Day #2
The Crazies
(1973)
When a military plane goes down over a small town it inadvertently contaminates their water supply with a biological weapon: one designed to leave people dead or insane. As the military desperately tries to quarantine their mistake the populace is left caught between a government desperate to cover their asses and a community contaminated with madness.
Fright Factor:
1.2 / 5 U.S. Governments
Gore Factor:
2 / 5 Fake Blood Stains
Should you watch it?
I think it’s worth watching, but not for the reasons you’d expect.
Unlike the 2010 remake, the original is not particularly well made and it’s certainly not very scary. Maybe it was scarier back when the effects weren’t so dated? Although I somehow doubt it. It has a couple moments where it tries to shock you, but nothing in it really ever seems like it’s trying to scare you.
However, while the remake focused on the horror of those trying to survive, this one focuses primarily on the government’s bumbling efforts to the control the situation. The survivors are more or less just there to juxtapose that bumbling with the disastrous effects it’s having on the populace. This was 1973 and the United States’ direct military involvement in the Vietnam War had just come to an end, and judging from this film, trust in the government's competence was at an all-time low.
So if you’re looking to be freaked out, this movie is certainly not going to do it for you. But if you’re looking to see an early 70s horror movie give the United States’ military industrial complex a big ol’ middle finger, then you’ve come to the right place.
“I don't mean to jump on you, Colonel. It just AMAZES me how shoddy this operation is.”
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