Review of The Crazies (1973) by Tristan P — 03 Mar 2009

Originally a box-office disappointment at the time of its release, The Crazies in recent years finally began to get some of the respect it deserves. A violent, emotional, deeply personal outcry against the senselessness of the Vietnam War and other atrocities, it deals with horrors that seem all too possible.

The setting is Evans City, Pennsylvania, where a governmentally-developed chemical known as "Trixie" has contaminated the water supply and turned citizens into unbalanced nuts. Soon the military invades the town and declares martial law, turning out to be an even bigger threat than the "crazies" of the title. Confused and defensive, some of the Evans City residents rebel and are often shot to death for their trouble. Five people steal a van and attempt escape. But it's never quite as simple as you'd think, with fully-rounded characters and such a sense of and panicked immediacy that all you can do is watch as the situation becomes more dire with every passing minute.

George Romero delivers a turbulent, unpolished piece of cinema that proves both entertaining and highly thought-provoking in its downbeat societal critique. It's a cautionary tale that warns us that we'd better get it together soon, before this hell becomes our reality. We are asked, Why does it have to be this way? Are we so screwed up as a society that it has to come to this? The sad, haunting theme song, "Heaven Help Us," written by Melissa Manchester and Carole Bayer Sager and sung by Beverly Bremers, rams home the concept, begging us to consider what we're doing to each other.

The acting is terrific, particularly Lynn Lowry as a repressed teenage girl who finally lashes out. The characters are given depth and believability, and you can't help but feel sad and helpless in the face of the unfolding events. Very well paced, with lots of startling, sometimes gory, visuals, all presented in a cinema verite manner that makes them even more bleak and unsettling. An enthralling study of panic and authoritarian domination, I have no doubt that The Crazies is a very important film. This is our society. Heaven help us.