The Crazies (2010) is a thriller horror directed by Breck Eisner, and takes place in the fictional town Ogden Marsh, Pierce County, Iowa ("the friendliest place on Earth") whose town water supply is accidentally infected with the "Trixie" virus. After an incubation period of 48 hours, the virus gradually transforms the mental state of the infected into cold, calculating, depraved, bloodthirsty killers ("Crazies") who then prey on family and neighbors alike. The Crazies is a remake of the original released in 1973 by the same name directed by independent horror film director George A. Romero, a filmmaker synonymous to the horror genre for his zombie film series made up of iconic films such as Dawn of the Dead (1978) and Day of the Dead (1985).
Narrative Structure
The opening of The Crazies does not follow Tzvetan Todorov's Classical Hollywood Narrative theory (CHN). According to Todorov's theory all films start with a state of calm normality, the equilibrium, in The Crazies the establishing shot of the film shows a burning town, which ushers in disorder from the off. Usually this would be the event of a film and disruption to the equilibrium, but this film's equilibrium is turmoil.
The film then continues with superimposed text "Two days earlier", this infers that the events of the film took place over the course of two days.
We then get a relative equilibrium when the town's Sheriff, David, who going by Vladimir Propp's Character Types theory is the film's hero and main protagonist, is buying a coffee at the high school baseball game. This evidence of equilibrium is quickly etched away when farmer and former alcoholic Rory Hamill steps onto the baseball field with a shotgun in hand, causing disruption to the equilibrium.
David and his deputy (Russel) rush the field and evacuate all of the students playing baseball and try reasoning with Rory telling him to put the gun down, to which he is unresponsive to, leading David to assume that after two years off of alcohol (which his wife tells us later on in the film), that Rory has been drinking again. Rory then points the shotgun at David, leaving David with no choice but to shoot and kill Rory, before he kills him. Later in the film it is pointed out that Rory's alcohol levels before his death were 0.0, making him the first to be infected by the "Trixie" virus.
The event of the film is the plane crash and happens off screen, although we don't see it happen we know that it has happened because we are told about it, the plane crash is accidental and was carrying the virus, which was on its way to be destroyed as the government and scientists that had been developing it believed that it posed too big a threat.
The film has no real resolution or new equilibrium either, as the ending of the film sees Russel and his wife Judy heading towards a new town, Cedar Rapids, which the government are planning a contamination protocol, which destroyed Ogden Marsh, looping it back to the beginning of the film, ending the film on a low point like it had started on. This is conventional of horror films, it can set up sequels and also goes against the expected happy endings and new equilibrium that the majority of other film genres tend to have.
Character Types
We can identify six of Propp's character types in The Crazies distinctly.
David is the Hero of the film as he tries to keep the townfolk safe at the beginning of the film by shooting Rory, who poses a threat to towns people by being infected and stepping onto the baseball field with a shotgun, as well as this David saves his wife and several other peoples lives as well as himself and survives.
The government and scientists behind the development of the "Trixie" virus are the Villains of the film for developing the "Trixie" virus. The US army are also the villains as it is a military aircraft which crashes into the town's water supply causing the virus to spread to the community.
Becca is the Princess. She is the youngest of the group of survivors and is saved by Judy's screaming distraction, averting the principle's attention to Judy, before he is killed by David.
Russel is the Helper, As deputy to David, his job is to support David in which he does so by sacrificing his life for him and his wife to help them get to the petrol station.
As well as being the Helper Russel is also the Dispatcher for this reason too as his ultimate sacrifice means that David and Judy can go on to safety and sends them on their way. Rory is also the dispatcher too as he is the first townsperson infected by the "Trixie" virus and the virus spreads soon after.
The False Hero of the film is the Mayor as he refuses to turn off the town's water supply. He thinks he is helping because his reasoning for doing so is that the town need the water to grow their crops, when really he is allowing the virus to spread from the source of its contamination. Russel also counts as a false hero as when he starts to show symptoms of the virus he begins to hinder David and Judy's progression instead of helping them.
Binary Oppositions
There are five different instances of Binary Opposition in The Crazies:
1. Good vs. Evil
2. Known vs. Unknown
3. Open space vs. Confined space
4. Past vs. Present
5. Science vs. Nature
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