The Crazies (1973)

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.

Director:

George A. Romero

Writers:

Paul McCollough (based on a script by), George A. Romero (screenplay)

Stars:

Lane Carroll, Will MacMillan, Harold Wayne Jones

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

A biological weapon gone awry is only the start of problems in the little town of Evan's City, Pennsylvania. Bouts of insanity in the populace are leading to murder and rioting, until the US Army turns up - and things really start going to hell.

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Plot Keywords:

grindhouse film | psychotronic film | cult film | psychotronic | cult director | 

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Taglines:

A biological civil war.

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Genres:

Action | Horror | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 March 1973 (USA)

Also Known As:

Code Name: Trixie

Filming Locations:

Butler County, Pennsylvania, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$275,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$150,000, 31 December 1973

Company Credits

Production Co:

Pittsburgh Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The basis of the film was a script by Romero's friend and co-worker Paul McCollough entitled 'The Mad People'. McCollough gave the script to Romero with his blessing to re-write it and Romero turned out a revised version of it that was made into 'The Crazies'.

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Goofs

In the opening scene, Judy gets out of bed naked and walks to her dresser to get clothes. She starts putting on a bra, but panties simply appear on her between shots.

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Quotes

Dr. Brookmyre: You've known about this for days!
Maj. Ryder: We never thought it would happen like this.
Dr. Brookmyre: But you notified me. You must have suspected.
Maj. Ryder: Notifying you was precautionary. We never thought it was possible.
Dr. Brookmyre: That doesn't matter now. We've got to call the hospital in Unity. We need an ambulance for those two kids!
Maj. Ryder: I'm afraid I can't allow that. We're bringing in our own medical personnel with medical equipment.
Dr. Brookmyre: But this isn't the sort of thing that you consider sweeping under the rug or...
Maj. Ryder: Look, we've ...

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Connections

Referenced in Horror Business (2005)

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Soundtracks

Heaven Help Us
Composed by Carole Bayer Sager and Melissa Manchester
Sung by Beverly Bremers
Courtesy of Sceptor Records

User Reviews

Oh ! the Horror! the Horror!

Very cheaply made film by Director George Romero about a virus, known as Trixie, that has somehow leaked out in a small town in Western Pennsylvania. The military quickly comes, assesses the situation, and then implements martial law. This is a very thought-provoking film and has some clever dialog and direction here and there. The biggest problems arise with Romero's virtually absent budget. We have a cast of amateurs, some moved on to star in other films particularly by Romero. Richard Liberty as Frankenstein in Day of the Dead being the most noteworthy. Despite not having any star power, the cast for the most part does a decent job notwithstanding. But the settings, although very "realistic," just don't create a real sense of fear for me or believability. I wonder what this film might have been with a budget double the size. If you can get past the minuscule budget, you will find an interesting film here. A film I think that has some real issues at hand even now. The things Romero does do well is create suspense based on the feelings of time being an enemy and make some scathing social commentary on the nature of war, science in war, and apocalyptic threads concerning the way rules are all thrown out when faced with doomsday.