Rating: 
Summary: A dark, apocalyptic film
Review: A biological warfare virus is spread out in Pensylvania after a plane crash and causes those it infects to accomplish irrational and dangerous actions; to counter this, political authorities dispatch a mostly anonymous military force, placing the state under the juridisdiction of people with arbitrary judgement. Romero mainly uses two separate but interdependent narrative trends: on the one hand, the efforts of five men and women to stay alive; on the other, those of the authorities - military, medical, political - to put an end to the nightmare (no matter how far from the truth they need to go). Much depth is added by the fact that most of the characters' words and actions run the risk of being filtered by the virus; the anonymous, masked 'guards' are ordered to kill infected people, but having no clear, objective rule, they rely on their instincts and are thus liable to make serious mistakes. Who are 'the crazies'? Those who are affected by something exterior to them (the virus), or those who are irrational 'on purpose'? The virus is not dissimilar from the living dead of Romero's famous trilogy: it is of course dangerous, but it is also, like pain, useful in the sense that by nature it provokes a radical reevaluation which might not have happened without it. This is a strong film made with very limited means.
Rating: 
Summary: Just a bad movie.
Review: A little while ago I lost a bet with a friend of mine and I had to watch this movie.
The plot is ,I thought, a good one. The water system get's contaminated by a virus that drives everyone in the town crazy. I seem's that the government has developed this as a wepon and it mistakenly was dumped. The army come's in and from there the movie is a mess. George Ramero of Night of the living dead fame is the director and it is his worst outing. There are too many slow motion shots that are not needed and distracting. The acting never get's above awful. This was a film that I wanted to see at first now I wish I never did...By the way this movie's plot is similar to a movie in the 80's called Impulse with Meg Tilly and Tim Matheson and it is a much better film. Go rent that.......
Rating: 
Summary: Not the best offering from Romero...
Review: Don't get me wrong, I firmly believe George Romero is one of the most significant figures in the history of horror ("Night" and "Dawn" of the Dead are my two favorite horror films of all time), but I believe that Romero falls short of the glory here. It's just unfortunate that the whole "killer virus and townspeople run amuck" thing has been done so many times after this film, making it look far less impressive in retrospect. But there are other flaws to "The Crazies." For one, I believe that the concept of a group of rebel survivors escaping the carnage and madness and trying to survive on their own has been done much better, and in fact done much better by Romero himself. It may be unfair, but I found myself preferring the emotionally gripping survivalistic flair of the "Dead" series to the virus/contamination theme. Also, for a film that is fashioned like "Outbreak" or other films of the like, you would at least expect a somewhat satisfying ending. I found the "conclusion" of the film quite disappointing, and too sudden. I know Romero was trying to make a point about the hopelessness of the situation and he deliberately wanted the viewer to be left wondering if this small town would survive, but it just left me disappointed. It was especially disappointing when Romero used that apocolyptic tone and "What if"? ending so well in his "Dead" series (especially in "Dawn of the Dead"). Possibly I was upset about the ending because I simply didn't care about the characters as much as I did in "Dawn" or "Night", because Romero seemed to be at a loss if he should spend time developing characters and delving into their psychology, or to just make the film a straight thriller/survival flick. As a result, the film has many stretches of uneventful moments, which are not a good springboard to develop these characters. Furthermore, the film just isn't too involving, and can be quite uneven. On the upside though, the film single-handedly earns its two stars because, for the most part, the pacing of the film is terrific and the film CAN be exciting, and the gore is uncomprimising (it IS Romero after all!). All things considered, "The Crazies" can be seen as an unfortunate (but sometimes interesting and certainly not complete) failure. It's constant parallels with his "Dead" series makes it unfortunately play the role of "Dawn of the Dead" lite.
