THE CRAZIES (2010 - Cert 15)

Remakes are a bit en vogue at the moment in the world of cinema. It seems as though there is a bit of a drought in the imagination department as studios are taking the safe option of remaking fondly remembered films from the 80's and before, plus in some cases rebooting 'franchises' that aren't exactly dead (Spiderman, I am indeed looking at you). Horror is the genre that has been the victim more than others in this epidemic with all sorts of flicks being 're-imagined' (ruined), A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Last House on the Left, I Spit in Your Grave, The Amityville Horror and Dawn of the Dead. I could go on, but I wanted to stop that list at a George A Romero one because last year this generation got their hands on another of his classics, although not a zombie flick this time. On this occasion, it's his pop at the American Military via a nasty virus called Trixie that turns the infected into killers. Not like the Rage virus, but in a way that you don't really know who is infected. Who do you trust?

Mr Romero is on exec producer duties here, giving his blessing to director Breck Eisner, the only thing of note that he's done previously being Sahara. Scott Kosar, seasoned pro of horror remakes having already written The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Amityville Horror, is drafted into bring the tale into the 21st Century. The first thing to note is that it is a very different beast and isn't a full on remake. The comical tone of the original has been completely lost and it's clear that the focus on this version is very much to thrill, chill and scare. They've kept the small town America location, and persisted with the origins of the virus and the military reaction, but it is all done very much as you would expect, straight-faced with no hint of the satire of Romero. 

If you can get past the fact that they are remaking a film with such a comical and critical undercurrent, without the comedy and the undercurrent, or haven't seen the original at all, then this film does exactly what it sets out to do, namely, thrill, chill and scare. It does all of those in abundance. There is something undoubtedly creepy about your neighbours turning into bloodthirsty, ruthless killers, but looking exactly the same as they did before. Paranoia and tensions are ramped up as any odd behaviour can be construed as symptoms of infection. In terms of scare set-pieces Eisner does do well with some good little scares. The best scene involves our heroes being under attack in a car wash. Doesn't sound particularly much, but there it plays out in a wonderfully chaotic way as outside of the windows all we see is movement, unsure where the attack is going to come from. There's some good action as well, ticking all of the relevant boxes that you would expect with aplomb. I do wonder what would have happened had Romero had the budgets that are chucked around today, people are often critical of the dated, ramshackle look of his early films. But imagine if that criticism was taken away....?

In order for horror to work, we must feel a connection to the characters involved, otherwise they just become fodder that we are waiting to get picked off. In this instance we follow the reliable Timothy Olyphant as the sheriff and Radha Mitchell as his Doctor wife as they try to escape the town and the madness left behind. Both are good, Olyphant, although the hero and alpha-male, still retains an everyman quality and remains believable throughout. Mitchell is slightly less interesting but only because much of her role involves getting into trouble for Olyphant to save her, but she does well with it nonetheless. It's also nice to see Englishman Joe Anderson in something like this, and doing it very well, as the deputy along for the ride. 

As the film rolls on, it starts to become critical of American Military policy and the doctrine of Shoot now, explain later. It was inevitable that it was going to do this as it was such a fundamental part of the original, but it's done with all the subtlety of a baseball bat. Whereas with the original The Crazies, you didn't know whether to laugh or be shocked, with this one it becomes an incidental plot element, not a statement. It's not necessarily a bad thing, this type of film banging a political drum may just not have fit well either. 

It's perfectly fine, worth a watch, and does raise the pulse rates a few times, but if you want to watch a horror film about a virus turning people into killers, then you may as well watch the 1973 version because it's the more superior, all be it dated, film. 

THE CRAZIES (1973 - Cert 18)

I like to consider myself a fan of George A Romero's catalogue. Although my patience has been tried by some of his more recent offerings, The Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead, in particular, are two big favourites of mine. Having said that, I must admit that The Crazies, made back in 1973, passed me by. It wasn't until recently, when I saw a trailer for the recent remake (for which Romero was an executive producer) that I really became aware of it's existence. I've had the remake on my 'high priority' list with Lovefilm for months now, but they seem completely unwilling to let me see it. So as I pottered around HMV in Selfridges I saw, for the small sum of £7, the original and the remake, packaged together. I immediately grabbed it and headed straight to the counter.

Wanting to be seen to do the right thing, I decided to watch the almost forty year old original first. You have to do these things properly don't you?



As a fan of Romero's gift of creating horror films, that not only shock, but also have the ability to generate laughter and also make not exactly subtle political statements, I knew I was on safe and familiar ground five minutes in. Set in a small rural American town, the film shows how the military try to contain a man-made, biological weapon, virus and prevent an nationwide epidemic. When I say virus, we aren't talking about Dustin Hoffman and Rene Russo chasing monkey here. What we have here is something that has no effect on the appearance of those infected, but it drives it's victims mad, their brains might turn to mush or they might turn into bloodthirsty murderers. I know what you're thinking, sounds a bit like Zombies. The set up might sound similar, but this is a very different beast.

There are effectively two separate things going on in The Crazies. The first is the unsettling thought of your friends and family looking fine on the surface but ultimately going 'postal' and coming after you or just going absolutely potty. The opening scene is a cracking and disturbing way to kicks things off. Two kids peering round the corner watching their dad lose the plot, smashing the place up. Without giving anything away, once that scene is over, you know that this is a movie, and a film maker, that isn't going to play by the rules.

The other thing that the film focuses on is the part played by the army. The Crazies was made at a time when America was involved in the Vietnam war and you can tell, without being an expert on the subject, that this was very much on Romero's mind when he made it. The military wade in with no plan, a policy of 'shoot first, think second'. Consequently things don't exactly go to plan and the population of the town fight back and the army have no idea who 'the crazies' are. Romero captures the panic perfectly, no one knows what is happening, people want answers and the army just keep rounding people up. A doctor is sent straight to the infected zone with no thought, or equipment, and is left totally useless. For large parts of the 90 minute running time, it isn't a horror film at all, but a violent farce, a satirical critique of American military policy. What is interesting is that almost four decades on, the film is still applicable, all be it to a different conflict in a different part of the world.

It isn't pretty, not by a long chalk. It's rough and ready, the acting is far from great, the effects are dated, but that is something that can be said of a lot of Romero's films. 'It's the thought that counts' - I know it's an age old expression, but I really think it's appropriate for him and his films. With that in mind, it's classic Romero and is up there with Dawn of the Dead, although a lot more serious in tone without the cheeky black humour. It also has one of the most eerie endings to a film I've seen in a long time, that is still floating around my head a week since I saw it. There is no big victory at the end for mankind or the army, it's very matter-of-fact, and one final damning verdict on the military might of Uncle Sam.