C.H.U.D.
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Movie Reviews of C.H.U.D.
Movie Review: They're not staying down there anymore!.
Summary: 4 Stars
C.H.U.D. is a brilliant cult classic 80's horror film that I remember watching when I was a kid, I used to have this on vhs along with the awful sequel called C.H.U.D.2: Chud The Bud. What I've noticed about this dvd is that the film is completely uncut and seems to be much longer than the previous version which is great, there were a couple of gore scenes that were cut along with the bloody shower scene. Anchor Bay did a terrific job transferring this film and the picture quality was high, there wasn't any blurry images or maybe that was from my old vhs. Anyway the plot was about some bad government guys who are dumping toxic waste beneath the sewers in New York thus transforming homeless people into C.H.U.D.s (Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dwellers) weird reptilian monsters with glowing eyes and taste for human flesh.
A soup chef played by Daniel Stern is concerned about his missing customers who are basically homeless people living on the streets, he decides to report this to the police and the police commissioner (Christopher Curry) who is also a friend of his investigates the case since there also seems to be a couple of mysterious deaths, along with a former fashion photographer (John Heard) their investigations all leads in the same direction.... the sewers!. They soon uncover a plot by the government to cover-up some of their dirty wok. Yes the premise was extremely cheesy but you gotta love it, it was a great cult classic horror flick with some nice and dark atmosphere and good locations and the acting from most of the cast was pretty good. The fx on the creatures does look abit outdated but they were great for the time and not to mention the film had a low budget.
Director Douglas Cheek balances some of the over the top cheesy monster fx and humor (The New York City Police Department has flamethrowers lol) with some serious scenes and there was an unnecessary subplot about George the photographer (John Heard) who is trying to support his pregnant model girlfriend which I thought dragged on a bit it was slightly boring, the movie would've done better without that scene. Anyway C.H.U.D. was great fun but the sequel sucked, it was more of a comedy and was completely unfunny so its better to avoid it and watch the first C.H.U.D. instead, oh yeah I almost forgot to mention that the monsters have the ability to stretch there necks to a long height without any explanation, yep it's a hoot!.
Movie Review: A 1980's Monster Cult Classic!
Summary: 4 Stars
When the streets of New York City are hit with a rash of disappearances that strikes the sewer-dwelling homeless particularly hard, a police Captain teams with the owner of a soup-kitchen to find out what's going on. Meanwhile, a freelance reporter teams with a reluctant photojournalist in search of the same story. The horror they discover feels like an urban legend come to life, and the organization responsible will prove to be just as strong a danger as the cannibalistic, humanoid, underground dwellers themselves.
"C.H.U.D." may not be a masterpiece, but if you grew up in the '80's, you're sure to remember it. For all the disdain its creators hold for it, C.H.U.D. is really an underrated, pretty decent sci-fi/horror film. The story itself, with its ominous conspiracy and urban-legend feeling, is unquestionably creepy. Its execution isn't flawless, but C.H.U.D. is nevertheless a satisfying bit of cinema with good performances from an impressive cast. John Heard plays the photographer who doesn't really want to get involved, Kim Greist is his pregnant, fashion model love-interest, Daniel Stern is the frazzled soup-kitchen guy who is determined to expose the truth, and Christopher Curry is Police Captain Bosch, who is forced to uncover the secret of the city sewers in desperation to discover what happened to his missing wife.
Released in 1984 and directed by Douglas Cheek, there have been a few different edits of C.H.U.D., but this anamorphic widescreen, Anchor Bay DVD gives us a sweet extended cut that is likely better than the theatrical release ever was. Extras include a great commentary with director Douglas Cheek, stars Daniel Stern, John Heard, and Christopher Curry, and writer Shephard Abbott. The DVD also includes the theatrical trailer, a still gallery, and an Easter egg. If you are a child of the '80's who loves horror, it's definitely a must own.
A sequel was released five years later, "C.H.U.D. II: Bud the Chud", but that horror comedy had virtually no connection with the original "C.H.U.D." and was actually more of a zombie spoof. Some theorize that it was originally meant to be a "Return of the Living Dead" sequel somewhat spoofing Bub the zombie from "Day of the Dead". Probably worth checking out for a laugh or two (haven't seen it recently enough to comment on it much), but not as a legitimate C.H.U.D. sequel.
Movie Review: "They're not staying down there anymore!"
Summary: 4 Stars
C.H.U.D is low budget, cult classic horror at its finest. With an excellent cast, and cinematography that aids in creating a genuinely dark atmosphere, it has a lot to offer for those who demand more than cheap action and gore in their horror. Although that's not to say C.H.U.D is without any blood or explosions either.
John Heard stars as a photographer who has been assigned to take photographs of the local homeless population, the only problem is that he can't seem to find them anywhere. Suspicion is further aroused when a group of the regulars at a soup kitchen stop showing up, particularly the ones that dwell in the sewer systems beneath the city. With inexplicable disappearances occurring all around the city daily, the police lieutenant decides to examine the phenomenon a bit more closely. The pieces slowly begin falling into place upon discovering a large toxic waste dump in the heart of the sewers that is transforming the homeless into C.H.U.D, or Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dwellers. Now they must put a stop to the blood thirsty creatures beneath the streets before any more citizens become meals.