Rating: 
Summary: Little Known but Excellent Romero Film
Review: George Romero's contributions to the horror genre are legendary. Here is the guy who made "Night of the Living Dead" in the late 1960s, single-handedly bringing flesh-eating zombies into the lexicon of millions of horror fans. Two sequels followed with differing levels of success, but Romero's zombie films also inspired several Italian directors, most notably Lucio Fulci and Umberto Lenzi, to churn out a plethora of grue drenched films featuring the shambling dead. Of course, Romero didn't just sit around during the intervals between zombie films; he made other films that, while not as well known as the trilogy of "Dead" films, are eerie in there own right. One of these movies is "The Crazies," sometimes referred to by its alternate title "Codename: Trixie" (a title I like better, for some inexplicable reason). I sing the praises of the DVD revolution in nearly every movie review I write, but seeing an early Romero film with some extra goodies really makes my day. Getting background on a film like this one would never have been possible in the old VHS days."The Crazies," shows the deadly implications of a biological weapons accident on a small American town named Evans City, Pennsylvania. An army plane carrying a weapons grade virus known as Trixie crashes in a field outside of town. The military dispatches a team of specialists and cleaners to inspect the damage, and the technicians do their thing and declare the area safe for the residents. In typical paranoid, Vietnam era style, the military hides the potential dangers of the crash, but since no contamination took place the only results are a few wiped brows and some sighs of reassurance. Only a small circle of military high ups will ever realize how close America came to total destruction, for Trixie is a highly communicable virus with no known cure. What a relief! You didn't think it would end there, did you? C'mon, this is a Romero film! As it turns out, a small quantity of Trixie did leak into the town's water supply. By the time the military realizes this actuality, some of the residents in town start showing signs of infection: a pasty complexion and a propensity to suddenly indulge in bloody violence. The army answers with a bunch of troops decked out in white detox suits armed with automatic weapons. The colonel in charge of the town quickly sets up a quarantine line around the town in an effort to stop the spread of Trixie, but try as he might, he simply lacks the necessary manpower and equipment to know for sure if his efforts are working. No one knows if Trixie moved beyond the borders of the town between the time of the crash to the first signs of infection. Since the army needs to keep the townspeople placated, they put a tight rein on any potentially damaging information. As long as the townspeople play like good little American citizens, everything will turn out for the best. As for Trixie, the army brings in a doctor who helped build the virus in the laboratory, and he starts working on a vaccination right away despite his pessimism about the communicability of the virus and the high probability that it did indeed escape the town's borders. His only hope is to find someone with immunity to the disease and thereby acquire the necessary immunological materials needed to fashion a cure. Unfortunately for the army, one of the locals is a nurse at the doctor's office. She quickly learns what's going on and takes off to find her husband, a firefighter who is currently battling a blaze that resulted because a Trixie victim went on a rampage. The husband has a few questions himself before he ever meets up with his wife: why are there soldiers dressed in detox suits exchanging gunfire with a local? Why is it so tough to get any answers about what is going on in town? Eventually, husband and wife hook up with a few other locals and the group decides to make a break for the edge of town. The biggest problem with this plan is that several people in the group have Trixie and are slowly wasting away as the hours pass. Simultaneously, the town descends into anarchy, with soldiers and locals blazing away at each other with firearms and explosives. "The Crazies" concludes with the customary Romero ambiguity, as we wonder what will happen to the rest of the country if and when Trixie gets loose. "The Crazies" is a low budget production that manages to put across a chilling scenario of "what if"? The soldiers do look ominous in those containment suits, and the performances of the cast are quite good considering the no name talent, with special mention going to Lynn Lowry, an amazingly sexy Sissy Spacek look alike who plays Kathy Bolan, a young lady infected with Trixie. Her death scene constitutes one of the more memorable, and upsetting, scenes in the film. A few good gun battles help move the film along, as does the occasional cutaway to officials in Washington, D.C. who consider dropping a nuclear bomb on the town if it looks like Trixie will spread. What really helps the DVD version of the film are the extras: a short interview with Lynn Lowry, a commentary track with Romero, trailers, tons of production stills from the movie, and an informative George Romero biography. "The Crazies" might well be low budget '70s fare, but it's never cheesy thanks to a claustrophobic atmosphere, capable performances, and a great plot.
Rating:
Summary: Just a bad film.
Review: I have been a fan of George A Ramero becouse of the Night Of The Living Dead series, however I have slowly realized somthing. George A Ramero is not a very good director. With missteps like this, Monkey Shines, Creepshow 2, The Dark Half, and Martin I have had to rethink my position.
The story is a good one on its base. A virus that was created by the government to be used as a wepon has leaked into the water supply of a small town and drives the residents there crazy. A great and creepy story, not to mention and good begining to the movie, is wasted by Ramero here. The movie is just silly at times and Ramero's directing is horrible. There are so many useless slow motion shots that you become distracted by them. The acting never rises above bad and the story slowly erodes until the only thing left is this. George A Ramero will alays be known for Night, Dawn, and to a lesser extent Day of the Dead and he should be. Those were good films that changed the way we watch movies but some of his films do not even come close to duplicating those movies.
