Horror Movie Reviews
More Details...Price: $9.98 |
Title: C.H.U.D. (2001) |
|
Review of C.H.U.D.
- Douglas Cheek's grotty urban horror fable C.H.U.D. deserves to be seen in its natural habitat--a Times Square grind-house theater--but horror enthusiasts will have to enjoy this widescreen version from the comforts of their own homes. John Heard stars as a former fashion photographer now pursuing a "real" career in photojournalism. While working on a piece about the homeless, he discovers that toxic waste, stashed in New York's sewer system, is turning tunnel squatters into the title acronym (Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dwellers). Teaming up with frazzled soup kitchen capo (and fellow Home Alone alumnus) Daniel Stern, Heard uncovers a government conspiracy behind the mutations; horror fans will know exactly how the government handles its uncovered wrongdoings. While Gary Sherman's Raw Meat (1973) remains the final word in homeless horror films, C.H.U.D. has a threadbare charm, thanks to Cheek's poker-faced direction, the endearingly slap-dash effects (courtesy John Caglione Jr. and Ed French), and game performances by a surprisingly A-list cast, including appearances by John Goodman, Jay Thomas, Patricia Richardson, and Jon Polito.
Anchor Bay's DVD is uncut and retains all of the cutting-room footage added by New World Pictures to beef up the butchered TV version; furthermore, it features a rollicking commentary by Cheek, Heard, Stern, cast mate Christopher Curry, and writer Shephard Abbott, which is worth the purchase price alone. Easter-egg hunters should click on the C.H.U.D.'s glowing eyes in the main menu for a longer version of the grotesque shower scene. --Paul Gaita
Amazon.com
[ Back to Homepage | Back to Horror Movie Reviews Index ]
HellHorror.com not responsible for reviews/comments and they may be removed at any time.
Submit Comment
Login / Join/Register for a free account
Comments for C.H.U.D.
- Posted on 2008-06-04
A Good Bad Movie
CHUD is a classic good, bad movie. If you can stand the long-winded dialogue during the beginning scenes, it's worth it. The acting is actually pretty good. Stick this one out.....then next time you head a "CHUD" reference you won't be out of the loop.
Score: 5
- Posted on 2008-03-07
A 1980's Monster Cult Classic!
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.
Score: 4
- Posted on 2008-02-16
Best Movie With Daniel Stern You'll Ever See!
Admit it, you love C.H.U.D. Hell, every healthy red blooded American does. It's the story of toxic waste that's turning homeless folks who live underground into glowing eyed beasties that rise from the sewers.......AND KILL!!!! A fashion photographer, a paranoid hippie and a police captain all find out about this, as well as the government coverup. These three characters all have run ins with the creatures at various points. The police captain is trying to do what he can within his power, and the photographer(John Heard) and the paranoid hippie(Daniel Stern) take to the sewers and find out just what C.H.U.D really is. There's also a subplot involving Heard and his fashion model girlfriend. It doesn't seem terribly necessary, but it's a painless addition to the movie and develops Heard's character a bit more.
This is one of those rare B monster movies that many critics actually liked. It's easy to see why because it's handled quite well. The acting, writing and directing are better than one would expect from this kind of film. Besides the concept of toxic waste monsters and a few other things, the movie doesn't really come across as campy or laughably bad(you know it has something going for it if my mother stayed up til 2am to watch it). The subject matter is treated with as much realism as possible, but a few chuckles do slip through when they creatures are onscreen. That's another thing, don't expect to see alot of the creatures. There's actually quite a bit of dialogue in this film and the actual creature carnage is kept to a minimum. The movie focuses a bit more on the investigation and coverup of the situation. There is one out of place scene with Heard's girlfriend that exists solely for more C.H.U.D screen time. This scene brings to mind the Hare Krishna zombie scene from Dawn of the Dead. It doesn't seem within the C.H.U.D's modus operandi to go exploring apartment complexes, but at least we get to find out that they can stretch their necks to absurd lengths.
C.H.U.D. is definitely a classic. If you missed it as a kid, it's better late than never to catch it now, coz as you can probably guess, some pinheaded schmuck is remaking it.
Score: 4 - Posted on 2008-01-25
C.H.U.D.
I JUST GOT THE DVD TODAY! CAN'T WAIT TO WATCH IT. IT'S IN EXCELLANT CONDITION, AS PROMISED! THANKS!
Score: 5 - Posted on 2007-10-22
*Just Okay!*
This movie was okay.It had more talking and less action.But it is a movie from the 80's so I did want to see it.Just don't expect anything special.
Score: 3