Foreverisacastironmess Something toxic and ravenous is lurking beneath the Big Apple and it's up to a police captain, a photographer, and a "paranoid hippy", to expose the dirty government secret that's been popping out for a bite to eat before it's too late! C.H.U.D. is one interesting and different 80s monster movie to me for a few reasons. The opening scene of the lone woman walking the dog down a dark and deserted city street in the middle of the night until a manhole cover opens itself and something monstrous and unseen quickly drags her down into the sewer, really sets the tone for the rest of the movie and really captured my young imagination and stuck with me, there's something primordially frightening about that kind of scene. It also had one of those kinds of VHS covers that was very memorable and caught the eye and was fascinating along with the title. I like how they give the classic acronym a more realistic definition in the story. It totally hits that special gritty New York 80s vibe and atmosphere which always worked just as well with crooks or a monster horror slant like in Q: The Winged Serpent, Maniac Cop or Alligator to name but a few. The underground scenes in particular have a terrifically grungy and dank quality to them that makes you feel a bit grubby just by watching! It's pretty cleverly written in a way that compensates for its nagging lack of monster action, with there being three main characters with separate stories that all tie into the mystery of the Chuds and that all come together and play out as the existence of the monsters is discovered. And that helped to keep the underground aspect of the movie alive without actually showing too much.. But on the other hand this movie isn't as effective and great as it could've been, as you really don't get what you pay for with it and although I like this movie a lot that's probably it's big flaw, you're really watching to see a gruesome monster movie and while that's what it is at heart it doesn't focus on the damn Chuds enough, they annoyingly take a complete backseat to the characters. Towards the end they kind of fizzle out of the movie altogether as the focus of the story becomes all about stopping mean old pompous Wilson, the villainous bloated toady boss of the irresponsible government toxic waste disposal agency that inadvertently created the Chuds in the first place. I very much prefer the version of the movie where the attack on the diner occurs right at the end, even though the final act revolves around its aftermath(!), because it at least ends the movie with a satisfying scream as opposed to the actual ending which is flat and disappointing as hell. You don't end your monster movie that way, everyone knows that! They should have just tried out something small like the good old classic gag of some sinister eyes glowing in the dark, something to show that the terror of the Chuds wasn't over.. Hey they did earlier show to be fireproof! Despite their limited screen time the Chuds are menacing and memorable, the design is somewhat simplified but effective, the glowing eyes are weird and spooky and they're your basic bloodthirsty Morlock type creatures. It'd be sad if they weren't so ugly, the Chuds were once wretched homeless people forced to live under the ground where most regular folks probably viewed them as monsters, until one day through no fault of their own they became monsters! I don't agree with everything Daniel Stearn has to say about them on the audio commentary, but I do think that something else for the Chuds could have worked out better, the scene where the injured bum is more Chud than man is damn scary. It's definitely a great creepy concept, just one that's not as fleshed out as it could have been, and for me it's a very good movie, it only needed a few more Chuds in it! Regardless of any faults though I still have a big soft spot for this flick and enjoy sitting through it from time to time, it's a well acted compelling and straightforward good old fashioned piece of work and a solid low key classic in its own right with a tone and idea that sets it apart from being just another forgotten monster movie.

