The Crazies (1973)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

George A. Romero

Writers:

Paul McCollough (screenplay)
George A. Romero (screenplay)

Release Date:

16 March 1973 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Horror | Thriller | Drama | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

All hell is about to break loose.

Plot:

The military attempts to contain a manmade combat virus that causes death and permanent insanity in those infected, as it overtakes a small Pennsylvania town.

Plot Keywords:

Pennsylvania | Murder | Virus | Military | Shot In The Stomach

Cast

Lane Carroll	...	Judy
Will MacMillan	...	David (as W.G. McMillan)
Harold Wayne Jones	...	Clank
Lloyd Hollar	...	Col. Peckem
Lynn Lowry	...	Kathy
Richard Liberty	...	Artie
Richard France	...	Dr. Watts
Harry Spillman	...	Maj. Ryder
Will Disney	...	Dr. Brookmyre
Edith Bell	...	Lab. Technician
Bill Thunhurst	...	Brubaker (as W.L. Thunhurst Jr.)
Leland Starnes	...	Shelby
A.C. McDonald	...	Gen. Bowen (as A.C. MacDonald)
Robert J. McCully	...	Hawks
Robert Karlowsky	...	Sheriff Cooper

Also Known As:

Code Name: Trixie
The Mad People

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Germany:16 (re-rating) (2005) | Iceland:16 | Finland:(Banned) (cut) | Finland:K-16 (cut) | Australia:M | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:18

Filming Locations:

Evans City, Pennsylvania, USA

Company:

Pittsburgh Films

Trivia:

Edith Bell, who plays the lab tech., is the wife of the film's presenter Lee Hessel.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: During the scene at the fire, a Sherrif's Deputy remarks there are road blocks on the on ramps to Interstate-80. I-80 is over fifty miles north of Evans Mills and would be far out side the perimeter the army set up.

Movie Connections:

References Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)

Soundtrack:

Heaven Help Us

Better than a lot of other low budget horror for it's time, but NO zombies

A plane crashes near Pittsburgh carrying a bacteriological weapon called "Trixie". It gets into a nearby town's water supply causing it's citizen to go crazy, some of them homicidal maniacs. Some of the town's residents try to escape through a cordon around the town set up by the Army and shooting between the residents and soldiers (who go around wearing white contamination suits) and blood spurts ensue. That pretty much sums up the plot.

There's really no gore in this Romero film, but we do see plenty of gun battles that look cheap and amateurish. The only memorable character is Dr. Watts, played by Richard France, who's overacting is so bad that I actually liked his time on the screen. You can see he's trying real hard.

The Blue Underground anamorphic DVD looks nice and it contains a short interview with co-star Lynn Lowry who explains some of her experiences on the film as well as her failed film career. Also a decent commentary track by George Romero who wishes he could have done more with it if he had a bigger budget.

As long as one doesn't compare it to Romero's other films like the DEAD trilogy or MARTIN (1977), then it's better than most 70s low budget efforts in that cheap, charming way. I think it's worth a look.

6 out of 10

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