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The Crazies (1973) ~ Film Review
Just five short years after Romero’s Night of the Living Dead changed the face of horror everywhere, the world received The Crazies. After a plane carrying biological weapons crashes and seeps into the water system, residents of a small Pennsylvania town fall victim to a virus that causes madness and death. As the government attempts to quarantine the town and dispose of infected people, a group of civilians try to cross the town border and escape the mess. Told with Romero’s signature attention to detail and not-so-subtle political overtures, The Crazies is a compelling plot with interesting characters. But even an eloquent depiction of madness and a couple of graphic deaths can’t sell this film as a terrifying horror. It’s a solid movie, but it’s not at all scary and can’t possibly measure up against others in the genre.
Romero is an amazing director/writer/producer/horror god, don’t get me wrong. Night of the Living Dead was both an amazing film and terrifying. Dawn of the Dead and Day of the Dead were less scary, though, and more politically charged. The Crazies seems to be the film that started him in that direction. Not lost on the viewer are the film's statements about the government’s simultaneous lack of and involvement in this epidemic. Their use of brutal force to cover up their mistake resonates strongly throughout the film. I love that Romero’s horrors aim for a bigger…
