The Crazies
The Crazies is a remake of a squirmy 1973 George A. Romero movie which this time around adds the capable acting chops of Timothy Olyphant to the mix. He’s David Dutton the sheriff of a sleepy Midwest farming town where the pace is a little mind numbing – but that is not what severely numbs the minds of townsfolk in a geometric progression. Something is turning the villagers into murderous zombies and as usual with these gore fests the culprit is either a rogue virus strain or a toxic government conspiracy. Here it’s actually a bit of both. As families are robotically torn apart Auschwitz style by anonymous soldiers in gas masks David is separated from his pregnant wife Judy (Radha Mitchell) but he makes it his mission to reunite with her at all costs. Then it’s survival any way possible against not only the all of a sudden ubiquitous army but also the stricken populace they seem only too keen on destroying. As splatter fests go The Crazies oozes out a fair amount of tension and fans of the genre won’t be disappointed.