trumbull, who had previously worked on 2001: A Space Odyssey. Additionally, The Andromeda Strain was praised by the Infectious Diseases Society of America in 2003 for its scientific accuracy. They said the film “accurately details the appearance of a deadly agent, its impact, and the efforts at containing it, and, finally, the work-up on its identification and clarification on why certain persons are immune to it. The film was nominated for two Oscars, including Best Art Direction and Best Film Editing.
8 Outbreak (1995)
One of the most well-known virus films of all time is 1995’s Outbreak, a thriller about a deadly hemorrhagic disease that spreads throughout California and the United States. In this film, the doctors and CDC scientists try to find a cure, but some of their military colleagues are not as selfless, with a bellicose general trying to use the disease as a bioweapon for war. Depicting the conflicting interests of bureaucratic and military officials, Outbreak might seem outlandish, but it is a mordant political commentary on the profit-incentive of pandemics. Besides, this film is full of great performances by a star-studded cast that includes Cuba Gooding, Jr., Dustin Hoffman, Morgan Freeman, and Rene Russo.
Upon its release, famed film critic Roger Ebert called Outbreak “one of the great scare stories of our time,” which proved true when it surged back into popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic and became the fourth most streamed movie on Netflix in March 2020.
7 The Last Man on Earth (1964)
Pandemic and virus films are nothing new. Dating back to 1964 and starring Vincent Price, The Last Man on Earth (not to be confused with the TV show of the same name) follows an immune Dr. Robert Morgan as he tries to survive a new world where a disease has killed half of humanity and made the other half into zombies. The film is an adaptation of Richard Matheson’s novel I Am Legend, which also spawned Will Smith’s namesake film and the fantastic The Omega Man from 1972. It’s The Last Man on Earth, though, which is the best of the three, not only because it preserves the original plot the most faithfully, but because Vincent Price’s performance is unforgettable.
Unfortunately, author Matheson didn’t appreciate the vision of directors Sidney Salkow and Ubaldo B. Ragona and felt that film was miscast, though he made sure to compliment Price. He even went so far as to use a pseudonym for his credit on the screenplay.
6 World War Z (2013)
You better learn how to run quickly if you want to survive this fast-paced horror film. Featuring one of the scariest and speediest zombies in movie history, World War Z follows a UN worker, played by Brad Pitt, who is racing to find the origins and cure of a global zombie pandemic. The film was based on the 2006 Max Brooks novel of the same name and received positive reviews for Brad Pitt’s performance and for its thrilling portrayal of zombies, which kept viewers on the edge of their seats; the epic CGI sequences of zombie swarms have become iconic images in the genre.
A sequel to World War Z was announced in 2013, though several development and production issues forced it to be pushed back, and in 2019, Paramount officially canceled the film. Their decision was credited to the Chinese government’s ban on zombie and ghost films, which would significantly impact the film’s profits.
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5 12 Monkeys (1995)
Brad Pitt loves pandemic films, and we love him for it. In the sci-fi classic 12 Monkeys, James Cole (played by Bruce Willis) travels from 2030 back to the 1990s to gather information about a man-made virus that killed billions of human beings. The film takes a drab look into a post-apocalyptic future as Cole is deemed crazy and put in a mental institution. Directed by Terry Gilliam and inspired by Chris Marker’s 1962 short film La Jetée, the movie features excellent performances from Willis and Pitt, who help balance the seriousness of the film with much-needed comic relief.
12 Monkeys might not have the most streamlined plot, and it might’ve benefited from some editing in the writers’ room, but, in spite of its shortcomings, it is a unique gem that blends visual inventiveness, cerebral concepts, and thrilling emotions like no other film. The film, its actors, its writers, and its director all received several well-deserved award nominations for their work (including an Oscar for Pitt). In 2015, a 12 Monkeys television series premiered on Syfy starring actor Aaron Stanford in the lead role and ran for four seasons.
4 Dawn of the Dead (1978)
A lot of “pandemic” films turn into zombie films after the first act, but few are as revered as 1978’s Dawn of The Dead. Directed by mad scientist George Romero (with some help from Dario Argento), this classic of the horror genre depicts a global zombie apocalypse while focusing on a group of survivors who hide in a shopping mall. The film is not only deliciously gory and hilariously violent, but it is also a fantastic satire of consumerism in American society, comparing mindless consumption of the late 20th century with a zombie plague; in a sense, materialism and capitalism can become viral pandemics in their own right.
In 2008, Dawn of the Dead was chosen by Empire magazine as one of The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time, along with Night of the Living Dead, which is considered to be its companion piece.Italso led to an action-filled remake by Zack Snyder and a hilarious parody film by Edgar Wright.
3 Contagion (2011)
Perhaps the most realistic pandemic film ever made, Contagion deserves the third spot on this list thanks to its austere and chilling depiction of a global disease outbreak. The film was directed by Steven Soderbergh and written by Scott Z. Burns, and focuses on the government officials and scientists who try to identify and combat the spread of the disease, which N+1 has called “bureaucratic heroism.” Contagion is a sociological examination of what would happen if a deadly virus were unleashed by Gwyneth Paltrow, which is why it features an ensemble cast of stars like Matt Damon, Laurence Fishburne, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, and more. Very few films are as ambitious in scope as Contagion, as the film follows several interacting and international plot lines in the “hyperlink cinema” style. This is perhaps why the film received such popularity in 2020 with the emergence of COVID-19, more than any other pandemic film.
Though the film debuted almost a decade before we experienced a near-identical global pandemic outbreak, Contagion‘s scientific accuracy is almost unnerving. Screenwriter Scott Z. Burns told The Washington Post, “It is surreal to me that people from all over the world write to me asking how I knew it would involve a bat or how I knew the term ‘social distancing.’ I didn’t have a crystal ball – I had access to great expertise. So, if people find the movie to be accurate, it should give them confidence in the public health experts who are out there right now trying to guide us.”
2 The Seventh Seal (1957)
Perhaps not what comes to mind when one considers pandemic cinema per se, but considering that its plot revolves around the most famous plague in history, it’s fair to say that The Seventh Seal is a film about pandemics. Directed by the master of Swedish cinema, Ingmar Bergman, the film is set during the Black Death plague of the 1300s and centers on a knight who encounters the angel of death and must play a game of chess throughout the film in order to save his soul. The Seventh Seal is considered a classic of cinema, as well as one of the greatest movies of all time. It established Bergman as a world-renowned director, and it has several scenes which have become canonic thanks to homages and parodies. If you are ready for a film that explores the philosophical and existential aspects of plague and disease, look no further than The Seventh Seal.
1 28 Days Later (2002)
Considered one of the best zombie films ever, and one of the scariest movies of the 2000s, 28 Days Later is also the best pandemic film ever made. Directed by Danny Boyle, the film has been credited with reinvigorating the zombie genre thanks to its innovative depiction of zombies, along with its formally daring and dynamic cinematography that shook audiences to the core. The film follows a group of survivors in a post-pandemic world as they try to evade those infected with the virus caused by a scientific experiment. 28 Days Later was released to critical acclaim which praised the screenplay, performances, its scary atmosphere, and the gripping soundtrack, which is perhaps why the film was followed by a sequel and perhaps another to come.
In 2017, a poll of 150 actors, directors, writers, producers, and critics for Time Out magazine named it one the best British films ever made, but it’s also the best pandemic movie because it perfectly balances the horror of the zombie genre with the emotional resonance of virus films, making it a spectacular and entertaining depiction of the striving to live against all odds when the world is crumbling around you.