‘The Crazies’ is a suspenseful thriller

"The Crazies," released Feb. 26, is a remake loosely based on the 1973 George Romero film of the same name.

Unlike other horror movie remakes, this one remains just as scary as the original.

Directed by Breck Eisner, the movie takes you on an "edge of your seat" journey through the small town of Ogden Marsh, Iowa, and some crazy happenings begin to take place.

The town Sheriff David Dutton, played by actor Timothy Olyphant, first notices something out of the ordinary during a local baseball game.

Olyphant does a great acting job and just might be one of my favorite sheriffs in a movie.

Just as Ogden Marsh's home team's pitcher is about to throw yet another strike, Dutton recognizes a man slowly approaching the outfield with a giant rifle in hand.

As the team runs off the field in fear, Dutton and his deputy, Russell Clark, who is played by Joe Anderson, run on the field in hopes of stopping the man with a gun.

Dutton tries to convince the armed man, Rory, to lower his rifle and remain calm.

However, Rory instead gives Dutton an empty, creepy glare and points his gun in the sheriff's direction. The sheriff shoots the man in self defense.

Both Dutton and Clark were sure they would find the man's blood alcohol content to show he was drunk when they returned back to the sheriff's office, but unfortunately for them, it came back as 0.0.

Baffled by the fact that the man's strange activity was during a sober moment, Dutton is determined to discover reasoning behind the craziness he witnessed.

Slowly but surely, other townspeople who were once normal begin to show the same side effects the crazy man had when he approached the baseball field.

One man locks his wife and young son in a closet as he sets fire to his house and shows no emotion while doing it.

After arresting the man and keeping him in a cell in the sheriff's office, Dutton and Clark notice the man is slowly becoming crazier as time goes on and is bleeding from his ears and nose.

It is soon discovered that an airplane had crashed into a body of water where the town of Ogden Marsh received its drinking water supply.

Dutton, with the help of his wife Judy, portrayed by actress Radha Mitchell, discovers the plane carried a toxin that has contaminated the town.

The government quickly gets involved and begins separating the townspeople in hopes of preventing the spread of the toxin that is causing people to go on an all-out killing spree.

This, in turn, causes chaos and fear in the small Iowan town.

"The Crazies" continues to take the viewer on a wild ride that is sure to keep nerves shot.

The anticipation of finding out who the next person will become what the government calls a "crazy" was intense and even caused me to shriek several times throughout the movie.

It definitely wasn't the greatest acting ever seen in a horror movie, but the cast managed to pull off the characters well enough to keep viewers interested in the plot.

All in all, "The Crazies" is, well, crazy and a suspenseful must-see.

Grade: B