Don't listen to the negative reviews

This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

Now this is a flick you need to track down. It's such an odd & entertaining mixture of things, it easily gains some extra points for sheer originality. Now dig this: The little town of Sleepy Rock's teenage social outcast - Jake, who lives in a ramshackle wooden shack and has to bear the trauma of having burned down his parents' house, killing them in the process - gets attacked by a mysterious black, hairy creature one night. He manages to shoot it and the thing just dissolves in the nightly rain. But, having sustained injuries, Jake now is infected with something and becomes the carrier and instigator of a plague the likes you've never seen before. The infection spreads through inanimate objects only - literately anything you can imagine, from books to trees and what not else - and people who touch such an infected object get consumed by it. And that's basically just the backdrop (main threat) for the whole plot. Because while a fierce storm has isolated the whole town, all its inhabitants pretty much go crazy and turn onto one another. What all happens next, you'll have to witness for yourself. All I can say is that there's a lot going on in this film, often pushing the boundaries of common sense to a ridiculous extent. For instance...: People go on a cat hunt to collect as many cats possible for testing if or not inanimate objects are infected (yes, that includes throwing some innocent kitten against a wall to see if the poor thing dissolves or not). Some priest preaches religious madness, gathering a flock of believers. Some doctor tries to save the town while protecting the carrier. Two clans set off an all out war against each other as if they were the sole survivors in some imaginative post-apocalyptic world. Children are hunted down & killed. A naked woman gets consumed by a mirror. And you haven't seen the end of it yet. There's some blackly humorous ways about this film, yet it's hard to pinpoint where all it might have been intended or not. There's some strange symbolism of various sorts spread throughout the film and allegedly the whole 'infection' can be interpreted as a metaphor for the AIDS virus (at the time uprising as the most dangerous disease of the '80s). Although I imagine it can be as easily interpreted as a reference to the medieval black plague. "The Carrier" seems a pretty obscure and forgotten film and naturally it doesn't have the best of production values. As much as the whole story might get ridiculous on numerous occasions, it's also very original & tense. Pretty much unlike any other movie you've ever seen before.

Jake Spear is pretty much an outsider/ and out-of-luck lad in the small town of Sleepy Rock, and one night he's attacked by some hairy beast. Unknown to him he's infected with a mysterious, dangerous disease that spreads around the town from anything he had touch. It has not affect on him, but if anyone else touches that object/item, they begin to dissolve. Soon he realises, but the towns-folk are virtually caught up in the mass mayhem and chaos, marking those areas or items in red.Oh this was very off-kilter… so unusual. This obscure, very minor low-budget late 80s effort has you glued because you haven't see anything quite like it. The story is original (if silly and baffling), the prominent black humour fits and it's metaphorically planted with obvious details (involving AIDS) and overwrought symbolic messages (that downbeat conclusion). However it was a real nice change of pace with its glowing spirit and undeservedly lies in the shadows of the overpopulated 80s gruel. The film's cheap execution might leave a lot to be desired, as there's no tension and its tame steamy schlock effects don't make much of an impression. Still there's plenty of goodwill, and it can get atmospheric in stages. The story doesn't really know what it wants to be, despite the script's mock seriousness. As it moodily shifts about in many different fields (especially when it turns into something you'll find in an post-apocalyptic film where everyone loves cats and have a fashion sense involving plastic bags and sheets), but maintaining something unique and clever that keeps it always interesting. Gregory Fortescue's central performance is what really drove this one home. Sure his acting isn't great, but he brings the right attitude. The rest of the bungling performances (mainly one or two-offs, except for Steve Dixon) are enthusiastically delivered. Director / writer Nathan J. White's directorial touches are typical and the pace is slow, but engaging and seems to wallow in the extremely cheesy and kooky vibes. Look out for the blatant Jim Beam product placement.

The peaceful population of the town of Sleepy Rock turns slowly into a hysterical,anarchistic and violent mob when a mysterious disease begins spreading through town.Jake Spear(Gregory Fortescue)is attacked by a huge dark 'thing'.Without knowing it,this makes Jake into the carrier of the mysterious disease."The Carrier" is pretty bad.It lacks scares and gore and has incredibly cheesy synthesizer score.Still the film is funny enough to make horror fans smile.5 out of 10.

Although campy at times, this movie is full of symbolism. Also proves to be an excellent commentary on society. Made in 1988, I am positive that this movie was influenced by AIDS and the stigmas it carried at the time. Also, enjoyed the conflicts of science versus religion.