The Crazies: Movie Review

Jump scares are not my cup of tea but in the realm of horror, suspense is prime. Breck Eisner‘s remake of the 1973 film The Crazies (by George A. Romero) is like a frightening haunted house on Halloween but with one exception, these players will kill you. When I first saw the trailer, I was completely intrigued because it suggested a good story, with enough scares to make it a solid horror film — but did the actual product live up to those high expectations?

The Players:

• Director: Breck Eisner
• Writers: Scott Kosar, Ray Wright
• Cast: Timothy Olyphant, Radha Mitchell, Joe Anderson, Danielle Panabaker
• Cinematographer: Maxime Alexandre

The Plot:

Set in a small Iowa town, The Crazies centers around the town’s sheriff, David Dutton (Timothy Olyphant) and his doctor wife played by Radha Mitchell. The town is suddenly afflicted with a mysterious, insane disease and shortly after the first people are infected, the military is sent in to kill everyone in sight. The couple must face the uncomfortable situation of leaving their home to fight for their lives or staying in town to die.

The Good:

• The Suspense: Like I mentioned before, The Crazies was filled with jump scares, but at no point were they annoying. This is a horror film and it’s a fact that monsters or in this case disease-infested human beings are going to jump out at the most unexpected times. Sometimes the suspense wasn’t even met by one of the ‘crazies,’ but rather a hand of one of the main characters.
• The Humor: Although the situation is anything but funny, there are several humorous moments here and there. The change of tone helps the film by making it feel more realistic, because it represents the behavior of real people in an over the top situation.
• The Grand Finale: During the screening I kept wondering how the film would end. I’m not going to spoil it for you but it was amazing. In real life, such a situation would be terrible but on the silver screen it was a beautiful sight.

The Bad:

• The Story: The story was never clear. As a viewer you’re thrown into this terrible situation where ‘crazies’ — as the film coins them — run around killing people for no reason. While that may sound like your typical horror film, The Crazies had some science involved. The were a few attempts made in the film where they tried to give details of why and how the disease spread, but those scenes were interrupted by ‘crazies’ behavior.

Overall:

The Crazies is a good rental that will make you jump due to its suspense but as a horror film it doesn’t explain its horrors. Even with all of the scary moments and creepy monsters, it’s not worth your precious money. Save it for a rainy, Halloween Day.

Rating: 6.5/10

The Crazies debuts in theaters on Friday, February 26, 2010.

Photos:

Trailer: