From "Hostel" to "Quarantine"

Red-hot actors Jay Hernandez ("Hostel," "World Trade Center") and Johnathon Schaech ("Prom Night") star as firefighters embroiled in a deadly virus outbreak in Columbia Pictures' new terrifying thriller "Quarantine."

In the film, TV reporter Angela (Jennifer Carpenter) and her cameraman, Scott (Steve Harris) are assigned to spend the night shift with a Los Angeles Fire Station. After a routine 911 call takes them to a small apartment building, they find police officers already on the scene in response to blood curdling screams coming from one of the apartment units. They soon learn that a woman living in the building has been infected by something unknown. After a few of the residents are viciously attacked, they try to escape with the news crew in tow, only to find that the building has been quarantined. Phones, internet, televisions and cell phone access have been cut off, and officials are not relaying information to those locked inside.

Hernandez and Schaech were brought in to play Jake and Fletcher, respectively, the L.A. firefighters Angela and Scott are following for the night. For his role, Hernandez didn't have to do as much research – the actor logged plenty of experience with firefighters while working on Oliver Stone's 9/11 drama "World Trade Center." In describing why he feels "Quarantine" is so effective, he cites the script's based-in-reality attributes: "For me, anytime something is going to be scary it has to be based in reality. When you can make somebody feel that this is possible, not just in the movie world but in their world, the fear comes home."

Hernandez is also pleased that the film was shot in real time, and the effect the final result has on audiences. "They should expect to feel like they've been quarantined, that they've been trapped in a building," he says. "You'll feel as an audience member that you're there. You'll experience the range of emotion, the fear, the excitement, because you're being put in that place. You'll really feel affected emotionally by it."

In working with Hernandez, Johnathon Schaech says, "We sat down and started preparing our camaraderie, which is such a big part of it, and our characters and how they would play each of the scenes. It was great."

Director John Dowdle was impressed with Schaech's interest and research into his role. "He's so charismatic – he's a scene-stealer," he says. "He drove along with the fire department to really get into the role. And he grew the biggest, craziest moustache I've ever seen," the director laughs.

Explaining his choice, Schaech says, "I spent time with firemen, and what I noticed is a great deal of the firemen have very thick, very masculine moustaches. So I took it upon myself – I grew it in four days!"

Opening soon across the Philippines, "Quarantine" is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International.