Favorite non-zombie "outbreak" fiction

[Brex]

I love apocalyptic fiction, and one of my favorite types of apocalyptic fiction involves outbreaks. Viruses, bacteria, parasites, you name it. Even the word itself, "outbreak", sounds ominous. And history has shown that a single germ can kill millions of people. Makes you want to wash your hands, doesn't it?

 

Now, when most people think of fictional outbreaks, they think of zombie outbreaks. TV shows like The Walking Dead, books like World War Z, and games like Left 4 Dead, Resident Evil, and of course PZ have all played this idea up to the max. Some have tried to shake things up a little by using what I like to call "discount zombies", the kind of zombies that aren't actually dead and are often faster and smarter than their corpse counterparts (such as 28 Days Later, The Last of Us, etc.) But what about non-zombie outbreak fiction? Are there any good movies, TV shows, books, or games that involve an apocalyptic outbreak of something that doesn't awaken the dead? 

 

Well, as it turns out, there are. Here are just a few of my favorite examples of outbreak fiction:

 

The Strain

 

 

Outbreak Type: Vampiric parasite

 

So maybe this is cheating a little, as the eponymous strain does bring the dead back to life. But despite occasional hokey acting, a terrible child character, and other flaws, The Strain is a gory but entertaining b TV show that made vampires great again after they were besmirched by the Twilight series.  It shows the chaotic downfall of New York City and beyond due to the spread of a parasitic worm that turns innocent people into undead, bloodsucking freaks of nature. It's got some great action and rather interesting lore, though some might not be able to stomach the more gruesome moments. The fact that the human race is also fighting sentient vampires who control the more mindless, animalistic hordes of vampires adds another twist to the mix and turns the whole thing into more of a war story. Also, did I mention there are Nazi vampires? Yup, Nazi vampires. Take that, Call of Duty. 

FUN FACT: The Strain was originally supposed to debut as a television show as early as 2006, but was instead turned into a novel series by showrunner Guillermo del Toro, which was then adapted into a TV series in 2014. 

 

The Division

 

 

Outbreak Type: Weaponized smallpox

 

The Division is a good example of an interesting idea that wasn't implemented very well. For me, the game was entertaining at first, but soon became a boring grind-fest with bullet sponge enemies, a lack of content, and Destiny-style RPG elements that didn't quite seem realistic given the setting. So yeah, I've got mixed feelings about the game itself. 

 

But the story? Now that is what truly got me into the game. On Black Friday, smallpox breaks out in - where else? - New York City, eventually spreading across the globe and causing the government of the United States to collapse. In the wake of all this, agents from the Strategic Homeland Division (roll credits) deploy across the country to restore order. 

 

The game does a really good job making you feel like you're actually in New York, with real-life streets, landmarks, and other locations practically to scale. It's also unique in that the city of New York isn't quite in complete chaos, but is still wracked by rioters and roving gangs of miscreants in addition to areas still contaminated by the smallpox. Overall, it's a great setting that would have worked better as a movie or TV show than as a video game, but that's just what I think.

FUN FACT: The game's full title is Tom Clancy's The Division, despite Clancy having nothing to do with its involvement and having died in 2013, three years before the game came out.

 

The Crazies 

 

 

Outbreak Type: Government bioweapon

 

This is yet another outbreak-style movie that forgoes the usual "shuffle around, moan and eat flesh" trope seen in a lot of zombie movies and instead tries something a little more unique. In The Crazies, a military aircraft carrying a deadly bioweapon code-named "Trixie" crashes in a bog outside the small town of Ogden Marsh. The bioweapon seeps into the town's water supply, causing most of the population to turn into homicidal maniacs that seem to act out their worst impulses toward everyone, including themselves. Some simply go crazy while others start brutally murdering their friends and loved ones. The military steps in to quarantine the town, and from there it's just one chaotic situation after another. The most unique and terrifying aspect of this outbreak is its unpredictability: since each infected individual reacts differently, the characters and audience don't know what's going to happen, other than it will most certainly not be good for them.

FUN FACT: The 2010 version of The Crazies is actually a remake of the 1973 film of the same name, which was directed by none other than the late, great George Romero. 

 

Contagion

 

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Outbreak Type: Meningoencephalitis 

 

This might actually be the scariest item on the whole list, because of how realistic it is. Contagion doesn't have zombies or vampires or homicidal infected or anything like that. What it has is a perfect storm that leads to 26 million deaths across the globe and the near-collapse of society. Special focus is given to doctors from the CDC in Atlanta (my hometown) and the movie features a surprising (and refreshing) amount of scientific accuracy, especially in regards to the field of epidemiology. Contagion is basically a disaster movie with no explosions or car chases or over-the-top CGI. But the sheer realism and the fact that such a global pandemic can happen, has happened, and will inevitably happen again, makes this more intense and thrilling than any disaster movie I've seen to date. 

FUN FACT: Unlike The Walking Dead, which used the Cobb Energy Center as a stand-in for the CDC headquarters, the filmmakers of Contagion actually got permission to film at real-life CDC headquarters, albeit only for exterior and some brief interior shots due to security reasons. 

 

The Mist

 

 

Outbreak Type: Cataclysmic interdimensional leak

 

One of my favorite movies of all time (and NOT the piece of shit Spike TV adaptation), The Mist is the third Stephen King story to be adapted into film by Frank Darabont behind The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile. It takes place in a small town in Maine that is engulfed by a mysterious full of deadly creatures from another dimension. A few lucky townsfolk manage to take shelter in a supermarket, but the situation quickly begins to break down thanks to monster attacks and a crazy religious woman played by the wonderful Marcia Gay Harden. After discovering that the mist may have been the result of a military experiment gone horribly wrong, a few survivors (including the father and son pictured above) decide to risk their lives and try to escape. What happens next is one of the most brutal twist endings in the history of cinema, an ending so shocking and so different from the source material that I refuse to spoil it here and will not allow anyone else to spoil it on this thread even if they use spoiler tags. That ending, coupled with the great direction by Darabont and the truly frightening design of the monsters within the Mist, make it great movie and a very unique twist on the "outbreak" genre.

FUN FACT: Not only did Stephen King absolutely love the new ending to the film, and not only did The Mist novella serve as the inspiration for Half Life, but the film adaptation also stars not one, not two, but FIVE actors who would later go on to star in the TV adaptation of The Walking Dead, including Laurie Holden (Andrea), Jeffery DeMunn (Dale), Melissa McBride (Carol), Juan Gabriel Pareja (Morales), and Sam Witwer (Tank Zombie). 

 

Got any other non-zombie themed "outbreak" fiction that you love? Post below!

[Sparrow]

I too love this genre! I will check out The Division, it's probably made for a platform I don't own but maybe I can find an online playthrough on YouTube.

 

I'd recommend "Gyo", an obscure horror anime. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1857718/

 

It's a weird plot. Walking fish suddenly begin to infest Tokyo. Doesn't sound scary, but halfway through the movie you start feeling like you're having a bizarre nightmare instead of watching a movie. I'm not saying anything else about it, just you should watch it. =)

 

Disease movies are some of my favorite too. I'm a paramedic in real life, and I firmly believe that if anything actually does the human race in it'll be a disease.