We Party with 'The Crazies'
Last night we experienced one of the most outrageous events we've been to since we started working for FEARnet -- a special screening and post-screening party in Hollywood for The Crazies, the new reimagining of the George Romero cult fave, due out in theaters this Friday, February 26th. Just why was our night so crazy? Find out after the jump.
The evening really began several weeks ago, when we received our inviation -- in the form of a "classified government file." In it, we were given a strange, unfamiliar address at which to report.
After driving to this address last night, we were ushered into a parking garage by actors dressed, and in character, as army soldiers. They asked to see our identification, and asked us if we'd drank any tap water. Apparently, they believed we were legit, because they let us drive through. Some of our friends weren't so fortunate -- and were asked to step out of their cars for "inspection" or to open their trunks for the soldiers.
After parking, we were issued one of three differently colored wrist bands, each with a a bar code.
We were then inspected by someone with some sort of "infection testing device", and then escorted on to a school bus (on the way to which we saw various actors portraying crazies from the movie -- screaming on hospital gurneys, lying in the streets, wrestling with soldiers, etc.) The bus then drove us to the middle of a residential street, from which we were escorted on foot to the screening, at the historic Ogden Marsh Cinema.
Before the film began we were issued "rations" (soda and popcorn). After taking our seats we were asked to show our wrist bands to "the military". One couple (actually actors pretending to be a couple) in the audience apparently did not have wrist bands. They were dragged kicking and screaming from the theater by the armed soldiers.
After the film, we were escorted back to the parking area, where we passed more actors, one portraying an infected victim who was torched by the military. Eventually we came to a huge hangar-like building, inside of which was the post-screening party.
It was a pretty elaborate affair, one of the biggest I've been to; with The Crazies' cast and crew, stunt demos, and a booth where a makeup-effects artist could make you look like a crazy. Guests in attendence included Burrowers director J.T. Petty, Fear Clinic director Rob Hall, and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles star Thomas Dekker.
The party ran several hours. I had a couple of vodka cranberries and flirted -- er, I mean spoke -- with the film's gorgeous stars Danielle Panabaker and Radha Mitchell. I also chatted briefly with director Breck Eisner, who told me he's anxious to get started on his upcoming new film version of Flash Gordon. (He said it will be closely based on the orginal Alex Raymond comic strips. If it looks half as awesome as those, it will be mind-blowingly beautiful.)
Here's me and Danielle. Danielle's the one in the zebra shirt, pretending she's not freaked out by my weirdness...
Check out a full gallery of images from the event below. And check out The Crazies when it hits theaters tomorrow.
- 'The Crazies' Clip = Car Wash Craziness
- So Many Ways to Get 'The Crazies'...
- Put That Pitchfork Down! - 'The Crazies' Clip
- These 5 Things Better Be In 'The Crazies' Reboot!
- The Crazies - Big Plane
- The Crazies - There's Somebody Outside
- The Crazies - Car Wash
- The Crazies - Is He Dead?
- The Crazies - What Does It Mean?
- Exclusive: Director Breck Eisner on 'The Crazies'