The Crazies is another example of a good premis in the wrong hands.........By the way if you want to see a much better film along the same lines as this one the I suggest that you try to find the movie IMPULSE a small movie that was released in the early eighty's and stars Meg Tilly and Tim Matheson.
Rating: 
Summary: quit hating!
Review: I think I speak for most readers when I say that ONE review saying you hate Romero flicks is quite enough... your not a Romero fan if you like only NOTLD! That's almost lamer than saying your a Black Sabbath fan because you only like their most radio friendly tune, Paranoid! Mmmmkay? Someone really has too much time on their hands! ;P Now being a REAL Romero fan, let me point out why this movie deserves some notice! Frankly, to my knowledge, it's the first of it's kind. Before The China Syndrome, before Outbreak, and predating even The Stand in it's novel format.... This is the first flick to really delve into a biological weapon gone awry type theme I'll spare the plot-line... Other reviewers have already laid it out quite nicely! My two cents.... I found the Crazies to be great flick for the budget and time period! It looks dated because it's almost thirty years old! You'll be saying "Holy 70's!" from the first scene! It's low budget, and therefore as most low budgets go, no big name or top notch actors. But in typical Romero style for the 70's, he makes his budget look as though it was much higher and he get's probably the best that he can from his no name actors. If your looking for a gore-fest however? Wrong movie! No exquisite zombie gnawings here! There's blood! Just not over the wall Savini effects! If you do fancy yourself a Romero fan for anything other than just his zombies? Namely the sense of having been properly disturbed by the time the final credits roll... Do give it a shot! I think you'll be pleased if you can appreciate what the man does with what he has to work with! If your a fan of biological accident flicks? I think you may be equally pleased to see where so many other flicks and novels in the genre obviously took their inspiration! I'll close in saying that when I first discovered The Crazies, I was merely a fan of his zombie flicks... After viewing it I got something rather different than what I was expecting, but I consider the title to be one of the prime gems in my movie collection... Even after so many years! And for a bit of trivia... Two of the actors in this flick would come back in his sequel dead flicks. I'll let y'all figure that out for fun! Now how about a DVD version? My VHS version is getting worn out!
Rating:
Summary: THE CRAZIES could very well take place today!
Review: If ever there was a time to watch this film, now would be it. The Crazies is George Romero's follow up to the cult classic Night of the Living Dead. When bio-terror hits the sleepy town of Evans City, PA...all hell breaks loose! People begin losing their minds, and a group of rag-tag locals have to fight for their survival against the deadly virus and the military. The dvd doesn't have much to offer, but the trasfer is SUPERB. In a roundabout way the recent film 28 Days Later pays tribute to this psychological masterpiece.
Rating:
Summary: A forgotten gem
Review: If you're like me, you're finding out about this little flick after seeing Romero's more heard of movies. I had a lot of expectations for this movie: I expected terror and gore, and this really only offers the second. i guess when you think about the possibility of this sort of thing happening is pretty horrid, but as far as movie scares, this comes up short. Luckily, the characters are well written and fleshed out, despite some amatuer acting. Oh, and if you like Richard Liberty, you might be mortified by the sick thing he does in this. Brilliant!!!
Rating:
Summary: Don't Drink The Water!
Review: OK, the government strikes again. This time, a military plane full of a biological agent code named "Trixie" crashes in a small Pennsylvania town. The movie starts right out with a dad gone berserk, torching his own home, killing his family for no apparent reason. It seems that Trixie effects the mind, turning it's unsuspecting victims into homicidal zombies! This is perfect George Romero territory! Soon, the army moves in, herding the healthy townfolk into the highschool gymnasium, while gunning down the infected hordes. This movie would make an excellent double feature with "Night Of The Living Dead". Though some of the scenes are rather goofy by todays standards, "The Crazies" is still good enough for a few scares. Check it out...
Rating:
Summary: Don't Drink The Water!
Review: OK, the government strikes again. This time, a military plane full of a biological agent code named "Trixie" crashes in a small Pennsylvania town. The movie starts right out with a dad gone berserk, torching his own home, killing his family for no apparent reason. It seems that Trixie effects the mind, turning it's unsuspecting victims into homicidal zombies! This is perfect George Romero territory! Soon, the army moves in, herding the healthy townfolk into the highschool gymnasium, while gunning down the infected hordes. This movie would make an excellent double feature with "Night Of The Living Dead". Though some of the scenes are rather goofy by todays standards, "The Crazies" is still good enough for a few scares. Check it out...
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