The Crazies (1973 vs 2010)

Boy, talk about a movie concept that hits different after Covid.

The Crazies (1973) was directed by George A. Romero five years after Night of the Living Dead. Though not strictly speaking a zombie movie, it nevertheless hits on some familiar themes and fits in rather neatly with Romero’s legacy. I think it’s one of his lesser-known and appreciated films, though. I knew about it by way of the remake (we’ll talk about that in a second) and didn’t even know it was a Romero film until I added it to this watchlist.

Which is a real shame, because this film is well worth a watch, if you go in with an open mind.

So: The plotline is that a bioweapon is accidentally unleashed on a small town, and the military rolls in to try to contain it. The illness leads to certain death and, for some people, insanity – sometimes exhibited through violent, irrational behavior.

Or, does it, though?

Because as the story progresses, you see the military botch this mission time and again, and you start to wonder whether the people being exterminated are actuallydangerous harbingers of a deadly disease…or just people responding pretty normally to being herded like cattle and threatened by authority. Oh, sure, a handful of people show clear murderous behavior. But the rest are gray enough that you really start to wonder.

The tone of this movie is, I would say, darkly sardonic. I think it makes a fantastic double-feature with Dr. Strangelove, actually. It’s not as over-the-top funny as Strangelove, but it has the same strong anti-military sentiment and that same undercurrent of bitter anger. Which, I mean…in 1973, I can think of some reasons why folks might be a little bit angry and disillusioned with the military’s ability to make anythingbetter.

The reason I say you need to approach this movie with an open mind is that it’s very 1970s. The soundtrack is all over the place (though not quite as insane as Last House on the Left), the acting kind of jumps between wooden and melodrama, the effects are cheesy. But if you go in prepared to have a good time, I think you will.

The Crazies (2010) is directed by Breck Eisner, who has made nothing else I recognized. Romero executive-produced the film, so it at least had his blessing. I remember watching it when it came out, riding that little zombie bubble that accompanied The Walking Dead, and quite enjoying it at the time. I’m happy to report that the film holds up admirably, although it has a rather different take on the source material.

Once more, this movie is about a bioweapon that turns people murderously insane. But this time, there’s no doubt about it – these folks are definitelysick, definitely crazy, and definitely going to kill you. The dark humor is gone. This movie is a straight-up horror film, tense and legitimately frightening. It combines elements of zombie films, pandemic films, and home invasion movies and manages it pretty successfully.

In Romero’s original, the military is the clear antagonist of the film. Here they serve a more neutral-to-heroic role against the crazies themselves, who are unambiguous threats. Our hero is the town sheriff, desperate to get his pregnant wife to safety as the two make their way through a perilous town.

I will say that both films are tragedies, but in different ways. Romero’s film is a tragedy of the absurd: everything is rendered pointless by the stupidity and malfeasance of the powers that be. Eisner’s film is more of a Greek tragedy: these characters fight valiantly in the face of incredible odds, but ultimately it amounts to nothing because far greater forces have been in motion long before the heroes came on board.

Both are quite good, in their own ways. I think this 2010 remake is more enjoyable as a film. The 1973 movie is a lot of fun as a cultural artifact and perhaps has more interesting things to say about the nature of institutional violence.

Would any be interested in reading or contributing? Nothing definite yet, just gauging interest.