Following in the wake of his pretentious and boring SEASON OF THE WITCH, THE CRAZIES finds director George Romero in familiar territory with this story of a town's folk turned incurably insane through the intervention of a chemical weapon transferred through the town's water supply - a story which has minor conspiracy-theory implications which firmly sets it in the paranoid world of '70s cinema. Right from the arresting opening, in which a father attempts to murder his entire family, Romero's fast-paced movie never lets up, leading us from one scene of bloodshed and chaos to the next with little time to think or breathe. Once again, as with NIGHT OF THE LIVING DADand his following movies, Romero's low budget adds to the gritty realism of the film which makes it a cut above the rest - indeed I feel this is much stronger, and far more affecting stuff than the likes of OUTBREAK and other "disease of the week" thrillers of the '90s.

Despite a longer-than-average running time, THE CRAZIES never becomes boring or tired - instead it keeps you gripped throughout until the predictably downbeat conclusion. The film expertly weaves two plot strands - the efforts of a small group of people to survive, and the efforts of the people in charge to contain the outbreak - together into one satisfying whole and the themes and storyline are often impressive. I especially like the way in which the intervention of the soldiers in contamination suits eventually becomes even more dangerous for our survivors than the disease itself, and Romero dots the film with memorable disturbing images - my 'favourite' being when a vicar dowses himself in petrol and burns himself kneeling in front of his church - so that it can easily be classed as a horror film as well as a sci-fi-style thriller.

As well as this, THE CRAZIES has a ton of shoot-outs and gun battles to make it watchable for the action-orientated crowd too. The highlight is a tense scene in which a crazed man, Clank, takes on a pack of soldiers in the woods. The film recalls NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD in scenes of the soldiers roaming through the countryside, gunning down those that are infected, and the madness back at the army's base in town - with various parties ranting at each other - is a subject Romero returned to with the opening scenes of DAWN OF THE DEAD. The tension is racked up as the film progresses, as our party of survivors who hope to escape gradually dwindles and their chances are repeatedly dashed.

The acting is especially strong from the unknown cast, with female lead Lane Carroll particularly affecting as the pregnant mother caught up in the chaos and trying only to escape with her husband. The husband, played by John Saxon-lookalike Will MacMillan, is also a strong and this time heroic character who you end up rooting for. Also memorable are Harold Wayne Jones as 'Clank', the friend who ends up turning crazy himself in memorable style, whilst the various colonels and doctors involved also have strong roles. Fans of Romero's DAY OF THE DEAD may spot Richard Liberty (the Doc) in this film as a family man turned insane, who ends up desiring his beautiful elfin daughter Kathy (Lynn Lowry, who plays Kathy, is tragic and disturbing at the same time). Regular Romero collaborator Bill Hinzman is also in there somewhere too, although I didn't spot him.

THE CRAZIES is a strong piece of adult film making which expertly achieves the atmosphere of confusion and chaos that it sets out to put across - a world in which the character's lives are turned upside down and their existence becomes a brutal and often bloody struggle for survival against the overwhelming odds of the US army. Despite it's pessimism and bleakness, this is an entertaining and gripping movie to watch and another feather in the hat for Romero.

Aka Code Name: Trixie. In a small Pennsylvanian town, people are going crazy. The military determines that a virus is spreading. The town is put under quarantine and the military ruthlessly intern the civilians. Both infected and uninfected resist with violence. The virus turns out to be an accidental release of a military bio-weapon.

I'm guessing that George A. Romero means the crazies to refer to the military rather than the infected. Otherwise, he wouldn't spend so much time with the boring soldiers. The infected don't have enough screen time. By splitting up the perspectives between the soldiers and the civilians, the movie struggles to gain narrative traction. It's more of a testament to a ruthlessness of bureaucracy. As a horror, it does not measure up to his more iconic work. It's more an essay than a thrilling story.

I haven't seen the remake of this. I hope it has a bit more verisimilitude (I love to sneak that word in). This is one of those films where people deliver lines a bit like Romero's zombies. There is so much pain in the situation thrust upon them, and we are to believe that our society would be as indifferent and cruel as they are presented here. Everyone is afraid of panic. Yes, panic is not a good thing, but it is traded for a group of townspeople thrust into a horror story, not understanding what is going on. Obviously, this premise rides along on the fact that there was never a contingency for what takes place and so the army and its counterparts don't have a clue how to handle things. Thank God these people aren't like this in war or we'd be goose stepping to this day. So, while it's entertaining, don't think too much. It's a caricature B movie. But that's what this director is best at.