The Crazies

In director George Romero's THE CRAZIES, a government plane carrying a biological warfare virus crashes near the small Pennsylvania town of Evans City. The virus finds its way into the town's drinking water, turning everyone who comes in contact with it into a murderous lunatic. Firefighter David (Will McMillan) and his pregnant wife Judy (Lane Carroll) remain unaffected but face great danger in trying to escape the town, which has been quarantined by the U. S. army, who lurk around every corner clad in gas masks and protective suits. Joining them in their attempt to escape are Clank (Harold Wayne Jones), one of David's fellow firemen, and Kathy and Artie (Lynn Lowry and Richard Liberty), a father and daughter whose strange behavior indicates that they might have been exposed to the virus. Similar in tone and structure to his LIVING DEAD trilogy, Romero's film overcomes a visibly limited budget to create a colorful 1970s genre film that neatly captures the feeling of governmental distrust that was characteristic of the Vietnam era. With both a social message and plenty of splatter, THE CRAZIES is an underrated horror film with appeal.