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George Romero's The Crazies | 
| Director: George A. Romero
Actors: Edith Bell, Lane Carroll, Will Disney, Richard France, Rossie Harris
Studio: Blue Underground
Category: DVD
List Price: CDN$ 29.99
Buy New: CDN$ 14.45
You Save: CDN$ 15.54 (52%)
New (15) Used (1) from CDN$ 14.45
Rating:  21 reviews
Sales Rank: 20788
Format: Dolby, Dts Surround Sound, Ntsc
Language: English (Original Language)
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.3 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: 581001
UPC: 827058100199
EAN: 0827058100199
ASIN: B00008WJDA
Theatrical Release Date: March 16, 1973
Release Date: May 6, 2003
Availability: Usually ships within 1 - 2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Ships from the USA. ALL ITEMS ARE BRAND NEW! Delivery takes from 10-14 Working Days.
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From Amazon.com
During the 10 years between INight of the Living Dead/I and IDawn of the Dead/I, director George Romero had a string of box-office flops--some of which were actually quite good. For example,there's IThe Crazies/I, in which a military plane carrying biological-warfare agents crashes near Evans City, Pennsylvania. The virus gets into the town's water supply and has two effects on the infected: death or irreversible insanity. The military moves in to contain the situation, but the local populace regards the army as a menacing force and things rapidly spin out of control. Soon the highly contagious virus infects the whole town and the soldiers as well, while a government scientist races to find an antidote. IThe Crazies/I features some great set pieces as the virus spreads: a little old lady smiles sweetly and stabs a soldier to death with a knitting needle; a young woman placidly sweeps with a broom while soldiers and locals have a bloody firefight around her; a soldier swings his rifle wildly at his comrades until they shoot him.p Made in the shadow of both Vietnam and Watergate, IThe Crazies/I contains plenty of allegory: an invasion by military force, government cover-up and duplicity, madness and eventually genocide (all set, of course, in Romero's beloved Pennsylvania). The President only appears on television, and then only the back of his head is shown as he speaks in detached, almost bored tones. Like INight of the Living Dead/I, this film offers no hope, no comfort, and sure as hell no happy ending. Keep an eye out for Romero in a somewhat gassy role as Evans City's mayor. I--Jerry Renshaw/I
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| Customer Reviews: Read 16 more reviews...
 Going' Crazy, Crazy on You!" August 11, 2006
Raegan Butcher (RainCity, OR)
After coming out of nowhere with NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD in 1968 Pittsburgh director George Romero made two flops that no one has ever heard of, THERE"S ALWAYS VANILLA and SEASON OF THE WITCH. Then in 1973 his financially strapped indie distributors begged him to make another "horror" film and for a paltry 270, 000 dollars he went to Evans City, PA and made THE CRAZIES. Its about an accidental bio-warfare spill that drives people crazy(you seeing where Danny Boyle got some inspiration for 28 Days Later?) and the Army's disastrous attempt at containment. Watching it today one is struck by its relentlessly downbeat tone and the power of the imagery; i was amazed at the hard-headedness; no one is spared unjustifiably to satisfy the demands of an audience--this is the 70's, remember--its got scenes that, in todays climate, seriously resonate: bio-suited soldiers taking over a small town, dragging screaming children from their beds, shooting escapees in the back; this has to be the most outright anti-militarist film from the early 70's besides PUNISHMENT PARK. This is heavy stuff, especially seen in the light of our current domestic situation,where police and military intrusions upon everyday life are becoming more and more "normal". You've got to hand it to George Romero, he doesn't pull any punches; At one point he has some civilians saying to our protagonists, " Let's wait for the army to help us!" to which one of the heroes, a Vietnam veteran, replies, "The army ain't anyone's friend, we know--we were in it!" For a film that originally came out in 1973 that line is not only prescient but brave;THE CRAZIES is unsparing in its depiction of the lunacy of the armed forces--even the soldiers themselves recognize it--in this way the film is similar in spirit to CATCH 22 and its chilling to think about how the entire concept was considered pretty far-fetched upon its first release--even though it was inspired by true events in Utah in which a cannister of nerve gas fell from an army truck and killed a bunch of cattle (also the subject of George C Scotts directorial debut, RAGE 1972. ) and to then realize how familiar, dare i say COMFORTABLE we are with these kinds of concepts today after the cult attacks in the Tokyo subways in the 90's and all our current preoccupations with bio-warfare,dirty bombs and Homeland Security. This is an excellent edition of this long unavailable film; It looks the best it probably ever has since it was first barely released in theatres back in '73. The commentary by George Romero is hilarious and very entertaining as well as very informative. There is a big-budget remake scheduled for 2006 and I, for one, can't wait. If its anything like the fantastic 2004 remake of Romero's Dawn of the Dead, it will be awesome!THE CRAZIES remains one of the most potent indictments against out of control militarism that has ever been made in America and its also a gripping adventure story, told with style and ingenuity. They just don't make 'em like this anymore. br / br /
