History Film / TheCrazies

* RecoveredAddict: Rory.

* NewscasterCameo: The newscaster in the credits is Bruce Aune, a real KCRG-TV9 anchor.

* SceneryGorn: Right after [[spoiler: the nuclear explosion]].

* ShoutOut: While other characters and the ending credits only refer to him by his first name, Russell at one point mentions his surname is Clank, a reference to the character from the original he's based on.

* NoFEMAResponse: The remake has the first city cordoned off and Fuel Air Bombed. Worse, they make everybody think they're evacuating, when they're really just herding them into trucks to burn them alive. Survivors make it to another city which is then targeted for the same treatment.

* GasMaskMooks: The only human interaction between the townspeople and the soldiers comes when they grab one and pull his mask off.

A 1973 horror movie by George A. Romero (of ''LivingDeadSeries'' fame). A small town in Pennsylvania suffers from a string of violent attacks, ranging from beatdowns to arson. Firefighter David and his pregnant wife Judy are thrust into all this and to top it off, the military quarantine the town with orders to shoot anybody that escapes, regardless of being infected or not. David and Judy must try their damnedest to escape before the infected or the military get them.

A 1973 horror movie by George A. Romero. A small town in Pennsylvania suffers from a string of violent attacks, ranging from beatdowns to arson. Firefighter David and his pregnant wife Judy are thrust into all this and to top it off, the military quarantine the town with orders to shoot anybody that escapes, regardless of being infected or not. David and Judy must try their damnedest to escape before the infected or the military get them.

* HeyItsThatGuy: The original features a couple of actors who would appear in later Romero films. Richard France (Dr. Watts) plays another doctor on a talk show in ''Film/DawnOfTheDead'', and Richard Liberty (Artie) is Dr. Logan in ''Film/DayOfTheDead''.

* [[SamusIsAGirl Samus Is Black]]: Although the audience already knows it, the sheriff and mayor are visibly startled when Colonel Peckhem first removes his gasmask.

* HumansAreTheRealMonsters: This Romero staple is also present in both the original and the remake; while the virus certainly causes insanity and violent tendencies in its hosts, it should be noted that those infected maintain self-awareness and personality, some even retain their full intelligence, and some of them aren't even violent at all. The murderous acts committed by those who ''do'' turn violent seem to stem from their own deep, subconscious desires, such as for revenge, or for an "entertaining" hunt, or to slice up on living bodies. As such, it can be argued that Trixie doesn't ''make'' the townsfolk murderers, it just ''brings out'' their violent intentions.

* HumansAreTheRealMonsters: This Romero staple is also present in both the original and the remake; while the virus certainly causes insanity and violent tendencies in its hosts, it should be noted that those infected maintain self-awareness and personality, and some even retain full intelligence, and some of them aren't even violent at all. The murderous acts committed by those who ''do'' turn violent seem to stem from their own deep, subconscious desires, such as for revenge, or for an "entertaining" hunt, or to slice up on living bodies. As such, it can be argued that Trixie doesn't ''make'' the townsfolk murderers, it just ''brings out'' their violent intentions.

* HumansAreTheRealMonsters: This Romero staple is also present in both the original and the remake; while the virus certainly causes insanity and violent tendencies in its hosts, it should be noted that those infected maintain self-awareness and personality, and some even retain full intelligence. The murderous acts they carry out stem from their own deep, subconscious desires, such as for revenge, or for an "entertaining" hunt, or to slice up on living bodies. As such, it can be argued that the infection doesn't ''make'' the townsfolk murderers, it just ''brings out'' their violent intentions.

* HumansAreTheRealMonsters: This Romero staple is also present in both the original and the remake; while the virus certainly causes insanity and violent tendencies in its hosts, it should be noted that those infected maintain self-awareness and personality, and some even retain full intelligence. The murderous acts they carry out stem from ''their own deep, subconscious desires'', such as for revenge, or for an "entertaining" hunt, or to slice up on living bodies. As such, it can be argued that the infection doesn't ''make'' the townsfolk murderers, it just ''brings out'' their subconsciously murderous intentions and desires.

* DamselInDistress: Any time David leaves Judy alone for more than two minutes, she ends up facing a crazy and needing rescuing. She beats the shit out of a crazy in the scene wit the no-touch car wash, though, and later in the big rig. Pretty much everyone but Russell qualifies as a 'Distressed [Pronoun]' at one point or another. It's that kind of movie.

