Sam Panico Shot on location in Evans City and Zelienople — 30 miles north of Pittsburgh and within minutes of the hometown of this author — The Crazies feels like a companion to Night, albeit one that has an explanation and less of the dread of having no clue as to why the world is ending.Where Night of the Living Dead speculates that a Jupiter probe is the cause and Dawn of the Living Dead claims that perhaps Hell has run out of room, The Crazies leaves no question as to why things are falling apart. The government has created a bioweapon called Trixie that causes its victims to either die instantly or become homicidal; this weapons has ended up in the Evans City (home to the opening graveyard of Night) drinking water.Also, the film tries to see things from the side of the individual and the government that struggles to contain the epidemic that it has accidentally started. The full fear and chaos of Vietnam and Watergate are on display here; the military men and women may be individuals, but en masse they are a frightful and faceless force that are ordered to kill American citizens — on American soil — on sight, simply because they have become infected.The Crazies begins by subverting one of the central themes of Night of the Living Dead. Instead of children rising up to kill and devour their parents, parents are killing their children. A girl and her brother wander their house. She's convinced he is messing with her, but it turns out the father is dousing the house in kerosene. The daughter finds him, only for him to set the house ablaze. Cue opening credits as we watch the house burn.We find David in bed with his girlfriend Judy as fire alarms go off and the phone rings. They're both called into work to deal with the fire that opens the film, but not before setting up that she's pregnant. Judy drops him off at the fire station, where we meet Clank, our third main character.There are troops all over the hospital where Judy works, led by Major Ryder. There's a press blackout and incredibly secrecy, as a plane has crashed in the hills near the city containing the Trixie bioweapon. Colonel Peckem is ordered to contain the virus while Dr. Watts is brought in an attempt to cure the virus, which doesn't seem like a certainty, what with nuclear bombers in flight to nuke the town and soldiers that shoot anyone that tries to escape.Read more at http://bit.ly/2io4Rha

Leofwine_draca Following in the wake of his pretentious and boring SEASON OF THE WITCH, THE CRAZIES finds director George Romero in familiar territory with this story of a town's folk turned incurably insane through the intervention of a chemical weapon transferred through the town's water supply - a story which has minor conspiracy-theory implications which firmly sets it in the paranoid world of '70s cinema. Right from the arresting opening, in which a father attempts to murder his entire family, Romero's fast-paced movie never lets up, leading us from one scene of bloodshed and chaos to the next with little time to think or breathe. Once again, as with NIGHT OF THE LIVING DADand his following movies, Romero's low budget adds to the gritty realism of the film which makes it a cut above the rest - indeed I feel this is much stronger, and far more affecting stuff than the likes of OUTBREAK and other "disease of the week" thrillers of the '90s.Despite a longer-than-average running time, THE CRAZIES never becomes boring or tired - instead it keeps you gripped throughout until the predictably downbeat conclusion. The film expertly weaves two plot strands - the efforts of a small group of people to survive, and the efforts of the people in charge to contain the outbreak - together into one satisfying whole and the themes and storyline are often impressive. I especially like the way in which the intervention of the soldiers in contamination suits eventually becomes even more dangerous for our survivors than the disease itself, and Romero dots the film with memorable disturbing images - my 'favourite' being when a vicar dowses himself in petrol and burns himself kneeling in front of his church - so that it can easily be classed as a horror film as well as a sci-fi-style thriller.As well as this, THE CRAZIES has a ton of shoot-outs and gun battles to make it watchable for the action-orientated crowd too. The highlight is a tense scene in which a crazed man, Clank, takes on a pack of soldiers in the woods. The film recalls NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD in scenes of the soldiers roaming through the countryside, gunning down those that are infected, and the madness back at the army's base in town - with various parties ranting at each other - is a subject Romero returned to with the opening scenes of DAWN OF THE DEAD. The tension is racked up as the film progresses, as our party of survivors who hope to escape gradually dwindles and their chances are repeatedly dashed.The acting is especially strong from the unknown cast, with female lead Lane Carroll particularly affecting as the pregnant mother caught up in the chaos and trying only to escape with her husband. The husband, played by John Saxon-lookalike Will MacMillan, is also a strong and this time heroic character who you end up rooting for. Also memorable are Harold Wayne Jones as 'Clank', the friend who ends up turning crazy himself in memorable style, whilst the various colonels and doctors involved also have strong roles. Fans of Romero's DAY OF THE DEAD may spot Richard Liberty (the Doc) in this film as a family man turned insane, who ends up desiring his beautiful elfin daughter Kathy (Lynn Lowry, who plays Kathy, is tragic and disturbing at the same time). Regular Romero collaborator Bill Hinzman is also in there somewhere too, although I didn't spot him.THE CRAZIES is a strong piece of adult film making which expertly achieves the atmosphere of confusion and chaos that it sets out to put across - a world in which the character's lives are turned upside down and their existence becomes a brutal and often bloody struggle for survival against the overwhelming odds of the US army. Despite it's pessimism and bleakness, this is an entertaining and gripping movie to watch and another feather in the hat for Romero.

HorrorQueen17 This was one of the few Romero films I hadn't seen before, and after seeing it I have no idea why I waited so long!This very low budget movie about a town infected with a virus via its water supply has the classic Romero feel, in that the film focuses far more on the people affected than the situation at hand. The acting is not the best you'll ever see, but believable, and you do feel for the characters all the way until the end. The sense of desperation he manages to create is impressive and the film is completely engrossing from start to finish. While perhaps not quite at the height of his Dead trilogy, this is one Romero movie you can't miss.

Claudio Carvalho In Evans City, a plane crashes on the hill releasing for six days in the water the bacteriological weapon Trixie that affects only human beings. The army under the command of Colonel Peckemseals (Lloyd Hollar) seals off the town to contain the virus and there is no antidote for the victims that are doomed to die or become incurably mad. The pregnant nurse Judy (Lane Carroll), her husband David (W.G. McMillan), their friend Clank (Harold Wayne Jones), their new acquaintance Artie (Richard Liberty) and his daughter Kathy (Lynn Lowry) tries to cross the border of the town, but the escapees are hunted by the army. Meanwhile, the scientist Dr. Ralston Watts (Richard France) researches blood samples trying to find the cure for the disease."The Crazies" is a tale of paranoia and madness in a period when the world was afraid of a bacteriological war. The plot is based on a total stupidity from the authorities that send the army to contain the virus in a small town but does not provide any explanation to the population, invading real estates and breaking in homes. The lead scientist is another stupid character. Surprisingly this year it was released a remake of this average film. Last time I saw this film was on 04 July 2000. My vote is six.Title (Brazil): "O Exército do Extermínio" ("The Extermination Army")