The Crazies has a lot going against it. First, it’s a remake. Hollywood has been remaking old horror films like there’s no tomorrow and the majority haven’t wowed audiences. Second, it’s a remake of a movie that wasn’t so great to begin with. In this case, it’s George A. Romero’s 1973 film of the same name. Romero’s Crazies has never been as well regarded as Night of the Living Dead or Dawn of the Dead. Third, the new Crazies was directed by Breck Eisner, the son of ex-Disney CEO Michael Eisner. The younger Eisner made his directorial debut with the big-budget flop Sahara
In spite of all that, The Crazies succeeds beyond expectations. It’s one of the rare remakes that actually improves upon the original. It’s easily one of the best horror movies of the year.
The Crazies is set in the small town of Ogden Marsh, Iowa, which is smack dab in the heart of Middle America. It feels like another day in the sleepy town until Rory Hamill (Mike Hickman) walks onto the field of a high school baseball game with a loaded shotgun. Later, Bill Farnum (Brett Rickaby) sets his house on fire with his wife and son still inside. Sheriff David Dutton (Timothy Olyphant) discovers a downed military aircraft in the swamps and realizes the water supply has been tainted. He eventually learns the plane was carrying a biological weapon nicknamed “Trixie.” The virus causes insanity in its victim and eventually death.
The military swoops in and begin rounding up the town’s citizens without a single word of explanation. Children are ripped from their mother’s arms while those who attempt to escape are gunned down mercilessly. Sheriff Dutton just wants to escape the military cordon with his pregnant wife, Judy (Radha Mitchell). Along with Deputy Russell Clank (Joe Anderson) and Judy’s receptionist Becca (Danielle Panabaker), they must avoid the infected, the army, and even a few folks who weren’t that nice to begin with.
Though Romero was best known for his zombie movies, The Crazies wasn’t technically one of them even if it contained many of the same tropes. Nobody comes back from the dead and the infected don’t crave flesh.
As with Romero’s other films, social commentary played a big role in the original Crazies. The picture was his reaction to the ongoing Vietnam War and the My Lai Massacre. The remake downplays the heavy handed message, but still portrays the military and the government as the primary villains. Romero’s version also told the story from the perspective of the townsfolk as well as the army in the form of one sympathetic officer. Eisner and screenwriters Scott Kosar and Ray Wright wisely keep this from the point of view of the people. The soldiers are as much of a faceless horde as the psychotic crazies. The individual disappears behind a gas mask and a hazmat suit. Meanwhile, there is an underlying theme of big brother is watching you in the form of constant surveillance from spy satellites.
Focusing on the Sheriff and his companions keeps the film on a smaller, intimate level. We become invested the journey of this ragtag group of survivors. The filmmakers also avoid bogging down the movie with long-winded scenes of exposition. As the town doctor, Judy Dutton gets a few quick, explanatory bits to answer questions about the virus, such as is it airborne? However, anybody who’s seen any halfway decent zombie flicks or disease movies, such as Outbreak will already have it all figured out.
Eisner directs The Crazies with a slick hand giving us several creepy sequences. They won’t scare the pants off you, but they are pretty damn exciting. This includes a spooky ride through, of all things, a car wash. The best scene in the film involves Judy and Becca in a room full of infected patients, all of them strapped to gurneys. A crazy slithers in scraping a pitchfork against the floor. He begins stabbing the others while the women watch helplessly in horror.
Eisner does overplay his hand when it comes to the score and the repeated use of harsh string chords. You know the kinds that are struck whenever a hand suddenly reaches out from the shadows to grab one of our protagonists.
The Crazies is a tremendously entertaining movie. This is a horror film that relies on true scares rather than out and out gore. It is a breath of fresh air after bad remakes like Nightmare on Elm Street and the endless stream of Saw and Final Destination sequels.
Rating: ***
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