 More bark than bite May 26, 2004
Jose Angeles (Chazzwuzzles USA)
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Talk, talk, and more talk; with some action scenes randomly inserted. I felt like I was watching C-SPAN with a bad science fiction twist. The movie delves too much in wordy technical political blunders. I wish Romero were more clever in incorporating the social satire with the action as he has done with Dawn and Night. The movie is as bland as a licking a paper plate. The real problem here was the dialogue. I felt like I had to trim fat off a piece of meat to get to the real message underneath this sea of people talking in a room. The movie felt as if it never ventured beyond the same rooms the entire time. pWe hear so much about how the virus is so dangerous, yet this point was never illustrated. We do see the corruption of the army just when they break into people's homes and quarantine them and when they go into mild gunfights. That's about it and it only makes a small fraction of the entire movie. It was basically the army and some doctor switching back and forth with arguments about the virus and blah blah blah. There's too much excruciating detail delivered only in words. pPart of the brilliance in filmmaking is using visuals to convey a message in imaginative ways. And there's nothing imaginative about seeing people argue in a little room for hours. I found the arguments between the "rebels" more appealing than the army's. But it still didn't hold up for the entire film. The whole movie revolves around some black army guy arguing with some bearded scientist most of the time. The people who were on the run were secondary, even though I found them more exciting. p"The Crazies" is a movie only for Romero collectors, such as myself. Other than that, I recommend you just get Martin, Creepshow, Dawn, or Night, because this will disappoint you if you were looking for a crazy thriller or political horror film. I do give credit though for Romero's ambition to try and convey a message about Vietnam and the Cold War paranoia, no matter how dull it came out on screen and for that one scene where a guy gets shot through the head, which emphasizes the cruel nature, the characters are in.
Confused? So am I! January 7, 2004
filterite (Dublin, Ireland)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This film by George Romero is a fantastically tense movie about when the water supply becomes contaminated and it affects the town that relies on the water supply.pThe opening scene is quite possibly one of the most horrific I have ever seen. A brother is trying spook his sister out and his sister doesn't like it. She goes to tell mommy while the boy finds out that dad has gone mad pouring kerosene all over the house. The little girl is still trying to wake mommy up when she pulls the sheet off to find that mommy has an axe in her neck! Soon enough dad has set the house on fire and is outside while the rest of his family are left to burn. pThe scenes with governmental agencies are complicated. Nobody understands anything, everybody is at each others throats and the main line which illustrates this all is when one doctor incensed by the lack of control he is allowed on this is I cannot believe how shoddy this has been organized pThe mayhem in this movie doesn't let up. What with priests setting themselves on fire and a granny stabbing an army soldier with a knitting needle ( genuinely frightening and perhaps one of the most surprising scenes of all )pThe end will definitely leave you confused but I won't say too much more. I've given enoughpIncidentally I'm surprised this flopped at the box office. It really is a good intelligent horror movie. But then I guess when people think of horror movies they tend to think of those big dumb Hollywood horror movies with absolutely no shock value whatsoever ( it's all gore they want ). Yes this film is graphic in places but is done so with more thought and precise control even when it's method is in chaos. And also I can't believe this is the same director who gave us the atrocious Creepshow 1 2! What was Georgie thinking?
A forgotten gem November 29, 2003
If you're like me, you're finding out about this little flick after seeing Romero's more heard of movies. I had a lot of expectations for this movie: I expected terror and gore, and this really only offers the second. i guess when you think about the possibility of this sort of thing happening is pretty horrid, but as far as movie scares, this comes up short. Luckily, the characters are well written and fleshed out, despite some amatuer acting. Oh, and if you like Richard Liberty, you might be mortified by the sick thing he does in this. Brilliant!!!
