The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

The Crazies is a remake of
George Romeo’s film in 1972 about a small town where citizens suddenly suffer
from brutal insanity after drinking its infected water. Sheriff David
(Olyphant) tries to figure out the source of this crisis as hundreds of the
town’s people become infected. It’s not long before David decides that there’s no
other choice but to make a run for it with his wife Judy (Mitchell), his deputy
Russell (Anderson)
and another unaffected civilian, Becca (Panabaker). As they try to survive,
they’re put in all kinds of deadly situations and unexpected twists.

Luckily for us,
this is one horror film with a superior plot. The Crazies starts with an ordinary afternoon on a baseball field,
where a local man unexpectedly walks in with a shotgun  and is about to shoot. Sheriff David is forced to shoot him to protect the rest of the town. Apparently, he is the first victim to be contaminated by the
waters- the first crazy. The scene is simply filmed, yet extremely terrifying –
a solid opening without special effects, cheap scares, or extraordinary filming
techniques. That’s when you first realise that this film has rich material.

Backed by underexposed
talents, The Crazies is a pleasant
surprise to watch. There are no famous actors in the cast, yet they all give a
solid performance. Olyphant is believable as the vulnerable yet heroic sheriff who
is adamant to find out the truth behind the disaster. He shows genuine fear as
he fights for his own life and his wife’s, which makes his character both
credible and relatable.

Mitchell has a
strong and smart role as his wife Judy, where –for a change – her character is
a supportive lead instead of crying for help and helplessly depending on the
male lead. Anderson
plays the loyal deputy, who literally has the sheriff’s back at all times.

What made The Crazies work is its lack of quick
edited shots and cheap thrills. The film takes its time in setting the pace
leading to the action scenes. Nothing was over the top in the entire film. It
was very close to reality, that’s why it was appealing. The crazies are similar
to zombies, but in this film they’re much more horrifying because they still have
a brain, which makes them more dangerous.

The Crazies is not the best
horror film ever made; but given the limited options offered these
days, you will definitely appreciate it if you get the chance to check it out.
This is a stable thriller that doesn’t fall off the edge, but might make you
fall off yours.