The Crazies

Directed by:  Breck Eisner
Written by:  Scott Kosar, Ray Wright
Starring:  Timothy Olyphant, Radha Mitchell, Joe Anderson, Danielle Panabaker

Timothy Olyphant...
Not Josh Duhamel

Since October began, I’ve been trying to watch at least one horror movie per night until Halloween.  Lately, I have found it increasingly hard to keep up so I’ve just been watching them as often as I can.  Anyways, the next movie down the pipe was The Crazies.  In my opinion, this is one of the best horror remakes since The Hills Have Eyes.  I have not seen the original 1973 George A. Romero film, but after seeing this one, I am going to assume the new one is better.  Being a fan of Timothy Olyphant (Deadwood, Live Free or Die Hard), I was excited to see this when it came out.  Since it was released in FeBOOary, many people missed it, but not me.  After seeing it for a second time now that it is out on DVD, it easily proved to be worth revisiting.   

The Crazies is about a small town in Iowa whose citizens mysteriously get sick and start acting a little ‘crazy.’  Once infected, they turn into violent, zombie-like shells of their former self and eventually die, either from the sickness or from the top secret quarantine the military sets up.  Acting out against this quarantine is the towns Sheriff (played by Timothy Olyphant), his wife (Radha Mitchell), and two others (Joe Anderson and Danielle Panabaker).  Not only do they have to avoid being killed by both ‘the crazies’ and the military, but they are also trying to figure out what the hell is going on.

The production here is top notch for a horror film.  The director uses satellite feeds as segues between some scenes that, at first, seem out of place, but they end up being a pretty smart, unique addition.  It has a great pace to it, and the vibe is very intense throughout.  It is not the type of horror film that relies on a big reveal ending that either saves it or loses it for audiences.  Instead, it is just a genuinely entertaining film lead by strong acting and a great storyline.

The violence in this film is also very well done.  It is not an over-the-top violent movie with zombie heads getting cut off by helicopter blades, but it definitely isn’t PG-13 either.  There are some creative death scenes involved and quite a few good splatters.  Both are very important ingredients for the best horror movies.  The only negative thing in this entire movie that bothered me is that the business end of a pitchfork seems to double in size in different shots.  Other than that minor blunder, they did a bloody good job.

Not only is The Crazies an effective horror remake, but it is also one of the better horror movies in recent memory.  The action starts right at the beginning and doesn’t let up until the credits roll.  Timothy Olyphant continues to literally strut his stuff as the town Sheriff character which is great.  I’m still in the dark to why he walks so stiff (past back problems…?).  Regardless, I love all of his work and this is no exception.  Do yourself a favor and snag a copy of The Crazies before Halloween.  Highly recommended.


Total Score:  8/10
Buckets: 2.5/5