* DressingAsTheEnemy: David tries this but it backfires, causing Judy to flee in panic; then David is attacked by townspeople thinking he's a soldier [[spoiler:and Judy gets shot.]]

* [[SamusIsAGirl Samus is Black]]: Although the audience already knows it, the sheriff and mayor are visibly startled when Colonel Peckhem first removes his gasmask.

* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech:
-->'''Dr. Watts:''' It just ''astonishes'' me how shoddy this whole operation is.\\
'''Col. Peckhem:''' [[SeenItAll Nothing astonishes me anymore.]]

* DistressedDamsel: Any time David leaves Judy alone for more than two minutes, she ends up facing a crazy and needing rescuing. She beats the shit out of a crazy in the scene wit the no-touch car wash, though, and later in the big rig. Pretty much everyone but Russell qualifies as a 'Distressed [Pronoun]' at one point or another. It's that kind of movie.
* DownerEnding: [[spoiler:everyone David and Judy knew is now dead since the government [[NukeEm nuked their home town]] after [[KillEmAll indiscriminately killing EVERYONE inside]]. And when they escape to a new town? The same containment protocol will happen.]]

* GroinAttack: With a ''[[NoKillLikeOverkill buzzsaw.]]''

** The funeral home and the medical examiners' office scenes are [[JustifiedTrope justified]] examples, as is the scene where David, Judy, Russell and Becca watch [[spoiler:Scotty and his mother]] shot down and then burned by flamethrowers.

** There's the knife that was [[spoiler:stabbed through David's hand.]]

* KillItWithFire: The second infected man [[spoiler:does this to his wife and son]]. And the military does it to [[spoiler:the whole town from more than one angle!]]

* NotUsingTheZedWord:

* OurZombiesAreDifferent: See NotUsingTheZedWord. While the insanity virus sounds similar to that of ''Film/TwentyEightDaysLater'''s rage-filled zombies, the victims of this virus retain both their intelligence and their personality - usually.
* [[OutrunTheFireball Outdrive The Fireball]]: [[spoiler:Subverted. The nuke still overtakes them and blasts the truck off course, but they survive with minor injuries.]]

* SinisterScrapingSound[=/=]SwordDrag: [[spoiler:The school principal]] with his pitchfork as well as [[spoiler:the hunters at the truck stop with his knife.]]

* PoorCommunicationKills: A literal version of this trope; the officer originally sent to deal with the crashed plane isn't told he's dealing with a bioweapon. The crisis team has to communicate through a voiceprint security system that delays communication. The media blackout means that the townspeople end up fighting the military, because they don't understand what's happening or that they shouldn't drink the water. Dr. Watts rushes out without telling the technician working with him how he found the cure.

* JustFollowingOrders: The President gets frustrated by the government's slow response to the crisis, and orders the next available expert to be sent into the crisis zone. Cue Dr Watts futilely arguing with the soldiers driving him to the plane that it makes ''no'' sense for the top authority on the Trixie virus to be sent into the town given the limited resources there; all they need is a lab technician to take samples. The soldiers are sympathetic, but are hardly going to disobey orders from the President.

* PoorCommunicationKills: A literal version of this trope; the officer originally sent to deal with the crashed plane isn't told he's dealing with a bioweapon. The crisis team has to communicate through a voiceprint security system that delays communication. The media blackout means that the townspeople end up fighting the military, because they don't understand what's happening or that they shoudn't drink the water. Dr. Watts rushes out without telling the technician working with him how he found the cure.

* ScienceIsBad: The core of an arguement between Colonel Peckhem and Dr. Watts. Peckhem accuses Watts and his fellow scientists of (incorrectly) assuring the military that the Trixie virus was 100% benign; Watts counters that the actual figure was a bit less than that -- based on standards set ''by the military.''

* JustFollowingOrders: The President gets frustrated by the government's slow response to the crisis, and orders the next available expert to be sent into the crisis zone. Cue Dr Watts futilely arguing with the soldiers driving him to the plane that it makes ''no'' sense for the top authority on the virus to be sent into the town given the limited resources there; all they need is a lab technician to take samples. The soldiers are sympathetic, but are hardly going to disobey orders from the President.

* FamousLastWords: Subverted with Kathy who just gives a quiet "Oh" after being shot.