The Crazies - Fear Thy Neighbor

The horror genre in particular is currently dominated by sequels and remakes like no other film subject. Originality is unfortunately far too rare to find here, especially since the countless remakes only in the rarest cases succeed in capturing the spirit of the original really aptly and at the same time create something new, own. "The Crazies", a remake of George A. Romero's 1973 shocker, is one of those rare cases where one can speak of an all-around successful rehash.

Director Breck Eisner ("Sahara - Adventures in the Desert") absolutely nailed it: He's loosened the essence of Romero's original and crafted it into something of his own. The story is set in a typical small American town somewhere in the Midwest. Here the world is still in order, here the neighbors are there for each other and meet each other with kindness and respect. But that changes abruptly from one day to the next. Suddenly, an otherwise peace-loving fellow citizen shows up at a baseball game with a shotgun, another kills his entire family and then torches his farm. And even before Sheriff David Dutten (Timothy Olyphant) can investigate these strange occurrences, total chaos erupts in the town - and soon David and his heavily pregnant wife, Judy (Radha Mitchell), are left with nothing but pure survival.

Breck Eisner has directed the breakdown of the small-town American idyll in an extremely suspenseful and effective manner. While there are one or two hefty splatter effects here and there, overall his version of "The Crazies" relies more on a pervasive menacing atmosphere than overly copious blood orgies. Because the horror is confined to a rather narrow space for long stretches and the full extent of the horror is revealed only gradually, this very threatening atmosphere can also be transferred extensively to the viewer. And that's what makes this shocker so effective.

But the decision to cast the main characters with experienced actors rather than TV starlets in their early twenties who are attractive only to the eye also pays off. Not only Timothy Olyphant and the since "Silent Hill" genre-experienced Radha Mitchell convince in the apocalyptic scenario. Supporting actors like Joe Anderson ("Across The Universe") and Danielle Panabaker ("Mr. Brooks") also deliver above-average performances for the horror genre. Good camerawork and Mark Isham's atmospheric score also contribute to making "The Crazies" an all-around successful scare.

Admittedly, the wheel is truly not reinvented here. Those who have seen infection movies like "28 Days later" in recent years won't really be surprised here. But compared to the countless truly uninspired remakes and lame sequels of recent years, this reimagining of George A. Romero's classic horror story does more than decent. Therefore: for all fans of the genre absolutely worth seeing!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp