I was doing a bit of research, going through a list of movies to see made by my favorite director; George A. Romero and came across this flick; “The Crazies” (1973). I was really prompted to view this because there was a remake released February 2010. I never knew this movie existed. In any case I thought I would view the original version to compare to the new version. (Look for my review in the coming weeks)
The story involves the military control of a small town due to some contagion virus that gets loose. The airborne virus seems to cause insanity and in some cases makes residents do things they wouldn’t ordinarily do. It seems to me that this film could be considered a comment on the military and how they value human life. The movie explores chemical warfare and its effects of fear with how people will do anything to survive. This film is slightly more realistic compared to zombie themes but is very thought provoking.
The actors are all unknown but they did fantastic job acting. The camera work and dialogue was definitely Romero. This movie lacked gore but it had a few clever killing scenes. I truly thought this was going to be a zombie action flick before viewing but it wasn’t bad for what it was. All in all, this movie had potential to be greater. I’m sure back in 1973 it may have been fearful to watch but lack by today’s horror standards. Now, you have to keep in mind the time for which it was released, the low budget and of course it is one of the early works of George A. Romero. I won’t rate this film, it just wouldn’t be fair but I will recommend viewing it.
*I wonder what the new version can offer…
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