George A. Romero's Most Underrated Film Isn't Even About Zombies
George A. Romero's Most Underrated Film Isn't Even About Zombies
This Romero sci-fi horror movie is crazy good!
Most people associate George A. Romero's name with the image of flesh-eating zombies, and they would be right to do so, but hardly anyone knows that his most underrated movie doesn't even feature those beasts — 1973's The Crazies. This low-budget science fiction horror flick is one of Romero's most violent in his early career, while also being one of his least satirical. Instead, it leans harder into political themes than his other films to drive home an interesting message about trying to control large groups of people and the level of disastrous incompetence that can be found in the military. Not only that but because of Romero's skills as a resourceful filmmaker, this relatively cheap movie manages to feel way bigger and more expensive than a lot of his early works. If you're looking for a lesser-celebrated Romero film, The Crazies just might be the one for you.
By the early '70s, Romero had already had his big break with 1968's Night of the Living Dead. You may think that that would mean Romero had now gone Hollywood — not quite yet. His late '60s zombie masterpiece might have made him truckloads of cash, but he would continue working as a regional filmmaker and operate out of Pittsburgh, still making independent films for a long time after. After Night, Romero made the 1971 comedy There's Always Vanilla and 1973's drama Season of the Witch, before coming full circle and diving head first back into horror with The Crazies.
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'The Crazies' Is George A. Romero's Most Underrated Movie
The Crazies is a 1973 science fiction horror film that is filled to the brim with dread, paranoia, flamethrowers, guns, and hazmat suits. Its story takes place in Evans City, Pennsylvania, a small town that becomes affected by the accidental exposure to a bioweapon called "Trixie," invaded by military and government scientists, and quickly begins to fall into shambles. Like most of Romero's other early works, the film stars a massive cast of small-time actors, including Lynn Lowry, Will McMillan, Lane Carroll, and Harold Wayne Jones. It's not a horror movie that changes the game necessarily (it wasn't even a big box office or critical hit upon release), but it is a highly effective and disturbing look at what disastrous stakes could take place within a small community like the one in Evans City.
When most people think of what Romero's most underrated film is, often what comes up first is Day of the Dead, but only because Romero is most often associated with his zombie movies. Big fans know that Romero's take on the vampire subgenre, 1978's Martin, is a fantastic, minimalist, and uber-downbeat swing at this type of creature feature. It's a true cult classic... but one that has garnered enough fans that it leaves you wondering if it's actually his most underrated movie or not. If not that, then what else? I propose The Crazies.
'The Crazies' Is George A. Romero's at His Most Politically Paranoid
Romero had already dipped his toes into politics and satire with Night of the Living Dead back in 1968, but with The Crazies, he goes all in. You know the last scene of Night when that mob is walking around and carelessly shooting anything that moves, mistaking Ben (Duane Jones) for a zombie, and killing him? Well, imagine that for an entire movie — that's how this is. The Crazies finds Romero capturing the overbearing and overreaching hand of the government when they feel as though they need to step in and overrun a normal, everyday community. When a bioweapon accidentally gets leaked into a small town's water supply and starts killing everyone or making them lose their minds, that's a situation where it feels as though the government should be able to step in and help, right? Well, what if this all happened because of the government's irresponsible and haphazard decision-making? Will the government react peacefully, or take charge with violence? The Crazies is easily Romero's most politically paranoid film.
George Romero Makes the Most of His Limited Resources
Before going all in on big canvas filmmaking with Dawn of the Dead, Romero gave it a go with The Crazies. It might take place in a small town, but the film's cast of characters go running all over the place to escape the government's clutches. There are set pieces that take place in the streets of Evans City, the forest, big sprawling fields, close-quartered homes, and more. Romero isn't just operating out of a house anymore like in Night. Here, more than anyone, he's showing himself that he can make a massive movie on a low budget. It also helps that he happened to get his hands on loads of more resources. Tons of hazmat suits, flamethrowers, government vehicles, stuntmen that were willing to set themselves on fire, heaps of nasty, bloody squibs, and massive shootouts helped make this Romero's biggest movie up until that point. He was the epitome of a great low-budget filmmaker, wringing every last drop out of every resource he had at his disposal.
The movie's action and horror scenes are all extremely effective as well. Here, Romero finds a happy medium between the bleak horror of Night and the more effects and stunt-heavy action horror of Dawn. There are loads of great kills, shootouts, and mini-wars that take place throughout The Crazies' hour and 43-minute runtime which gives it more of a straight-up exploitation movie feel than most of his other works. The Crazies feels grimier than any of his zombie movies or Martin, and definitely more so than his lighter fare. In his monster movies, you don't feel so bad watching zombies or vampires get killed because, well, they're monsters! But in this, when townspeople aren't dying, it's evil government figures, so either way, Romero is killing more realistic characters than ever before. This is one of Romero's most mean-spirited movies ever, and that's largely what makes it so great.
The 2010 Remake of 'The Crazies' Is Actually Good!
While The Crazies wasn't a huge success on release, it has gone on over the years to become a cult classic. Its status among horror lovers became so strong that it even garnered a remake in 2010. Some people might say that Breck Eisner's take on The Crazies is even better than Romero's, but honestly, it just depends on whatever you're looking for. The remake is a polished, Hollywood production that turns the victims of "Trixie" almost into zombie-like killers. It looks great, has some effective scares, and is just a bit shorter than the original — yes, by two minutes! That being said, half of what makes Romero's original film so fantastic is seeing everything that was accomplished on a low budget. So basically, if you're looking to go the exploitation movie route, go Romero. If you want a more traditional and polished version of the story, give Eisner's film a shot. Either way, you can't go wrong.
Romero has one of the most widely celebrated filmographies of any genre filmmaker, with his most obscure movies even being worthy of discussion. The Crazies isn't a rediscovered hidden gem or anything, but it deserves a greater place in the Romero conversation right up alongside the Dead movies, Martin, Creepshow, and all the rest. So if you're itching to get to know the most underrated gem in Romero's filmography, just kick back, take a nice sip of some "Trixie" water, and make a trip down to Evans City to catch The Crazies.
Sam Williamson is a senior writer for Collider as well as a musician and independent filmmaker.