With the Coronavirus making its way around China and the rest of the globe, it might be time to brush up on your survival skills with a few movies to act as your guide. Grab your vaccinations, your baseball bat and your popcorn for these plague themed thrillers and chillers.
28 Days Later
Released: November 2002
This dark and haunting thriller revived the fast-moving zombie genre when it was released in 2002, inspiring huge hits like “The Walking Dead” and “World War Z.” Following a group of survivors in a brutal and plague-infested Britain, four unlikely companions work together to escape the horrors of the “Rage” virus. Even scarier, our characters also face the militarized remnant of the human race.
Contagion
Released: September 2011
An attempt at realistically depicting the unfolding of a worldwide plague on modern humanity, “Contagion” features an all-star cast from all over the world reacting and eventually working together to fight off the massive, lethal virus outbreak. Ironically, health advocate Gwyneth Paltrow is the first to succumb to the virus; it looks like her Goop rocks didn’t work.
Shaun of the Dead
Released: March 2004
In 2004, Simon Pegg released the first film of what would eventually be known as the Cornetto Trilogy, “Shaun of the Dead.” A hilarious character study of modern English social life, this movie is how a team of sitcom characters could survive the apocalypse. One of the funniest yet emotionally appealing zombie films ever made according to critics, “Shaun of the Dead” is able to utilize the plague as a setting to focus on well written, funny characters; full of emotional baggage.
Zombieland
Released: September 2009
An American swing on “Shaun of the Dead,” this comedic plague zombie film stars Jesse Eisenberg as an anti-social, video game playing loner. living through the zombie-infested hell-scape of America by a defined set of rules he devised for himself. Along the way he discovers himself and the meaning of humanity while fighting off hordes of zombies in search of his family, friends and fresh twinkies.
Planet of the Apes
Released: February 1968Maybe the most cynical of the films on this list, “Planet of the Apes” is loosely based on the novel by French writer Pierre Boulle. Three American astronauts find themselves on an Earth-like planet inhabited by intelligent apes that regard humans as savage animals. Our hero, played by Hollywood legend Charlton Heston, finds a way to escape and survive the intelligent but violent apes only to discover that the ape society was born from the ashes of Earth’s failed human societies that were overrun by war and plague.
Written By: Tony Le Calvez
Nick Hancock 
Steve Anderson 
Grace Chaves