Infectious disease has been a concern of humankind ever since we first began cooperating in large settlements, so it makes sense that this horrific fact of life has also become the basis for many of our scary stories. And while COVID and the Black Plague are scary enough on their own, some stories rely on much stranger (and often absurd) diseases in order to terrify audiences – especially when horror movies are concerned.
And with so many viral scares out there, we’ve decided to come up with a list recommending six of the strangest infection horror flicks for your viewing pleasure. After all, it might do horror fans some good to remember that things could still have been much worse after living through a very real pandemic.
Naturally, the films on this list aren’t the only strange viral horror flicks out there, so don’t forget to comment below with your own favorites if you think we missed a particularly weird one.
And while it’s not included on the list, I’d also recommend checking out the apocalyptic rat plague of Jim Mickle’s Mulberry Street, another oddball infection film that deserves some love.
Now, onto the list…
6. Blindness (2008)
Based on José Saramago’s critically acclaimed book of the same name, Blindness tells the story of a mysterious “white sickness” that spreads across the globe and renders its victims blind. Naturally, chaos ensues as society must learn to deal with the new status quo as governments are revealed to be incompetent and humanity’s worst instincts prevail.
While Saramago’s provocative novel is still the superior version of this story, the stellar cast (featuring the likes of Julianne Moore and Mark Ruffalo) and some surprisingly impressive production value make this a must-watch thriller for fans of apocalyptic fiction.
5. The Ruins (2007)
Another book adaptation, Carter Smith’s The Ruins is an underrated little splatter flick where the infection isn’t actually a disease, but instead a mysterious breed of carnivorous vine that consumes and spreads through human flesh. Following of a group of tourists who become trapped in the titular ruins of a Mayan temple as they slowly succumb to infection, this is a particularly gnarly example of a vacation gone horribly wrong.
While The Ruins is one of the most disturbing movies on this list, with scenes verging on so-called “torture porn” as the main characters suffer through intense body horror and impromptu amputations, it’s also impeccably directed and features some great performances from the likes of Shawn Ashmore and Jena Malone. Just be sure to pick up the unrated version for a slightly more interesting ending…
4. Black Sheep (2006)
Did you know that there are more sheep than people living in New Zealand? Writer and director Jonathan King certainly does, as this simple fact is the inspiration for his oddball horror comedy Black Sheep, which pits a group of locals against genetically engineered mutton that can transform human beings into cannibalistic sheep-zombies through a mere bite.
Featuring a laugh-out-loud script and absurdly entertaining practical effects (courtesy of New Zealand’s own Weta Workshop), Black Sheep is an insanely creative subversion of tried-and-true zombie tropes and one hell of a good time. That being said, you’ll likely never look at a wool sweater the same way again after watching this one.
3. Shivers (1975)
The film that introduced David Cronenberg to mainstream audiences is also one of his best, with Shivers encapsulating nearly all of the fleshy shenanigans that the Canadian director is now infamous for. Telling the story of an isolated high-end apartment complex under siege by a parasitic disease that removes its victims’ inhibitions, the movie can basically be described as a zombie flick where the infected are after sex instead of brains.
While it’s often deeply unsettling and features quite a bit of disturbing imagery, Shivers also has a surprisingly effective sense of humor and feels like a glorious time capsule from an age when even the most bonkers stories still had a chance of connecting with the general public if they were thrilling enough.
2. Pontypool (2008)
A zombie film unlike anything you’ve ever seen (or heard) before, Bruce McDonald’s Pontypool is a unique single-location thriller about a very different kind of apocalyptic infection. Taking place in a small Ontarian town, the film follows a language-based virus that turns its victims into cannibalistic killers upon hearing a certain string of words. Naturally, society begins to collapse as a radio host becomes torn between keeping his audience informed and not wanting to spread the verbal infection even further.
Featuring a clever script with plenty of apocalyptic thrills, what really makes Pontypool tick is a career-best performance from the legendary Stephen McHattie, who grounds this horrific parable with a relatable protagonist and makes us truly fear for the future of mankind – or at the very least Canada.
1. Splinter (2007)
Boasting some of the most effective body-horror ever put on film, Toby Wilkins’ Splinter is an unconventional monster movie about a mysterious fungus that takes control of its victims’ bodies while they’re still aware enough to feel it. While the action here is mostly contained to the area surrounding an isolated gas station, Wilkins extracts so much tension out of this small-scale infection that audiences will soon be worried about the fate of the world if this thing manages to reach a larger population.
A quick and dirty romp that doesn’t outstay its welcome, Splinter also benefits from gruesome special effects courtesy of practical puppetry and nimble stunt-people working together to create monsters out of the re-animated bodies of the infected. Hell, this flick made fungi terrifying years before The Last of Us introduced us to mutated cordyceps.