“The Crazies” by Paul Mccollough: Identity and Connection With Stoker’s “Dracula” Term Paper

Introduction

The paper is a critical analysis of a movie, The Crazies written by Paul McCollough, directed by George Romeo and produced in 1973, one of the movies I like. The essay discusses the story, movie synopsis, themes as well as its origin are brought forth. Additionally, the paper tries to bring out the link between the movie and the works of Bram Stoker, Dracula. The movie after being released on March 16 1973 was distributed by Cambist Films and runs for 103 minutes. Theme refers to a point of view stance or acuity personified and articulated through art, in this case-The Crazies.

Movie summary

The movie features the following actors and actress; Lane Carroll, Will MacMillan, Robert Karlowsky, McDonaldHarold Wayne Jones, Robert McCully, Lyloyd Hollar, Richard Liberty, Bill Thunhurst, Richard France, Leland Starnes, Harry Spillman and Will Disney.

The movie (Trixie) is an American horror-action movie about the adverse effects of the release of a biological military weapon that got its way accidentally to people living in a small town within America Evan’s city in Pennsylvania. Spells of psychosis in the general population are leading to kill and cause mayhem, when the United States Army turns up to help, indeed things go from bad to worse. It is worth mentioning that a remake of the crazies was released in 2010.

According to the video The Crazies there are two phases, one in which efforts are made to help the general public be safe and sound after the release of the biological weapon and the other a political and military will to curb the menace of violence and murder brought forth by the biological weapon. McMillan and his girlfriend a nurse and Wayne a firefighter like McMillan are central characters. The city has experienced strange happening in the recent past such as an arson fire on a farm within the city.

U.S Army troops well protected arrive at the hospital where McMillan’s girlfriend works as a nurse taking control of the office of the doctor. It come to light that a biological weapon that was had not yet been tested was being carried in an army plane that crashed near a hill within the city. At that instance, the water system was infected with the virus dubbed Trixie; the effects were making people be homicide or just die.¹

The virus is highly contagious prompting government officials to step in by ordering Holler a colonel to go help curb the problem, similarly, Dr. Watts, (France) comes into town in the quest of finding a cure to combat the virus before it is too late. Authorities concluded having in place airborne bombers well equipped to completely destroy the city in case it is deemed fit. More problems and confusion were experienced as the troop shot anyone who tried to escape. The populace was held up in a local school, further chaos led to a sheriff being shot ².

An elderly woman is seen by a soldier, in trying to help her and urging her to follow the soldier, she stubs the soldier with a needle. Almost all local population has been infected. Soldiers are killed by the public who are armed with dynamites as well as guns. A priest is also infected, shocked by what the soldiers are doing to people, using gasoline, burnt himself to death.

Later Lowry and her father Richard together with the other three individuals although were confined in a motor vehicle; managed to escape with the hope of leaving the city. Later, Artie (Richard) had sex with his daughter of course after being infected, Clank, among the other three on seeing this beat Richard who later hanged himself. Kathie (Lowry) was shot dead while wandering outside; Clank in fighting back killed a number of soldiers before he was also killed by a bullet through his head. Judy being infected by the virus is killed by the populace.³ On seeing, this, David got hungry and surrendered to the troop, he kept it a secret about him being infected with the virus.

The doctor’s quest of finding a vaccine for the virus hit a snag when he was mistaken as one of the infected; he died when he was pushed down the stairs. The last scene is where the colonel is ordered to go to another town infected by the virus. While boarding the plane, he looks with a lot of sadness at the troubled city.

Dracula

A novel authored by Bram Stoker in 1897 featuring a vampire. In the novel, Harker a solicitor goes to Count Dracula to offer legal advice for the real estate business. He was fascinated with everything in this town, later he found out that he is confined in the castle seeing facets of the nocturnal way of living of Dracula. In his quest to escape, at night he fell under the spell of the vampires, the count later saved him.⁴

A Russian ship sunk while anchored at Varna and all crew are believed to be dead, one body that of the captain was found. A log made it known that an event transpired that led to the disappearance of the entire crew apparently due to the presence of an animal that looks like a big dog.

Dracula tracked down Harker’s girlfriend and Lucy, a friend to the latter. Lucy later receives three marriage proposals from John, Morris, and Holmwood, she turned down John’s and Morris’s acceptance that of Holmwood.⁵ Dracula notably, had an encounter with Renfield a patient of John; he eats insects and birds according to their size.

