George A. Romero’s 1973 film, The Crazies is a horror film that many don’t really know about, and those who do really don’t perceive it as a great film. I, for one, could not get through the film the first time I tried to watch it. The second time around, I did get through it, but didn’t find it to be all that great. My question is, “Why would the studio take the chance on remaking a film that was more of an underground cult picture with not much of a following?” Well, after viewing the rehash of The Crazies, it’s safe to say that this remake is superior to the original.
The remake has a story that is similar to the original, though not exactly the same. A top secret government plane carrying experimental biological weapons crashes into a water reservoir. The residents of Ogden Marsh start to commit violent acts against one another after drinking the infected water. Sheriff Dutton (Timothy Olyphant) begins to investigate the violent attacks and realizes that something is not right. When Government officials seal off the town and begin rounding up the residents, a small band of Crazies breaks up the operation allowing Sheriff Dutton and his wife, Judy (Radha Mitchell), to escape the encampment and find out the truth behind the government’s plans for the townsfolk. When they witness the army killing uninfected people and become targets themselves, they soon learn that it’s not the crazy townsfolk that they should be worrying about, but their own government. Together they must find a way to escape their small town before things really start to get out of hand.
I never had time to go check this one out when it hit theaters a few months back, but I heard a lot of mixed reviews of the film. While it does have flaws, the story is very well written and has a great flowing script with a story that does put fear into the viewer. I think the problem with the film lies with the way in which characters called the Crazies are presented to the viewer. They take a backseat as villains to the army and government officials that are just wiping out every living thing they come across. The characters in the film come off as being more frightened by the army than they do by the Crazies, yet when the Crazies attack, as the viewer, you find yourself saying “Oh yeah. I forgot there were infected, zombie like people in this film.” However, the story is one of survival and it’s a film where you’re along for the ride with the characters and are trying every which way to get the hell out of Dodge.
The film is very well made. There is so good acting, great sets, costume design and make-up effects. However, some of the visuals are a bit choppy and the film’s editing is a bit jumpy. The film kind of reminds me of some of the zombie films of past and present such as Return of the Living Dead, 28 Days Later and [REC]. You will notice a lot of similarities to other films, however, I found The Crazies to top the majority of them when it comes to the overall production as a whole.
The Crazies Blu-ray has a few features, including audio commentary and a behind-the-scenes featurette with director Breck Eisner. There are also several featurettes about the production of the film, including Paranormal Pandemics, The George A. Romero Template, Make-Up Mastermind Rob Hall in Action, and Visual Effects in Motion. There are also two episodes of The Crazies motion comic, storyboards, building a scene and more. The Blu-ray also comes with a digital copy of the film.
I really enjoyed The Crazies a lot. It is not the most original story, but it takes the concept of the infected crazy human being and puts the viewer in a pure, small town Armageddon in which the characters can trust no one but themselves. Their own government has turned against them. The Crazies is one horror remake that is better than the original, and well worth checking out.
– Horror Bob
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- Interview with Andrew J. Rausch - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Rick Popko and Dan West - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Director Stevan Mena (Malevolence) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Screenwriter Jeffery Reddick (Day of the Dead 2007) - January 22, 2015
- Teleconference interview with Mick Garris (Masters of Horror) - January 22, 2015
- A Day at the Morgue with Corri English (Unrest) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Writer/Director Nacho Cerda (The Abandoned, Aftermath) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actress Thora Birch (Dark Corners, The Hole, American Beauty) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actor Jason Behr, Plus Skinwalkers Press Coverage - January 22, 2015