C.H.U.D is one of those movies you either love or hate. It is an admittedly slow paced movie with more than a few breaches of logic, but looking past these flaws, the low-budget horror movie charm of C.H.U.D is undeniable. The cast here is excellent, especially Daniel Stern as AJ the hippie cook at the soup kitchen. Between Stern, Curry, and Heard, C.H.U.D has likable protagonists that you can root for. The photography of the filthy streets of the city and the slimy sewers is another noteworthy aspect of the movie. It effectively captures a very dark and gritty urban feel that easily enables you to put yourself right into the setting. As for the CHUD's themselves, they don't get a whole lot of screen time throughout the movie, but the makeup/gore effects are interesting and have a lot of charm, especially the glowing eyes. The delicate yet spooky synthesizer score also compliments the film nicely.
C.H.U.D is one of the low budget greats of the 80's, and while it has gained a cult following it is still quite underrated in the grand scheme of things. This is must see material for horror lovers that can appreciate the more subtle aspects of the genre.
Movie Review: Monster movie with a message
Summary: 4 Stars
Many movies try to teach you important, preachy lessons and disguise them in the trappings of fantasy. CHUD is one of those. Here it is: Homeless people are people too and should not be treated as throw away citizens. But wait! There's more! CHUD manages to squeeze in two lessons for the price of one! Lesson two: Our dependency on products made with toxic chemicals combined with our innate greed is going to be our eventual downfall. Now that we have learned our lesson, start the DVD and just enjoy the fantasy trappings. Because CHUD is a monster movie. A good one.John Heard (Cat People, Pelican Brief) and Daniel Stern (Home Alone, The Wonder Years) headline a decent cast occupying a New York neighborhood where people have started disappearing. Oh, people have been disappearing for a while, but those others were just homeless people (see Lesson One), but now "important" people are coming up missing. And soon it becomes apparent that creatures in the subways and sewer systems of the city are dining out on the local passersby.
It takes a while before you get a good look at one of the CHUDs (c.h.u.d. representing "canniballistic humanoid underground dwellers"). When you see them though, they are good, original looking monster freaks with glowing eyes and snaggly teeth. Add to that image the fact that they live in those dark places underground and the creep factor is complete. We all know that there are miles of tunnels and passages under our big cities, but no one wants to go down there. In our minds, we see THESE things jumping out at us. A monster movie has to appeal to one of your fears and I guess this is one of mine.
People tend to condemn CHUD for some reason or another. I think it does a good job at creeping you out while providing a solid 90 minutes of entertainment. It won't be shown in your American Cinema 101 class though.
DVD special features include some cool production photos and pre-production looks at the design of the creatures. Audio commentary includes the director and 3 lead actors. Always a plus when they can get the actors to come in and chat. Buy CHUD and I think you will enjoy it. HOWEVER, avoid the sequel "CHUD 2: Bud the CHUD" at all costs. It has almost nothing to do with this film and it is horrible.
Movie Review: A rough Diamond in the Sewer
Summary: 4 Stars
Well what can you say about a film that actually makes an effort to lead you on a journey of suspense for the first half of the film without anything actually happening.
Quite a lot actually, and it's all good
Eighties New York, The mustaches are long and the skirts are short. 'John Heard', TV's Sopranos first season, is an aspiring photographer. By day he takes photos of his model girlfriend for magazine covers, by night he uses his artistic licence to photogragh the homeless people around the streets of New York. The problem is, the homeless people are starting to go missing. In large numbers.
So begins the glorious eighties slock horror feast that is CHUD.
The first thing you notice when you put the disk in is how good the acting is. John Heard is a dream bringing realism to every scene he's in
This is basically an implausable film grounded by very realistic responses and emotions.
After things start to go strangly wrong we are introduced to Daniel Stern pre'Home alone'fame as the concerned Soup Kitchen owner without anyone to serve soup to and Christopher Guest the equally concerned cop. The three leads are kept largely apart untill about mid way through the film where everything starts to happen.
And boy does it happen. It is a credit to Director Douglas Cheek that he doesn't put all the cards on the table in the first quarter of an hour.
We are built up with great acting ,even better music, guite possibly the best score of any horror from the eighties and great cinematography.
Believe me you do not want to go down into that sewer. We basically have a murder mystery that compounds into a very scary horror film.
There are conspiracty theories abound when the government move in to try and solve the problem of why their nuclear waste they have dumped under the city is getting up, sprouting legs and eating everyone in sight.
This is the point where you grab your pillow and cover your eyes, unfortunatly you are not safe because the music will be serenating you with bone chilling harmonies.
With a pre 'Aliens' classic commando scene, realistic gore effects and a memorable cameo by John Goodman this film should be seen. One of only a handful that can take it's place as a quality splatter flick.