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 | Virus | Military | Hanging | B Movie

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:

A lot of the audio mixing in The Crazies, particularly the voices of soldiers and extras and specific sound effects, were completed in post-production in the basement of Romero's Latent Image Studio.

Movie Connections:

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

Soundtrack:

Heaven Help Us

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.