When a government plane crashes near a small Midwest farming town, a mysterious toxin enters the water supply, turning many of the community’s residents into homicidal zombie-like creatures.  The military, attempting to contain the epidemic, uses deadly force to close off access into and out of town, killing the few healthy citizens along with the infected ones.

The local sheriff (Timothy Olyphant), his doctor wife (Radha Mitchell), his deputy (Joe Anderson) and his wife’s assistant (Danielle Panabaker) make a desperate attempt to escape their murderous neighbors and government captors.

CRITIQUE

As somebody who is not a fan of zombie movies or, for that matter, horror films in general, I must admit that I did enjoy this remake of the 1973 George A. Romero “classic,” which I have never seen.

Director Breck Eisner and screenwriters Scott Kosar and Ray Wright have created an atmospheric, fast-paced, rather intelligent thriller with three-dimensional characters that evokes more memories of Holocaust movies rather than the films of George A. Romero.

The most frightening aspect of this movie is the military, and the way that they treat the people of the affected town.  Had it not been for the uniforms, at times I would have thought that I was watching scenes from Schindler’s List.

Yes, there are zombies, but they are not the mindless kind that you find in Romero’s Night of the Living Dead.  Nor, are they part of a flesh eating “army”.

These creatures are your friends and neighbors, your husbands and wives, whose exposure to this strange toxin has turned them into killers.  That makes them all the more terrifying.

One man, for example, locks his wife and young son in an upstairs closet, and then sets the house afire.

The action sequences are very well executed and, I must admit that during the movie, I did jump in my seat more than once.

THE VIDEO

The widescreen picture is sharp with no problems.

THE AUDIO

The 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound is crisp and clear.

THE EXTRAS

Audio Commentary by director Breck Eisner

Five featurettes, each approximately 10 minutes in length:

Behind the Scenes with Director Breck Eisner, plus cast and crew.

Paranormal Pandemics discusses the “logic” behind the film’s premise and how it was executed on-screen.

The George A. Romero Template looks at the horror master’s legacy of making zombies the stars of his films.

Make-up Mastermind Rob Hall in Action is pretty self-explanatory.

Visual Effects in Motion focuses on the effects work in several scenes.

In addition, there are two episodes of The Crazies Motion Comic.

FINAL THOUGHT

The Crazies is a well-made, intelligently scripted horror movie, enjoyable whether or not you are a fan of the genre.