Have you been comfortable and relaxed these last few months? Has the coronavirus pandemic been a breeze for you? If this describes you, here’s some fun horror content to immerse yourself in to make things worse and stress you out so you can fit in! (If this doesn’t describe you and this kind of post freaks you out, I highly suggest you watch some wholesome content instead. Amazon Prime has Bob’s Burgers which is as good as it gets in my opinion.)
- Contagion (2011)
I would be seriously remiss if I failed to mention the movie that brought the terms “pandemic” and “social distancing” to the forefront of public consciousness before it was forever seared into our brains this last year. Contagion parallels the COVID-19 crisis a little too closely for comfort, (the virus originates in China from contact with a bat) but comfort isn’t really what we’re all about here at The Hag!
Why you should watch this movie: instead of using the racist excuse of blaming the virus on China, we can blame it on Gwyneth Paltrow. If she hadn’t used her layover in Boston or Chicago or wherever to cheat on her husband, the virus wouldn’t have spread so quickly. Dammit, Gwyneth!
2. The Stand by Stephen King
A true classic! The Stand is a massive tome, but it is worth finishing. Another worldwide pandemic story, King takes us from the birth of the virus through to the decimation of the human population to the efforts of rebuilding society in the aftermath. It’s similar to the coronavirus in that its a respiratory illness, but this virus manifests like a common cold on steroids – your body overproduces mucus so rapidly you can’t keep up. Eventually you get so phlegmy you choke on your mucus and die. Pretty gross right?
Why you should read this book: This is what we’re talking about when we use the word “epic.” This book needs to be every bit as long as it is to accurately tell the whole story. Again, I don’t love King’s dialogue, but this is a truly one of his most iconic and best works.
3. Survivor Song by Paul Tremblay
At the start of the novel, our protagonist, Dr. Ramola Sherman, is mentally preparing herself for work at the hospital to combat a volatile new strain of the rabies virus when her college roommate Natalie shows up at her home. Natalie’s husband has been bitten and killed by a rabies-infected neighbour, Natalie has also been bitten herself, and to top it off she is eight months pregnant. The race is on as the women rush to get Natalie a rabies vaccination before it’s too late for her and the baby. While this is kind of more of a zombie novel, Ramola protests against the use of the term zombie throughout the book. She opts for more compassionate, medical, diagnostic terms instead – wanting to maintain that they are still people, but just sick.
Why you should read this book: It’s got a slightly different take on the whole zombie epidemic story – coming from the point of view of a medical professional, Ramola fights to save her friend and her baby while also maintaining her humanity. This book keeps the tension high from start to finish.
Do you have any suggestions for pandemic-related content that we can torture ourselves with? Leave a comment and let me know!
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[…] A few years ago, I decided to read Stephen King’s tome The Stand, one of his most popular and highly regarded novels to date. You may remember I mentioned this novel in my post 3 Works of Horror to Freak You Out And Ruin Your Life During the Pandemic. […]
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