Year: 2013
Runtime: 85 mins
Language: English
Director: John Craddock
A military attempt to destroy a satellite results in a devastating space-borne epidemic striking a small, isolated town. Deputy Max Brody and his girlfriend Brooke find themselves fighting for survival against hordes of infected residents and soldiers. As cannibalism spreads rapidly, they must struggle to protect themselves and those they care about from a gruesome fate. The outbreak threatens everyone, forcing them to confront a desperate fight for survival.
Warning: spoilers below!
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The film opens with a man in a medical containment suit running through the forest, chased by a bloodied man who screams. The pursuer falls, and as the scene lingers, the bloodied man clutches his head before the back of his skull explodes.
Forty hours earlier, in the same woods, Brooke Marguerite Sundberg goes for a jog. She is joined by local deputy Max Michael Flores, and the two share a quiet moment that leads to an intimate encounter in the trees. Elsewhere, a small group of military personnel sets up a mobile missile launcher on a hill, tasked with shooting down an orbiting satellite. As the missile fires, the satellite is struck by a meteorite and explodes, and the meteorite continues on toward Earth.
Brooke returns home and reunites with her parents, while Max heads back to the sheriff’s office. There he learns from fellow deputy Davidson [Bernard Setaro Clark] that the meteorite has caused a brush fire, and that the military has advised avoiding the area due to possible chemical contamination. The fire department begins to dig fire breaks to contain the area. One firefighter discovers a piece of satellite wreckage with an odd green ooze attached and later falls ill.
That evening, Brooke’s friend Karen [Beth Pratt] and her boyfriend Chad [Brendan Nagle] are spending time together when Karen’s daughter becomes frightened by a bloodied man wandering the yard. Chad goes out to investigate and does not return, prompting Karen to search. The next morning, Davidson autopsies the body and determines Chad was killed and eaten by more than one person. He also notes Chad’s hypothalamus is growing at an exponential rate despite death, and he finds a bacterium in the corpse that he has never seen before, suggesting interplanetary contamination.
Brooke rides her bike back into town and is confronted by a horde of bloodied strangers that attack her family. They kill Brooke’s mom and brother, and she barely escapes. Her father also makes it to safety, running into town. On patrol, Max encounters the infected at a campsite, abandons his car, and hurries back to the sheriff’s office. He encounters a battered Davidson, who is attacked and bitten; in the chaos, Davidson bites Max on the leg and appears to infect him as well.
Brooke later stumbles upon the man in the hazmat-style suit from the opening sequence, and together they return to the armored vehicles. She uses a satellite phone to warn the military and then is forced to flee alone.
An infected Max drives another police cruiser out of town and crashes it on the roadside. Brooke finds the cruiser, climbs in, and listens as Max confesses his love and shows an engagement ring. The infected swarm the vehicle and tear at the windows. When the back windows finally give way, Brooke and Max climb out and begin firing as they sprint away, leaving their fate to the viewer’s imagination.
Last Updated: October 09, 2025 at 16:09
Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.
Trapped communities fighting for survival against a rapid, gruesome outbreak.If you liked the desperate fight for survival in Germ, explore more movies where isolated communities are ravaged by a rapid, flesh-eating outbreak. These films share a tense, claustrophobic atmosphere, high-intensity action, and a focus on the gruesome collapse of society on a small scale.
These narratives often begin with an immediate catastrophe that introduces a fast-spreading infection. The story follows a small group of survivors as they navigate a confined space, facing both the external threat of infected hordes and the internal tensions of a collapsing social order. The pacing is fast and relentless, with a linear progression of escalating threats and losses.
Movies in this thread are grouped by their shared setting of an isolated community under siege, a rapid and graphic outbreak premise, and a consistent tone of high-tension, desperate survival. They deliver a specific, intense horror experience centered on visceral fear and societal breakdown.
Stories where survival is a brutal, losing battle with little hope.For viewers who appreciated the grim, no-respite atmosphere of Germ, this thread collects movies with a similarly bleak and relentless survival horror vibe. These films are characterized by high tension, heavy emotional weight, and an overall feeling of despair against an unstoppable threat.
The narrative journey is one of constant attrition. Characters are pushed to their absolute limits, facing one devastating setback after another. There are no easy victories or deus ex machina rescues; the path is downward, emphasizing the fragility of life and the inevitability of loss, often culminating in an unresolved or tragic conclusion.
These films are united by a consistently dark tone, fast-paced and unrelenting danger, and a heavy emotional weight derived from pervasive death and trauma. The core similarity is the overwhelming feeling of hopelessness that defines the viewing experience.
Don't stop at just watching — explore Germ in full detail. From the complete plot summary and scene-by-scene timeline to character breakdowns, thematic analysis, and a deep dive into the ending — every page helps you truly understand what Germ is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.
Track the full timeline of Germ with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.
Discover the characters, locations, and core themes that shape Germ. Get insights into symbolic elements, setting significance, and deeper narrative meaning — ideal for thematic analysis and movie breakdowns.
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