Filmed on a meager budget sometime during the later 1970s, this is an intriguing forerunner to the glut of psycho/slasher fare which dominated the horror genre for a decade following the release of HALLOWEEN. Unfortunately more-less forgotten, CRAZED is a well handled and out-of-the-ordinary project with exceptional performances, and it deserves a broader fanbase.
Spare on the sensationalism common to films of this variety, emphasis is instead placed on the anguish of a dissociative young man in an emotionally fragile state. Tortured as a child(as seen in flashbacks), years of physical, mental, and sexual abuse have rendered him a socially disconnected and passive adult, trudging through his life with a horrible dead-end job and humble subservience to his hoary, demanding landlady. His awkward amatory anxieties are piqued by a young lady who takes residence in the room next to his, then a tragic card is suddenly dealt by the hand of fate. In this moment of unfortunate circumstance, a contrite and most pitiable killer is born.
Rarely frightening in conventional ways, CRAZED is nonetheless effective in its phlegmatic gravity...the story is thronging with an unrelenting pervasive sadness, straight through to its benumbing closing shot. Impatient viewers may find the methodical slow pacing a chore to endure, but to those with tastes leaning toward a more visceral brand of horror, CRAZED comes highly recommended.
7/10
