Pleasant surprises in ‘Carriers’

Cert 15, 81 mins, Horror

A global pandemic has devastated the human race. The contagion spreads through blood and shuts down the body’s defences in a matter of days.

Danny (Lou Taylor Pucci) reluctantly leaves behind his dying parents and hits the road in a stolen car with older brother Brian (Chris Pine) and his girlfriend Bobby (Piper Perabo), plus school friend Kate (Emily VanCamp).

Sticking to the back roads in order to avoid contamination from the incurable virus, the youngsters pick up a stricken father, Frank (Christopher Meloni), and his infected daughter, Jodie (Kiernan Shipka).

The unlikely travelling companions continue their journey in search of military and medical assistance, but they only find misery.

Carriers adopts a low-key approach to its subject matter, drawing blood from the same vein as 28 Days Later — although here, the infected thankfully don’t feast on human flesh.

A lean running time precludes in-depth characterisation but does ensure dramatic momentum. Agonising choices are made without too many tears and tantrums, but writer-directors Alex and David Pastor sustain tension well and they send a few chills down the spine.

Unexpected hairpins in the narrative are a pleasant surprise, proving for once that top billing doesn’t necessarily guarantee you make it alive to the end credits.

Rating: 3/5