The Crazies

This movie is a perfect example of how to make a modern horror movie that pleases older horror movie fans as well! A great feeling came over me as the credits rolled when I realized this was actually a modern horror movie I could proudly champion and add to my beloved collection. The original 'The Crazies' from George Romero was a valiant yet ultimately misguided attempt to capture the horrors of a pandemic outbreak on film and had too many boring scenes of scientists sitting around arguing with each other for most of the running time. This new version of 'The Crazies' wastes no time getting the horror in order. Director Breck Eisner masterfully delivers a rousing tale of realistic pandemic horror filled with old-fashioned genre techniques and a strong sense of urgency. He introduces us to characters we instantly care about and can easily sympathize with, while not compromising the movie's confident pace. There are MANY shocking and horrific scenes on display as well as plenty of scenes of utter nail-biting suspense! The script is punctual, succinct and doesn't talk down to the audience (a perfect example for aspiring screenwriters to study). It wisely avoids predictable cliches, isn't bogged down with the usual overbearing political correctness, and embraces the scenes of raw horror with sheer exhilaration! The cast is excellent and there are no weak links in their performances. The 'crazies' themselves are truly horrifying and the copious bloody FX are all very well done yet not gratuitous. I can't imagine any fan of good old-fashioned solid raw horror and suspense not liking this movie. This is one of the VERY good ones! Don't miss it! Read more

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I took a chance on a cheaper version of the crazies . And it came out terrible all scratch up . But now I have purchased the original casing . And everything is beautiful . Amazon. Is not to blame . A reminder that I bought a cheaper virgin 😌 Read more

A reinvention loosely based upon the George Romero classic of the same name, THE CRAZIES is about the inhabitants of a small Kansas town suddenly plagued by insanity and then death after a mysterious toxin contaminates their water supply. I know you've seen it before: A small town is infected and eventually taken over by zombies, crazy people, the government, or any combination of these forces. A few survivors stick with each other in order to survive through the chaos, or, in this case, madness, around them. However, you'd be crazy to judge a film by whether or not the plot is original because look at AVATAR. I like zombie/infection/virus movies, because they are usually entertaining and thrilling to watch, but I have not seen the original film by Romero yet, so I cannot compare this remake with it. However, the film does stand up well in the wave of the many, many horror remakes that have been released. It's a good horror movie because it has one key ingredient that many horror movies fail to ever grasp: The suspense. This film manages to not overuse the cheap scare tactics, even though some are scattered here and there every now and then. There's also some genuine horror and tension here. There's one memorable sequence taking place in a car wash where I was on the edge of my seats. Almost everything in this film is done so well where an average horror movie wouldn't ever succeed in accomplishing half of it. Timothy Olyphant is another key ingredient to the film's success. Although he has been in many films before, this is his first starring role and he does a great job at it. Radha Mitchell is his on screen wife who also gives us a sympathetic role with some actual acting in her performance. Joe Anderson and Danielle Panabaker are the remaining two "main" actors here, the former giving a crazy but good performance while the latter gives us a generic whimpering teen. It's also good to know the craftsmanship also went to the look of the film as it did the script. I love the cinematography with its gracefulness, giving the film a stylish look and the soundtrack by Mark Isham is really heartfelt. And it's great to see director Breck Eisner get back to his feet after the box office bomb SAHARA. If you're wondering if the film has the social commentary contained in almost every George A. Romero film, you need not worry here. It's done in such a way the filmmakers did not push it down our throats. Overall, this is how every horror movies should be, let alone remakes, although they aren't, which still remains to us a great mystery. There are some great and ingenious sequences in here along with tension and suspense. The gore is actually used sparingly, although when it does get used, it's really nasty. It's just a really bloody horror flick with intelligence and good film-making. Films like THE CRAZIES give us hope to the slowly dying horror genre. Let's hope Hollywood makes more movies like this. Read more

"The Crazies" is flat-out the best zombie movie made, and certainly the best homage to George Romero. The opening scene was chillingly unexpected, and the action didn't stop from that point on. I was breathing hard just watching it, and by the end, I felt as if I had run a 20k! The whole film is a 5-star tour de force, and the setting -- no-place-to-hide Iowa farmland -- added to its tense drama. Timothy Olyphant and Radha Mitchell were superb, backed up by a great cast of zombies, who set a new standard for grotesquery, without too much skull-sucking or brain-spattering. The really scary group in this film is made up of our military first-responders to a homegrown disaster. Not sure which is worse: the military or the disaster! See the film and you decide. I gave it 5 stars, bought the DVD, and put it in my dual collection of future cult classics and Tim Olyphant's filmography. Read more

George Romero was my favorite writer/director but even I find the original The Crazies to be a tough watch. It’s still enjoyable and still has a lot of charm and creativity (which predated Outbreak and 28 Days Later by a few decades) but the pace and dialogue are all over the place. This remake is overall better realized and more enjoyable. The effects are great and thrills are better executed. Like 28 Days Later, these are not zombies, they’re people infected with a virus which turns them into aggressive killers. But unlike 28 Days Later, this film is a lot more entertaining and unfortunately underrated and forgotten. Read more

A very good scary movie till the end Read more