The Crazies (1973)

"The Crazies", also known as "Code Name: Trixie" is an early film written and directed by George A. Romero that focuses on the military and how they handle a the accidental release dangerous biological weapon. In comparison with movies today, this film feels slow and plodding and awfully low budget. I must admit that it took me two attempts to watch this film in it's entirety but when I finished it, I was happy with the results. The content is dark and terrifying and it paints a grim possibility of how things could have happened back in the 1970's if such an accident did occur.

An untested biological weapon known as Trixie is released into the water supply of a small Pennsylvania town. The weapon is highly contagious and quickly infects most of the residents, making them violent and suicidal. When not trying to kill each other, the residents are busy attacking the military, who have their own orders to kill the residents on sight. The movie focuses on David, a firefighter and his girlfriend Judy as they struggle to escape from the town, and Dr. Watts, a specialist who is working on finding a cure. The military tries it's best to contain the problem but by the end of the film, the effects have spread to larger cities near by.