Lucy suspiciously got wasted and it was only John who stayed with him. John called Abraham who established Lucy’s conditions but did not disclose it to John. At the time when Abraham was to go back, his massage to John requesting him to take care of Lucy is sent to the wrong address, later Lucy and her mother are attacked by a wolf, both died. After Lucy’s burial, it is evident that children are stalked at night by a lady the kids describe as being beautiful. Abraham concluded that Lucy has become a vampire, he then tells the three guys. They then plot to go after Lucy and try their best in handling the situation.⁶

Harker after escaping from the castle later meet and married his fiancée Mina, together, they resorted to dealing with Dracula. On knowing the plot against him, Dracula visited and bite Harker’s wife, feeding her his blood leading to a spiritual association between the two; this made Dracula fully control Mina.⁷ To address the problem what needed to be done was to first kill the Dracula, this was made possible by the connection he had with Mina. Before sunset, Abraham and his team tracked Dracula and managed to destroy it by cutting his throat and stabbing his heart. The crumbling of Dracula freed Mina. Morris is killed by one of the vampires; those who survived went back to England.

Themes in The crazies

Power and government distrust is one of the recurrent themes in the movie. From the onset, it is evident that it is indeed the government bestowed with power that made things even worse than they were. The government resorted to a brutal way of handling the situation; it seemed to have resorted to breaking and scrambling some eggs so to speak⁸. They shoot people they deemed were escaping, additionally, the preparation of having in place an airborne bomber is much more horrifying as this meant that it was ready to do away with the entire population in that city, this creates a deep sense of distrust between the citizens and there government sort of love-hate relationship. This shows that the citizens are horrified about their civil liberty that opts to be guaranteed by the government.

In addition, a sense of anarchy is brought forth in which case every person fights for himself. The movie tries to bring out the government as being both a savior and at the same time a devil to its people. When David and the other four including his wife tried running away, what the soldiers did to them makes us appreciate the fact that the government can be as dangerous in fact as the ‘crazies’

There is also a case of a high level of secrecy. No one knows what the biological weapon was intended for, a guess that is left to anyone is for war between America and one of its enemies. Additionally, David although infected by the virus, did not disclose it to the troop when he surrendered.

Lastly, in the video The Crazies ⁹what comes out clear is the concept of distinction, in which those not infected are killing and rioting and on the other hand, those not infected and in power resort to barbaric and inhuman tactics to do away with the later. It is worth noting that the movie negatively depicted the efforts of the government in trying to bring or restore order ¹⁰.

The relationship between the movie and Stoker’s Dracula

The Crazies is closely related to the novel written by Stoker. In both, there is the use of vampires and horrifying creatures to convey the intended messages. Similarly, there is a high degree of secrecy in both; for instance, David surrendered to the military and kept his state of infection by the virus a secret, in Dracula, Doctor Abraham establishes that Lucy was infected and would turn to be a vampire, kept that to himself until later when things went extremely wrong. On the other hand, while Crazies ends showing us that another city was infected by the virus, in Dracula, the monster is killed hence depicting victory over the menace of Dracula.

Conclusion

From the movie analysis, it is apparent that it is closely associated or linked with the works of Stoker, Dracula. The major themes that emerge include ill motives of government, power, secrecy, separation or distinction.

Works Cited

Bram, Stoker. “Dracula Summary”. 2010.

Bram, Stoker. Dracula. London: Archibald Constable and Company, 1897. Print.

Snyder, James. “The Crazies Review: A Jolt to the Gut, Brain, Country”, 2010. Web.

‘The Crazies’. Dir. George A. Romero. Prod. Croft, C.A.. Videocassette. Cambist Films, 1973.

Footnotes

1. Snyder, James. “The Crazies Review: A Jolt to the Gut, Brain, Country”, 2010. Web.
2. The Crazies. Dir. George A. Romero. Prod. A. C. Croft. Videocassette. Cambist Films, 1973.
3. Ibid. p. 2.
4. Bram, Stoker. “Dracula Summary”, 2010. Web.
5. Ibid. p. 33.
6. Ibid. p. 41.
7. Ibid. p. 54.
8. Snyder, James. “The Crazies Review: A Jolt to the Gut, Brain, and Country”, 2010. Web.
9. The Crazies. Dir. George A. Romero. Prod. A. C. Croft. Videocassette. Cambist Films, 1973.
10. Snyder, James. “The Crazies Review: A Jolt to the Gut, Brain, and Country”, 2010. Web.