From Outbreak to Zoopocalypse: 11 More Must-Watch Viral Thrillers

Top 11 viral thrillers

(Adobe Stock 366905536 by neerajkumar)

Infections, outbreaks, and viral threats have jumped from the headlines to the screen—and audiences can’t get enough. In an update to our previous list, Infection Control Today^®, offers the latest films on infectious threats, water viruses, and a few zombies. All these movies, documentaries, and series ask the same question: What happens when the next virus spreads?

1. Outbreak (2024)—(Not the one with Dustin Hoffman.) When a viral wave strikes, a park ranger risks everything to find his teenage son in a collapsing world. A raw, emotional take on survival. Great twist at the end. Billy Burke is excellent as always.

Starring: Billy Burke, Alyshia Ochse

Rotten Tomatoes: 70%

Directed by: Jeff Wolfez

2. Uncontained (2025)—Humanity is on the brink as the infected swing between human and feral states. Families barricade themselves in, but how long can isolation hold back chaos? Zombie movie, a different take than the norm. Great character development.

Starring: Morley Nelson, Courtney B. Turk

Rotten Tomatoes: Not available yet. Others are 4.5/10.

Directed by: Morley Nelson

3. The Well (2025)—Imagine the global water supply infected with a deadly virus. One family’s safety net—its water filter—breaks, and every drop becomes a life-or-death gamble. And then other people find out they have water….

Starring: Shailyn Murphy, Idrissa Sanogo

Rotten Tomatoes: 86%

Directed by: Hubert Davis

4. Night of the Zoopocalypse (2024)—A meteor virus turns zoo animals into zombie predators. Lions, tigers, and bears…all after you. Pure chaotic—animated—fun for kids and adults.

Starring: Gabbi Kosmidis, Christina Nova

Rotten Tomatoes: 91%

Directed by: Rodrigo Perez-Castro and Ricardo Curtis

5. The Crazies (2010) This filmis not for the light-hearted and is heavy on the horror. In a small town, a mysterious virus has struck. A sheriff and his wife struggle to survive as a virus transforms their neighbors into bloodthirsty killers. A great remake that can stand on its own.

Starring: Timothy Olyphant, Radha Mitchell

Rotten Tomatoes: 72%

Directed by: Breck Eisner

6. Maggie (2015): A different twist on a zombie movie first shown at the Tribeca Film Festival. It's a zombie movie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, providing an emotional and poignant exploration of dystopian collapse, offering a deep look into the medical and authoritative response to a rampant virus.

Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Abigail Breslin

Rotten Tomatoes: 60%

Directed by: Henry Hobson

7. Plague Island—the World’s Oldest Virus Research Lab (2021). Yes, it’s a documentary. We tried to minimize the documentaries and zombie flicks, but this one deserves mentioning. A fascinating look at the Friedrich Loeffler Institute (called the “Alcatraz for Viruses”), established in 1910 and still operating today. The German island of Riems, known as Plague Island, is currently off-limits to the public and can only be reached by a bridge.

Starring: N/A

Rotten Tomatoes: N/A

Directed by: Jacob Kneser

8 and 9. The Stand (1994 and 2020): Two limited series. How could we have left these off our first list? Say hello to Captain Trips! Stephen King’s classic comes to life in both series. Watch for the usual Stephen King cameo!

1994 mini-series

Starring: Gary Sinise, Molly Ringwald

Rotten Tomatoes: 67%

Directed by: Mick Garris

2020 mini-series

Starring: Katherine McNamara, James Marsden

Rotten Tomatoes: 57%

Directed by: Stephen Welke, Jill Killington, Knate Lee, Owen King

10. Pandemic (2007) is another limited series that, if you like to binge-watch, stars Faye Dunaway and Eric Roberts as an epidemiologist and an FBI agent struggling against a deadly virus in Los Angeles.

Starring: Tiffani Thiessen, Vincent Spano

Rotten Tomatoes: 32%

Directed by: Armand Mastronianni

11. The Plague Dogs (1982) is an animated film featuring John Hurt, Christopher Benjamin, and James Bolam. It tells the story of two canine laboratory test animals who have escaped and are rumored to be spreading the bubonic plague. High adventure, emotion, and highly recommended.

Starring: John Hurt, Christopher Benjamin

Rotten Tomatoes: 70%

Directed by: Martin Rosen

Whether you crave emotional survival sagas, documentaries, or outrageous monster mayhem, these films capture the dread—and the adrenaline—of viral catastrophe. Perfect for infection preventionists, horror buffs, or anyone who wonders what if?