AaronCapenBanner Hal Barwood directed this thriller that stars Sam Waterston as Utah sheriff Cal Morse, who is forced to deal with the accidental contamination that has occurred at a research facility dealing with toxins. The military arrives to control things, but the families of the employees trapped inside the sealed-off containment area want answers, and threaten to batter down the doors to rescue them, which would be most unwise, as the released toxin has turned them into psychotic killers, except Cal's pregnant girlfriend Joanie(played by Kathleen Quinlan). Cal and a scientist(played by Jeffrey De Munn) must infiltrate the facility, to find a cure... Marginal film at least doesn't go overboard into Zombie clichés(thank goodness!), but despite the fine cast, it just misses, becoming a bit too predictable and unimaginative, though is certainly watchable enough for what it is.

Scarecrow-88 At a supposed agricultural facility devoted to growth hormones and the use of genetic engineering for the future of agriculture, named Biotek Agronomics, a test tube containing a chemical designed for germ warfare accidentally breaks on the floor inside a lab, spreading an infection that causes the body to lose function, soon turning the victims into psychotic lunatics with skin sores. Biotek is shut down by security guard Kathleen Quinlan as Biohazard protocols dictate when an alarm signals the spread of the dangerous chemical, a quarantine organized by the government's Yaphet Kotto. Quinlan's hubby, Sam Waterson (Law & Order), the local sheriff, is trying to figure out a way to get her out of the facility, with help from Jeffrey DeMunn, a former Biotek scientist who was attempting to develop a cure for the germ warfare chemical just in case of a potential disaster like the company now has.A "message thriller", Warning Sign is designed to forewarn against the development of biochemical weapons for future use by the military, using the Biotek disaster as a device to bang the drum loudly. Despite all his efforts, Kotto cannot maintain the quarantine because Waterson is devoted to his beloved wife. DeMunn is an alcoholic genius, who understands germs and the damage chemical warfare can do to the human body if released on an unprepared people. Slow-moving in places, with performances that are so restrained the actors seem to be going through the motions (except when the infection causes scientists like Richard Dysart and Rick Rossovich to go berserk), almost disinterested in the movie their making. I found myself struggling to care about the plot even though the story should be suspenseful considering the subject matter concerns rabid scientists wielding axes and the release of germ warfare on the very ones who created the chemicals to begin with. Quinlan, for some reason, doesn't have any signs of infection, and DeMunn must discover why this is the case so an anti-toxin can be administered to future victims. I think why the movie just doesn't work is because the pace lags and is never quite as thrilling as it should be. Maybe it is the approach/presentation. The film even has a mob of locals who decide to gather up weapons and take matters into their own hands. G W Bailey, of Police Academy fame, is a scientist who unknowingly spreads the infection (his contacts contain the "Typhoid Mary" that contributed to the release) and tries to help Quinlan find an answer to the germ and Jerry Hardin is an angered father who wants to get his son out of the quarantined building. A ho-hum effort from all involved which is a shame considering the powerhouse cast and potential of the premise. Some movies just cannot seem to cash in on a premise that should deliver the goods; it ultimately comes down to execution. There are times when it seems like the screenplay is playfully tongue-in-cheek but the performances fail to pull off the dialogue in a way to bring it to life.

lost-in-limbo Durably taut, but rather restraint little low-budget biological thriller that sees a group of scientists quarantined inside a building when a deadly chemical agent they're working on is accidentally released, causing them to become violently homicidal. Caught in the middle of it is a lady security guard, who might just hold the answer for a vaccine, as she seems unaffected.Confidently directed, thoughtfully written (as it could be seen as a minor blue print for "Resident Evil") and exemplary performed, but "Warning Sign" seems to go by unnoticed, despite it's considerably gripping and unnerving progression. Their low-scale origin is probably what tips it in that forgotten category, because it's not excitingly barnstorming in its thrills or cast. Nonetheless it bestows moments of furious intensity and compact suspense… in what feels like a waiting game after not taking all that long to get into it. The acting led perfectly pitched by Kathleen Quinlan, Sam Waterston, Jeffrey DeMunn, Richard Dysart, G.W. Bailey and Yaphet Kotto. Craig Safan chips away with an ominously airy electronic score. Director Hal Barwood well measured style, ably operates with his actors in constructing a real fearful mood inside the building, but also making the air outside just as dangerously on-edge. When it came to its irony enclosed ending, it felt a little out of place and rather forced than what it naturally built-up.An earnest, but well engineered sci-fi / horror outing that's more than your simple filler.

Raegan Butcher This wasn't a bad film for its time. The cast is especially good. Sam Waterston and Jeffery Demunn play very well off each other and Kathleen Quinlen is a criminally underused actress, so it is always nice to see her.The plot line has echoes of George Romero's earlier paen to paranoia and bio warfare spills 'The Crazies'. This film also pre-figures Resident Evil and 28 Days Later but played on a much smaller scale. Watching a film shot in the mid 1980's now serves as a reminder of just how bombastic and over-the-top most current films have become.A modest effort but entertaining nonetheless.