The Crazies

1973 "Why are the good people dying?"
6.1| 1h43m| R| en| More Info
Released: 16 March 1973 Released
Producted By: Pittsburgh Films
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
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Citizens of a small town are infected by a biological weapon that causes its victims to become violently insane. As uninfected citizens struggle to survive, the military readies its own response.

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Director

George A. Romero

Production Companies

Pittsburgh Films

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The Crazies Audience Reviews

SunnyHello Nice effects though.
Spidersecu Don't Believe the Hype
Reptileenbu Did you people see the same film I saw?
Paynbob It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.
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
utgard14 A plane carrying a biological weapon crashes near a small Pennsylvania town. The weapon is a virus that drives people insane. The military quickly moves in and sets up martial law, preventing anyone from leaving the town. A group of people, including a nurse and her unibrowed boyfriend, try to escape the town before they're infected. But to do so they'll have to evade the military and the crazies.George Romero's first really good movie after Night of the Living Dead is this engrossing low-budget thriller with some creepy moments and surprises. The actors are a mixture of semi-professionals and amateurs. I know Romero went for this approach to add some realism to the movie. Sometimes it works; sometimes it is pretty campy. A lot of these people can't act to save their lives. Most of the movie is people yelling at each other but there is quite a bit of action (of the uncoordinated variety). The '70s aesthetic and rural location shooting is a plus. Definitely worth a look. Also, 2010 remake wasn't half-bad.
deacon_blues-3 Poorly acted, poorly filmed, no production value, and very, very, very BORING! I've definitely had my fill of people running around in whites and gas masks for another millennium! Nothing actually happens in this film! It's all just a bunch of bureaucrats sitting around at a command post and talking about things happening elsewhere!Plot: A guy with "brains" and only one eyebrow is caught in an epidemic of insanity, which mainly causes a bunch of non-paid extras to lolly-gag around trying to decide whether they are drunk or just happy to be part of a movie. The film is a bunch of really bad actors following a really bad script while being filmed as cheaply as possible.Some relevant observations:Antibiotics are not prescribed to treat viruses!People do not always hit someone every time they fire a weapon!Cheap sets and fx are not a virtue!People have no peripheral vision while wearing a gas mask!While they had the chance, the producers of this film would have served humanity better by dropping a real nuclear bomb on Pittsburg, Pa.!This is one of the worst films I have ever watched from beginning to end.The only reason I watched it all was because I thought something interesting might actually happen before it ended; boy was I wrong!George Romero is not a genius, he's a one-hit-wonder!Even "Dawn" was better as a remake. Only "Night" was better in the original.This film is hard to find for a good reason—it stinks! If you haven't been able to watch it, be thankful for the wisdom and kindness of divine providence!
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.