Maybe it's just me, but the Covid-19 pandemic of 2020-2021 that shut down the world entirely sure changed the way I look at (horror)movies dealing with deadly and easily transmittable viruses. Many of them suddenly don't feel so impossible or far-fetched anymore! Of course, a type of virus like featuring here in "The Carrier" still doesn't feel very threatening. Or do we seriously must fear diseases that spread via inanimate objects or surfaces, and causes for victims to dissolve instantaneously? Gee, let's hope not...
"The Carrier" starts out exactly like how I love my cheesy 80s horror the most! Set in a quiet and geographically isolated little village, in the middle of a sort of local jamboree with sexy singers and barmaids, disapproving preachers, and youthful thugs fighting each other. Jake is the town's black sheep, because he allegedly set fire to his family's farmhouse and killed his parents, and his life doesn't exactly get any easier when he's attacked and wounded by a dark creature that disintegrates when shot at. Unaware at first, Jake is now the carrier of a mysterious virus, and everything he touches becomes contaminated.
All this simply happens within the first 10-15 minutes of "The Carrier", and if you think this already sounds insane, then stick around for the rest! The script, also written by the nobly unknown director Nathan J. White (who never did anything else, according to IMDb) goes totally over the top with craziness. The people of Sleepy Rock dress themselves in plastic bags and bubble wrap, the practically kill each other to catch the most cats (which they use as guinea pigs to detect infected surfaces), and the search for the carrier turns everyone into bloodthirsty killers. Back in the late 80s, the aim was to depict the mob's paranoia and hatred towards people infected with AIDS, but post 2020 it also accurately shows the intolerance between people in favor of, or against vaccinations.
Well, sure, "The Carrier" is pretty inept and hectic, the performances are atrocious, the music is lame, and the tension isn't well-balanced throughout the film. And yet, this little flick deserves points and recognition for being different and far more original than the vast majority of 80s horror. There isn't as much gore, or as many gooey melting effects than I hoped for, and the gratuitous nudity is missing as well, but it nevertheless remains a must-see for seekers of obscure 80s horror oddities.
"The Carrier" starts out exactly like how I love my cheesy 80s horror the most! Set in a quiet and geographically isolated little village, in the middle of a sort of local jamboree with sexy singers and barmaids, disapproving preachers, and youthful thugs fighting each other. Jake is the town's black sheep, because he allegedly set fire to his family's farmhouse and killed his parents, and his life doesn't exactly get any easier when he's attacked and wounded by a dark creature that disintegrates when shot at. Unaware at first, Jake is now the carrier of a mysterious virus, and everything he touches becomes contaminated.
All this simply happens within the first 10-15 minutes of "The Carrier", and if you think this already sounds insane, then stick around for the rest! The script, also written by the nobly unknown director Nathan J. White (who never did anything else, according to IMDb) goes totally over the top with craziness. The people of Sleepy Rock dress themselves in plastic bags and bubble wrap, the practically kill each other to catch the most cats (which they use as guinea pigs to detect infected surfaces), and the search for the carrier turns everyone into bloodthirsty killers. Back in the late 80s, the aim was to depict the mob's paranoia and hatred towards people infected with AIDS, but post 2020 it also accurately shows the intolerance between people in favor of, or against vaccinations.
Well, sure, "The Carrier" is pretty inept and hectic, the performances are atrocious, the music is lame, and the tension isn't well-balanced throughout the film. And yet, this little flick deserves points and recognition for being different and far more original than the vast majority of 80s horror. There isn't as much gore, or as many gooey melting effects than I hoped for, and the gratuitous nudity is missing as well, but it nevertheless remains a must-see for seekers of obscure 80s horror oddities.