For its 15th anniversary, this reinvention of the George Romero classic — a terrifying story of the “American Dream” gone horribly wrong — comes to 4K for the first time. In a small Midwestern town, residents turn violent when a mysterious toxin in the water supply turns everyone exposed to it into mindless killers. Trapped in a town they no longer recognize and abandoned by the authorities, Sheriff Dutton (Timothy Olyphant, “Justified”) and his pregnant wife Judy (Radha Mitchell, London Has Fallen) struggle to survive in this nightmarish tale that continues to have a long-lasting impact on the horror genre.

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Video Quality

The Crazies debuts on 4K UHD Blu-Ray with a 2160p/Dolby Vision presentation in 2.40:1 which allows the film to look like the ideal version of itself. The accompanying Blu-Ray released in 2010 is a fine looking disc, but this new presentation offers a range of improvements fans will not want to miss. The 4K presentation provides a depth of field that simply cannot be achieved to such a degree with the accompanying Blu-Ray. This transfer displays a striking amount of detail in the smallest facets of the rural production design, costumes, and goopy makeup. The uptick in detail is welcome in the textures of the props and landscapes. Skin tones appear to be consistent throughout and show a terrific amount of facial detail including stubble and wounds.

Color complexity is another area of substantial improvement in comparison to the Blu-Ray thanks to the utilization of Dolby Vision. Colors look more natural and deep in this presentation even if it is not a vibrant palette. The most impressive upgrade comes in the handling of the contrast. With so much of this narrative taking at night or in shadows, you run the risk of crush and banding overtaking the screen, which it often does in the standard Blu-Ray presentation. The 4K UHD Blu-Ray shows off with exceptionally deep black levels with digital noise almost completely absent from the screen. The presentation also provides a firm handling of the highlights that show impeccable clarity and no evidence of blooming. This is a marvelous 4K UHD upgrade that represents the film with the utmost care.

Audio Quality

This disc gets an upgrade with a knockout Dolby Atmos presentation that completely transports you to this chaotic environment. The sound design can be quite intense with sounds of powerful gunshots and crashing cars digging deep in the low end. The mix here is respectfully upgraded with significant engagement of all the channels, so those with a proper system should be pleased. Dialogue is presented crisp and clear without ever being overshadowed by any of the competing sonic elements. This track is often immersive, such as the sounds of helicopters up above and the sounds of running through an automatic car wash engaging the height channels.

Sounds are carefully deployed with the foremost directionality from the more chaotic moments to the early dialogue-driven moments. The tense score from Mark Isham pierces through you to make you feel more on edge than ever. A DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track is also provided. No matter which audio journey you take, you are well taken care of by Lionsgate. Optional English SDH and Spanish subtitles are provided.

Special Features

This release comes with an optional sleek new SteelBook exclusively at Lionsgate Limited that is quite fetching in person. The SteelBook features a removable clear slipcase featuring a gas mask. The SteelBook underneath folds out to reveal a scene of destruction with David, Judy, and Russell. The interior sports an aerial photo of the quarantine zone. Video of the SteelBook can be found at the top of this review.

Audio Commentaries: Two commentary tracks are provided that offer valuable insights into the creation of the film from two different timeline perspectives.

- Audio Commentary #1: Director Breck Eisner (2025)

- Audio Commentary #2: Director Breck Eisner (2010)

Establishing Shot with Director Breck Eisner: A new four-minute interview with the director in which he discusses shooting on film and the process of remastering the film with HDR.

Sculpting the Horror of The Crazies: A new 17-minute piece with Eisner in which he discusses the talent of the ensemble, putting a fresh spin on the George A. Romero film, and more.

The Crazies Alternate Ending: A three-minute presentation of an alternate take on the ending that test audiences found to be too bleak.

Storyboard to Screen – Car Wash Scene: A four-minute look of the journey to executing an iconic scene.

Legacy Special Features: This new disc carries over the features from the 2010 Lionsgate Blu-Ray release.

- Behind The Scenes with Director Breck Eisner (10:35)

- Paranormal Pandemics (9:41)

- The George A. Romero Template (9:56)

- Make-Up Mastermind – Rob Hall In Action (11:27)

- Episodes 1 & 2 of The Crazies Motion Comic (27:25)

- Visual Effects In Motion (3:42)

- Behind The Scenes Photo Gallery (3:30)

- Teaser Trailer (0:43)

- Theatrical Trailers (4:35)

- The Crazies Motion Comic Trailer (2:25)

Final Thoughts

The Crazies is a worthy remake that brings a raw intensity to the material that keeps the thrills rolling pretty consistently. The biggest win for the production is the casting of Timothy Olyphant in the lead role, as he brings a charisma to the role that elevates the expositional or more implausible moments. The material is somewhat standard fare for the zombie/virus subgenre, but it is executed with a pretty assured hand that keeps you entertained. Lionsgate Home Entertainment has released a 4K UHD Blu-Ray that sports an amazing A/V presentation and a robust number of special features in lovely SteelBook packaging. If you love the movie, this is the way to own it. Recommended

The Crazies is currently available to purchase exclusively at Lionsgate Limited on 4K UHD Blu-ray SteelBook.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Lionsgate Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.