An Albanian pilgrim, infected with an unknown disease, is on his way back to Belgrade from the Middle East. When doctors realize that it is a disease that has been considered eradicated, it is already too late - variola vera begins to languish and the hospital is quarantined.
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- KahnsWrath11 april 2026The Yugoslav horror film Variola Vera is a satirical dramatization of the 1972 Yugoslav smallpox outbreak, commenting on the corruption of medical professionals and government officials during the crisis. It's an incredibly tense film that some may argue is more accurately described as a thriller. Still, the main thing that makes it terrifying enough for it to be considered horror is that it's all based on true events, which, sadly, feel just as relevant today. A tremendously underappreciated masterpiece that demonstrates the heights that Yugoslav cinema could reach at its best. But regardless of whether Variola Vera sticks to the traditional notion of what makes a horror film, it's nevertheless a tremendously underappreciated masterpiece that demonstrates the heights that Yugoslav cinema could reach at its best. It's a disaster film with some gruesome body horror that feels all too realistic, filling the viewer with a slowly-climbing sense of dread that doesn't stop even after the credits roll.
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Smittkoppor was released on 9 juli 1982.
Smittkoppor was directed by Goran Marković.
Smittkoppor has a runtime of 1h 44m.
Smittkoppor was produced by Aleksandar Stojanović.
An Albanian pilgrim, infected with an unknown disease, is on his way back to Belgrade from the Middle East. When doctors realize that it is a disease that has been considered eradicated, it is already too late - variola vera begins to languish and the hospital is quarantined.
The key characters in Smittkoppor are Dr. Grujić (Rade Šerbedžija), Dragutin Kenigsmark (Erland Josephson), Dr. Marković (Dušica Žegarac).
Smittkoppor is a Skräck, Drama, Historisk film.
Smittkoppor has an audience rating of 8.1 out of 10.