The Crazies (2010): Mr. George A. Romero executive-produced this remake of his 1973 film of the same name. I must admit, I wasn’t expecting very much. As you know, 99% of remakes suck, but this one surprised me. Simple premise: military plane carrying something nasty crashes into a remote swamp in Iowa. It seeps into the water and the locals start wigging out, and it’s up to the sheriff, his pregnant doctor-wife, and deputy to save the day. They can’t, of course, because the military swarms in like coke-addled hornets with orders to, well…I’ll let that be a non-surprise surprise. Our three heroes end up fleeing for their lives and some of the encounters they have with the crazies are just plain fabulous. There’s a scene in a morgue with a cranial saw that’s exquisite in its horrifying simplicity. And if JAWS kept you from swimming, The Crazies will keep you from going to the car wash. Seriously.
Overall, this bucolic film is mostly predictable story-wise, but the acting is wonderfully intense, the production values stratospheric, and the direction perfectly crisp. The gore isn’t gratuitous which is a good thing for this type of movie (you won’t hear me say that very often). The ending? Predictable but not awful. Awfully predictable? My advice? See it. It will have you on the edge of your seat. I just wish it would have knocked me off. I do have a plea to all horror movie makers: Enough with the dragging of the murder weapon on the floor already. Jeez.
Rating: 4 out of 5
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