Shot on location in Evans City and Zelienople — 30 miles north of Pittsburgh and within minutes of the hometown of this author — The Crazies feels like a companion to Night, albeit one that has an explanation and less of the dread of having no clue as to why the world is ending.Where Night of the Living Dead speculates that a Jupiter probe is the cause and Dawn of the Living Dead claims that perhaps Hell has run out of room, The Crazies leaves no question as to why things are falling apart. The government has created a bioweapon called Trixie that causes its victims to either die instantly or become homicidal; this weapons has ended up in the Evans City (home to the opening graveyard of Night) drinking water.Also, the film tries to see things from the side of the individual and the government that struggles to contain the epidemic that it has accidentally started. The full fear and chaos of Vietnam and Watergate are on display here; the military men and women may be individuals, but en masse they are a frightful and faceless force that are ordered to kill American citizens — on American soil — on sight, simply because they have become infected.The Crazies begins by subverting one of the central themes of Night of the Living Dead. Instead of children rising up to kill and devour their parents, parents are killing their children. A girl and her brother wander their house. She's convinced he is messing with her, but it turns out the father is dousing the house in kerosene. The daughter finds him, only for him to set the house ablaze. Cue opening credits as we watch the house burn.We find David in bed with his girlfriend Judy as fire alarms go off and the phone rings. They're both called into work to deal with the fire that opens the film, but not before setting up that she's pregnant. Judy drops him off at the fire station, where we meet Clank, our third main character.There are troops all over the hospital where Judy works, led by Major Ryder. There's a press blackout and incredibly secrecy, as a plane has crashed in the hills near the city containing the Trixie bioweapon. Colonel Peckem is ordered to contain the virus while Dr. Watts is brought in an attempt to cure the virus, which doesn't seem like a certainty, what with nuclear bombers in flight to nuke the town and soldiers that shoot anyone that tries to escape.Read more at http://bit.ly/2io4Rha

A plane carrying a biological weapon crashes near a small Pennsylvania town. The weapon is a virus that drives people insane. The military quickly moves in and sets up martial law, preventing anyone from leaving the town. A group of people, including a nurse and her unibrowed boyfriend, try to escape the town before they're infected. But to do so they'll have to evade the military and the crazies.George Romero's first really good movie after Night of the Living Dead is this engrossing low-budget thriller with some creepy moments and surprises. The actors are a mixture of semi-professionals and amateurs. I know Romero went for this approach to add some realism to the movie. Sometimes it works; sometimes it is pretty campy. A lot of these people can't act to save their lives. Most of the movie is people yelling at each other but there is quite a bit of action (of the uncoordinated variety). The '70s aesthetic and rural location shooting is a plus. Definitely worth a look. Also, 2010 remake wasn't half-bad.

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.

In Evans City, a plane crashes on the hill releasing for six days in the water the bacteriological weapon Trixie that affects only human beings. The army under the command of Colonel Peckemseals (Lloyd Hollar) seals off the town to contain the virus and there is no antidote for the victims that are doomed to die or become incurably mad. The pregnant nurse Judy (Lane Carroll), her husband David (W.G. McMillan), their friend Clank (Harold Wayne Jones), their new acquaintance Artie (Richard Liberty) and his daughter Kathy (Lynn Lowry) tries to cross the border of the town, but the escapees are hunted by the army. Meanwhile, the scientist Dr. Ralston Watts (Richard France) researches blood samples trying to find the cure for the disease."The Crazies" is a tale of paranoia and madness in a period when the world was afraid of a bacteriological war. The plot is based on a total stupidity from the authorities that send the army to contain the virus in a small town but does not provide any explanation to the population, invading real estates and breaking in homes. The lead scientist is another stupid character. Surprisingly this year it was released a remake of this average film. Last time I saw this film was on 04 July 2000. My vote is six.Title (Brazil): "O Exército do Extermínio" ("The Extermination Army")