George Romero was never one for subtlety. After having zombies and witches with a dose of social commentary, what was next?
Evens City is a quiet little burg in rural Pennsylvania, or at least it was until over the course of twenty-four hours people start acting...funny. Like the farmer who murdered his entire family before setting his house on fire. Local firefighters David (Will McMillian) and Clank (Harold Wayne Jones) are driving themselves to exhaustion putting out fires. David's girlfriend Judy (Lane Carroll) is expecting their first child, and they're both worried about the escalating violence.
Major Ryder (Harry Spillman) does little to calm the locals down. He puts the entire city and surrounding area on lock down and sends armed men in NBC suits door to door. The real reason he's there is Code Name: Trixie. Trixie is a nasty little thing, designed to drive the infected into homicidal madness...and guess which reservoir is now host to it thanks to a crashed Army plane?
Assisting him are Colonel Peckem (Lloyd Hollar) and Dr. Watts (Richard France). Peckem is ordered to help restore order, whereas Watts is ordered to work on a cure as he was the one who designed Trixie. Although as Watts points out, having him shackled to a rural high school science lab and check blood samples is something a first year intern can do. He does make a good point that he can do more good at an actual lab...but orders are orders.
That last part is a major problem. Since the troops are ordered to maintain a total blackout, no one is allowed in or out. The residents start to resist the occupiers, although is that because they're fighting for their homes or because they're infected? Tensions ratchet past the breaking point and soon a free for all is declared.
David and Clank hook up with a another group of survivors, but the infection plus the troopers whittles them down to David and Judy. Dr. Watts keeps trying to convince the Army that he can be a greater help elsewhere, but is he infected or the troops?
Cynical as all get out. If Night of the Living Dead left you feeling down, then skip the Crazies. It's also a bit cheap and looks it. The performances still save the film, even if most of the cast are spiteful jackasses.
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