"Night of the Living Dead [1968] suggested that Romero was an unusual if none too clearly defined talent; two non-horror movies later, The Crazies proved it...he brilliantly updates the riddle Don Siegel posed in Invasion of the Body Snatchers [1956]: how can one tell who is infected and who isn't?...Good dialogue and performances, too. Altogether, enough plusses to excuse weak plotting and occasional lapses into cliché."
Tony Rayns, TimeOut Film Guide

"Fast-moving, low-budget horror movie that also attempts to be a satire on rigid, military attitudes; it does achieve a certain frisson by its driving relentlessness and copious killing."
Halliwell's Film & Video Guide

"A frightening commentary on martial law. Fast-paced editing breathes an exciting tempo into this low-budget film, Romero's personal favorite."
John Stanley, Creature Features: The Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Movie Guide

"A far slicker film than Romero's debut, Night of the Living Dead which this is virtually a remake of, The Crazies suffers from looking too calculated. In place of the rugged, disturbing atmosphere of his first film, this (like David Cronenberg's similarly infected remake of his classic, The Parasite Murders, 1975, Rabid, 1977) sees Romero overstriving for effects...The movie's one point of departure from Night of the Living Dead is Romero's pointed contrast between the military, who, as they follow orders, are revealed to be as crazed as the Crazies, and the care and concern shown each other by the members of the group they hunt."
Phil Hardy, The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction Movies

"Average paranoia movie...Romero is better at maintaining a high body count than being profound."
Sight and Sound

"In Romero's malevolent comedy of errors, everything that can possibly go wrong does. This is an interesting treatment of Vietnam analogy as horror film, although it's often too unfocused and downbeat for its own good. It's well edited, though, with the idea of the military becoming just as big a threat as the "crazies" well brought off."
James O'Neill, Terror on Tape

"Almost unlimited blood and gore....an onslaught of horror upon horror."
Cinefantastique

"Frightening and exciting...a surprising, neglected treat!"
All Movie Guide

by Jeff Stafford