“
The Crazies”
Directed by: Breck Eisner
Starring: Timothy Olyphant, Radha Mitchell, Joe Anderson, Danielle Panabaker
Rated: R
There's a subgenre of the horror film with a long history. The number of zombie movies produced is close to 500. “White Zombie,” released in 1932, is recognized as the grandfather of the form, and every decade since has expanded, improved or simply reworked the theme.
Lately, the “28 Days Later” franchise and “Zombieland” have renewed the beloved (and terrifying) genre.
And then there's George Romero. His ultra low-budget cult classic, “Night of the Living Dead,” is a touchstone in the zombie-on-film world. After building its reputation through the years following its somewhat inauspicious release in 1968, the film gave Romero the credibility (and money) he needed to continue making great horror films. “Dawn of the Dead” (1978) and “Day of the Dead” (1985) are two of the best of the director's continuing “Dead” series.
I have been a Romero devotee since seeing “Night of the Living Dead” at the Springfield Drive-In in 1971, but I was caught unawares when finding that the new film by Breck Eisner (son of movie mogul Michael Eisner) is a remake of a Romero movie made in 1974, when he was still doing low-budget epics. Romero is listed as executive producer on “The Crazies” and director Eisner pays homage to Romero's style and early-years budget constraints.
Not having seen Romero's original, I can't honestly compare Eisner's remake of it. But I can say the new “The Crazies” plays perfectly as a classic, low-budget, fun and quite tense film.
Trim your fingernails before going, and be prepared to sit on the edge of your seat throughout. Eisner never releases any of the tension. Even the ending (stay for the credits) has a creepy twist.
The setting is the small farming town of Ogden Marsh, Iowa. Sheriff David Dutton (Timothy Olyphant) and deputy Russell Clank (Joe Anderson) have closed down the office this Saturday to go to the high school baseball game. All seems well - it's a nice day and baseball is a pleasant pastime.
The first act is a great buildup to the scene where a well known neighbor - and well liked despite being the “town drunk” - wanders into the outfield with a shotgun and a crazy look.
Sheriff Dutton confronts the man, assuming he's “just drunk again,” but ends up having no choice than to use his own gun to avoid what he's sure is going to be a bad situation.
This scene is just a hint of what's to come. The crazy man's wife and kid turn up later and aren't happy with the sheriff.
As in all great zombie films, there has to be a cause of zombification. In this case, it's a top-secret government aircraft that has crashed in the local lake/water supply. That plane was carrying a load of biochemically engineered material designed as an experimental weapon – one to induce utter psychotic behavior.
Yep, there's trouble in Ogden Marsh.
Dutton's wife, Judy (Radha Mitchell), is the town doctor. She begins seeing more and more patients with symptoms worse than those of the common cold.
As in most zombie films, a good part of the action comes down to an “us against them” scenario. The “us” here is the Duttons, Deputy Clank and Judy's assistant, Becca (Danielle Panabaker).
Another given in this kind of film is the fact that one of the “good guys” is gonna end up being a “bad guy,” and some of the good guys are going to die. Romero dazed audiences with his twist on this formula in the original “Night of the Living Dead," and that scene remains one of the most haunting of any horror film. Nothing that surprising happens here, but there are a few moments when the audience is wondering who's going to be the crazy one and who's gonna die.
The ending is classic Romero and (of course) sets up a sequel.
Director Eisner has learned his lessons well, and “The Crazies” keeps all of the tenets of a good horror film intact and works them relentlessly. It's not the most terrifying movie I've seen, but I'll give it points for being relentlessly nerve-wracking, scream inducing and providing a lot of nervous laughs.
While “The Crazies” won't win any Oscars, it's a worthy entry into a proven genre.
Jim Wunderle owns Wunderle Sound Services and is a Springfield freelance writer and musician. He can be reached at info@wunderlesound.com[[In-content Ad]]