Little Known but Excellent Romero Film September 8, 2003
Jeffrey Leach (Omaha, NE USA)
George Romero's contributions to the horror genre are legendary. Here is the guy who made "Night of the Living Dead" in the late 1960s, single-handedly bringing flesh-eating zombies into the lexicon of millions of horror fans. Two sequels followed with differing levels of success, but Romero's zombie films also inspired several Italian directors, most notably Lucio Fulci and Umberto Lenzi, to churn out a plethora of grue drenched films featuring the shambling dead. Of course, Romero didn't just sit around during the intervals between zombie films; he made other films that, while not as well known as the trilogy of "Dead" films, are eerie in there own right. One of these movies is "The Crazies," sometimes referred to by its alternate title "Codename: Trixie" (a title I like better, for some inexplicable reason). I sing the praises of the DVD revolution in nearly every movie review I write, but seeing an early Romero film with some extra goodies really makes my day. Getting background on a film like this one would never have been possible in the old VHS days.p"The Crazies," shows the deadly implications of a biological weapons accident on a small American town named Evans City, Pennsylvania. An army plane carrying a weapons grade virus known as Trixie crashes in a field outside of town. The military dispatches a team of specialists and cleaners to inspect the damage, and the technicians do their thing and declare the area safe for the residents. In typical paranoid, Vietnam era style, the military hides the potential dangers of the crash, but since no contamination took place the only results are a few wiped brows and some sighs of reassurance. Only a small circle of military high ups will ever realize how close America came to total destruction, for Trixie is a highly communicable virus with no known cure. What a relief!pYou didn't think it would end there, did you? C'mon, this is a Romero film! As it turns out, a small quantity of Trixie did leak into the town's water supply. By the time the military realizes this actuality, some of the residents in town start showing signs of infection: a pasty complexion and a propensity to suddenly indulge in bloody violence. The army answers with a bunch of troops decked out in white detox suits armed with automatic weapons. The colonel in charge of the town quickly sets up a quarantine line around the town in an effort to stop the spread of Trixie, but try as he might, he simply lacks the necessary manpower and equipment to know for sure if his efforts are working. No one knows if Trixie moved beyond the borders of the town between the time of the crash to the first signs of infection. Since the army needs to keep the townspeople placated, they put a tight rein on any potentially damaging information. As long as the townspeople play like good little American citizens, everything will turn out for the best. As for Trixie, the army brings in a doctor who helped build the virus in the laboratory, and he starts working on a vaccination right away despite his pessimism about the communicability of the virus and the high probability that it did indeed escape the town's borders. His only hope is to find someone with immunity to the disease and thereby acquire the necessary immunological materials needed to fashion a cure.pUnfortunately for the army, one of the locals is a nurse at the doctor's office. She quickly learns what's going on and takes off to find her husband, a firefighter who is currently battling a blaze that resulted because a Trixie victim went on a rampage. The husband has a few questions himself before he ever meets up with his wife: why are there soldiers dressed in detox suits exchanging gunfire with a local? Why is it so tough to get any answers about what is going on in town? Eventually, husband and wife hook up with a few other locals and the group decides to make a break for the edge of town. The biggest problem with this plan is that several people in the group have Trixie and are slowly wasting away as the hours pass. Simultaneously, the town descends into anarchy, with soldiers and locals blazing away at each other with firearms and explosives. "The Crazies" concludes with the customary Romero ambiguity, as we wonder what will happen to the rest of the country if and when Trixie gets loose.p"The Crazies" is a low budget production that manages to put across a chilling scenario of "what if"? The soldiers do look ominous in those containment suits, and the performances of the cast are quite good considering the no name talent, with special mention going to Lynn Lowry, an amazingly sexy Sissy Spacek look alike who plays Kathy Bolan, a young lady infected with Trixie. Her death scene constitutes one of the more memorable, and upsetting, scenes in the film. A few good gun battles help move the film along, as does the occasional cutaway to officials in Washington, D.C. who consider dropping a nuclear bomb on the town if it looks like Trixie will spread. What really helps the DVD version of the film are the extras: a short interview with Lynn Lowry, a commentary track with Romero, trailers, tons of production stills from the movie, and an informative George Romero biography. "The Crazies" might well be low budget '70s fare, but it's never cheesy thanks to a claustrophobic atmosphere, capable performances, and a great plot.
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