The Crazies [Blu-ray]

Such a human document this film, it breathes and sweats. I suppose it still has taken a back seat to Romero’s zombie classics in the minds of most critics, but it has always been one of my favorites. The Crazies is pure folklore, ripped from the tabloids, but nowadays it seems a little too close to home. Conspiracy springs to life, dancing over the flames of society run amok. The talking heads and the muckety mucks are powerless to stop it. Now the germ, “code name ‘Tricksie’”, takes center stage. Here it is a plane crash carrying the bug instead of a lab leak. This hits most all the apocalyptic buttons, but with a slow drag 70s style delivery, overrun with military goons and civilian rabble. Bureaucratic snafus and clandestine research collide in a train wreck of madness and burning corpses. The brain dead dancing hippy wildness in the school where the army corrals all the diseased is a fitting bookend to the decadence of the 60s. As the insanity piles up into the sky, the scenes vary from amusing asylum antics, to mere street violence and finally utter perversion. I’m not really a fan of Romero’s occasional political spin, but here he mostly plays it deadpan. Either no one is to blame or we all are. Perhaps in the end we will figure out a cure, he seems to suggest as a possibility, but perhaps a long shot judging by the outro. I have seen the remake too which was mildly entertaining but too slick to really say much of anything worth remembering. I watched this original classic as part of my own personal ‘germ warfare’ festival, alongside Warning Sign and Endangered Species (the 80s flick starring Robert Urich not the more recent film), and of the 3 this is easily my top choice.

I feel like maybe this film doesn't get the respect it deserves, probably because a lot of people are watching it hoping to see a Night of the Living Dead sequel. But it's not really a horror film per se; it's more a gov't conspiracy movie. The gov't has spilled a chemical weapon, but doesn't want anyone to know, so it won't tell anyone what's going on. So then the fully armed rednecks rebel and everyone is shooting everyone. It has some horror genre touches--a lot of blood, there is an element of incest that makes you feel uncomfortable, some crazy people. But again, it's not really going to make genre fans happy because what it is really doing is presenting a thinly-veiled critique of the gov't; it's not really a zombie movie.But you will recognize the end of Night of the Living Dead if you know that film: groups of rednecks with guns traveling around the countryside shooting at people: evidently something Romero thought was pretty scary.Like most Romero movies there is at least one important Black character; in this one the military Colonel in charge is Black. Also, Lynn Lowry is in this one and is great as the spaced-out love crazy. Do you want to play?So it's campy and not super realistic but if you don't trust the gov't--and I know you don't--then it's social commentary on how people act when the wheels come off. Who is more dangerous: the crazies or the gov't trying to cover it all up...

This movie was filmed in Butler County, PA.Being a fan of George Romero ( RIP ) and watching and living NOTLD & DOTD, l had to buy this. I also live not too far from Evans City, so there's that pride thing of having movies filmed in places not even remotely similar to Hollywood, which is a good thing btw! As for the movie, well, the location and actual filming was fine with me, the plot/storyline was just ok. Some will love it and others not so much. I might watch it again just for the fact of where it was filmed, being historical and all. I think any of the Dead movies are way better, but there were some scenes that l did rewind to watch a few times so it's not totally horrible or anything.

Excellent job of remastering from Lustig's BLUE UNDERGROUND company (one of the few historical film companies that still care about the quality of B-movie presentations on digital format), and the film itself--easily one of Romero's more hectic efforts--comes closer to greatness in its narrative than "Night of the Living Dead" even. I have not watched the remake of this title because I don't care to watch films that I can't follow easily; the original is leisurely paced, gripping, and obviously more focused upon character than upon ridiculous special effects. The transfer onto DVD is immaculate and rewarding viewing, if you enjoy these older exploitation titles.The DVD's best extra is the commentary track by Lustig and Romero, both of whom enjoy themselves quite a bit while watching the film again. Romero offers insights for today's filmmakers (although, like Cohen, he isn't particularly optimistic about the business any longer) as well as pointing out the numerous technical errors that this film contains; he mentions the problems involved with creating special effects, eye-line shots, rapid editing techniques, etc. Overall, this audio commentary is worth a listen and is quite informative too. It is amazing how much of an effective world that Romero was able to build merely through the power of extras and editing techniques. (Although Paul McCollough's script was apparently overhauled and reshaped by Romero into his own personal story, it would be interesting to read the original source work entitled "The Mad People".) Romero knows how to make commercials and documentary films, and his efforts at shaping a unique visual style are on full display here.Overall, a quality DVD release, and certainly an interesting stop along the back-roads of horror fiction on film (although this is an older offering and, unlike these silly remakes, one must pay attention to story and characters in order to become invested in the movie). A

No comment from me about the type of film this is, you're either a fan or you're not. The five stars is for the quality of the restoration. Simply put this movie has never looked better. Sympathetically done the restoration team have performed an amazing job, the movie simultaneously looks like it was shot in the 70's and also shot yesterday. I am also glad they have not tried to do anything fancy with the audio instead using the original uncompressed PCM mono audio, just as it should be. This is now the definitive version of the movie and a copy should be in every collection.

Great movie from 45 years ago..... still better than the recent re-make. George Romero would have been proud of the quality of this re-mastered version. Blu-ray excellent picture quality, disappointingly the sound is still in mono. Some interesting extras on the disc, reversible sleeve. Worth the money and long awaited. It was available last year as part of a box set. More Arrow Gold!!!

Remake still good

I like this film a very underated film in my opinion solid acting and I like the story.

Very nice edition. Item as described and fast delivery