A biological weapon starts to turn the inhabitants of Evan’s City, Pennsylvania into homicidal maniacs. But don’t worry, the military are on the case…

As you may have guessed, this isn’t an early 70’s romcom but is instead another film in which Romero gives us a glimpse into what it would look like if the very fabric of society started to unravel.

Whilst this may not be as good as Night of the Living Dead (there are scenes in The Crazies that are overlong and a bit too ‘talky’ which is something I found in the later Day of the Dead), it still packs one hell of a punch. Things just get worse and worse especially when we see that certain professionals and members of institutions really haven’t got a clue of how to resolve this catastrophe. Near the end of the film I just kept thinking, ‘They’re so screwed!’

There are also a few interjected scenes of horror that are extremely well staged and scary as hell. The scene with the ‘sweet’ (ahem) old lady is one such (if you know, you know…)

The Crazies may not be a complete success but it’s still worth investigating. It would make a great double-bill with Threads.

3.5 out of 5 stars