Sunday, October 6, 2013

31 Days of Horror 4: Originals vs. Remakes DAY 6




The Crazies (1973) vs. The Crazies (2010)
Original
Another George A. Romero film, which isn't the best but still good.
In a small town of Pennsylvania, a government plan crashes carrying biological weapons. This deadly weapon seeps into the water supply and anyone who drinks it becomes crazy and murderous. David (Will McMillan), a firefighter and his wife, Judy (Lane Carroll) and a few others attempt to escape the town.
Romero is able to take away the living dead and replace it with ordinary people and it works well.
The whole idea behind The Crazies is a thought provoking one. It really explores the effect of biochemical disasters. Yet, it does come off as a zombie knockoff and that’s the biggest flaw the film has. It can’t escape being compared to the Romero zombie films that came before it.
Remake
In 2010 they released the remake and I was impressed with it.
This remake does follow pretty much the same story as the original, but it’s one of the few that got it right. I was so surprised to see that the film had intelligence, tension, and style. It felt like director and writers really had a passion for the original and wanted to do the remake justice and they did.
Yes, the charm of Romero’s original is lost, and the film does give us run and hide moments that we could have done without. Also, the movie does fall into some of the genre’s trappings, which is disappointing when you have a smart script. But the director seems to understand how to balance the horror and illogicality of the situation.
So, which is better?
I’m going to have to go with the remake. Yes, the original has its charm and it will always hold a special place in horror, but the remake took that idea and made it even better. That’s a true accomplishment, especially when you’re talking about a horror movie remake.
Remake Wins

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