The Crazies (Breck Eisner, 2010)
synopsis: About the inhabitants of a small Iowa town suddenly plagued by insanity and then death after a mysterious toxin contaminates their water supply.
The mainstream horror genre definitely didn’t make many big strides in the past decade. Yes, every once in awhile the right director, actors, etc. were married together to create something truly special or original (The Hills Have Eyes, 30 Days of Night, Dawn of the Dead), but let’s face it; most recent Hollywood horror films have SUCKED. How intriguing is it, then, that the first real horror film to be released in this young decade happens to be one of the best I’ve seen in nearly five years. I’d like to think this means we’re at the dawn of a new age of great horror, but honestly? When The Crazies 2 inevitably comes out in two years I’ll realize we weren’t. Still, it’s nice to dream.
The basic premise is pretty simple; mysterious government plane crashes in small Iowa town, people slowly start losing it, first zoning out, then committing heinous, brutal acts of violence on the people around them. As the lead and the sheriff of the town, Tim Olyphant continues to show that he’s one of the most under-appreciated actors working today. As the main character, he has to be sympathetic and a little bit vulnerable to connect to the audience, but…he definitely isn’t a pussy. Let’s just say that. The supporting cast is also almost universally solid, with the main standout being Joe Anderson as the town deputy, who may have always been a little nuts.
The thing that will impress, shock, amaze, (insert adjective here) you the most is the competency of the cinematography and overall direction. One thing horror films are not known for is their production values. There are some truly gorgeous shots here, particuarly a wide shot of an enormous farmhouse on fire that brought to mind both There Will Be Blood and Days of Heaven. I believe director Breck Eisner has created the first ever mainstream arthouse horror film.
In creating the first great horror film of this very young decade, I’m interested where Eisner will go next. According to his IMDb, he is scheduled to direct a remake of Flash Gordon, which is ok, but I’m more interested in his project after that; a remake of David Cronenberg’s The Brood. I know the Cronenberg fanboys will be up in arms about this, but I truly think he can bring something original to it. Could we be seeing the next Zack Snyder? I hope so.
Nice review.