Mark Turner One thing you have to give film makers in the eighties credit for when it came to horror films. Rather than sit back and rely only on remakes and sequels (of which there were plenty) a number of movie makers made a point of creating some new monsters to scare us with. Not all worked but when they did they worked well. Case in point C.H.U.D.C.H.U.D. tells the story of George Cooper (John Heard), a noted news photographer who is trying to take a break away from the news to pursue a new career as a fashion photographer at the bequest of his girlfriend Lauren (Kim Greist). He's picked a bad time to start the change since a series of bizarre murders and disappearances are happening in New York at the same time.Ties between the murders and a set of homeless people that George once did a photo essay on, a group that lives beneath the city streets in the abandoned tunnels of the NY subway system, draw the attention of the police and the curiosity of George. They especially interest a Det. Bosch (Christopher Curry) whose wife we later learn is one of the missing. Bosch turns up the pressure on A.J. Shepherd (Daniel Stern), an ex-con who now runs a soup kitchen for the homeless.The paths of all three cross as they begin to investigate the crimes and find clues on their own leading to the discovery of a creatures living deeper in the tunnels that are killing the people of New York. Dubbing them C.H.U.D. or Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dwellers, the government may be involved in their creation. If so the term C.H.U.D. may have a different meaning. In any event, we're offered a new urban legend and monster to tie in with the explanation.The movie is not blockbuster summer hit material but it does offer something rarely seen in many horror films today and that's originality. As I said from the start, movies tend to rely on tried and true formulas and creations from vampires to the currently hot zombies. That the film makers here could come up with a new creation, a new monster, deserves credit. The low budget film actually looks quite good and the fact that it stands up to the test of time serves it well. When you consider that the movie came out in 1984 and people can still tell you what C.H.U.D. stands for speaks volumes.The camera work is good for a low budget film. The acting ranges from good to bad but good for the most part. The story has a few holes but hey, this is a horror film and they often have more holes that a brick of Swiss cheese. Here they don't detract from the film itself but turn it into one of those films you love even for all of its flaws.I can't sing the praises of Arrow Video enough. Once again they've offered fans the opportunity to witness this film in the most pristine version possible. And as always the extras here are many worth watching as opposed to the usual making of extras new films get with stars sitting and repeating the same lines about how great their movie is before it gets released. What does Arrow offer this time? -Brand new restoration from original film elements -High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation -Original Uncompressed Mono PCM audio -Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing -Audio commentary by director Douglas Cheek, writer Shepard Abbott, and actors John Heard, Daniel Stern and Christopher Curry -Brand new crew interviews -Original Theatrical Trailer -Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Dan Mumford If you love the film you'll want to add this to your collection. Horror fans will want to do the same. And if you've never seen the film then by all means make it a point to seek it out. It's solid entertainment that will have you walking a wide path around manhole covers for the rest of your life.

Michael_Elliott C.H.U.D. (1984) ** (out of 4) Police Captain Bosch (Christopher Curry) begins to investigate the disappearance of his wife and soon realizes that even more people are missing. Soon he teams up with a photographer (John Heard) and a soup kitchen owner (Daniel Stern) and the trio try to uncover what is behind all the people disappearing.C.H.U.D. has become a cult favorite over the years thanks in large part to its effective poster and the fact that it has a pretty nice cast who would go on to become well known. For me the film is a decent "B" picture but nothing more as there's really not anything too special here. Fans of the low-rent 80's horror movies will probably want to check it out but the film should've been much better than it actually is.The problem I have with the film is that so much of the action takes place off the screen. We know what the monsters are doing yet we never really see any of it for the first hour as they are kept off screen with the viewer only getting a couple brief looks at their arms. This here was probably done because of the budget but there's just not enough attacks going on to keep you entertained. I'd also argue that there's no suspense or tension to be found anywhere and it certainly doesn't help that it's dragged out for 96-minutes.The cast is certainly a lot better than the actual material. Curry makes for a good lead and I thought he gave a good performance. Future HOME ALONE stars Heard and Stern are both entertaining here and you'll want to keep you eyes open for a young John Goodman. The monsters, once we do finally see them, look pretty good but sadly their appearance happens way too late into the picture.

capkronos George Cooper (John Heard) is a burnt out photographer who's trying to take his career in another direction. After spending years shooting fashion and commercial campaigns, he's finally received some acclaim for a piece he's done about the homeless. Now he's being pigeonholed all over again and has been roped into doing a second story on the homeless; this time one about "subterranean bums" living in the tunnels and caves beneath New York City. George doesn't really seem sure what he wants, but his model girlfriend Lauren (Kim Greist) is pregnant and he's happy about it, so I guess he has that much going for him. Elsewhere in the Soho district of Manhattan, people have been disappearing at an alarming rate. Soup kitchen worker A.J. aka The Reverend (Daniel Stern) has noticed a lot of his regulars haven't been showing up for dinner, but the police - headed by Captain Bosch (Christopher Curry) - don't bother starting an investigation until Bosch's own wife and other more esteemed members of the community start turning up missing.C.H.U.D. stands for two things in this film. Seeing how one of those is "Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dwellers," you can probably guess just what has been responsible for the sudden rash of disappearances. The creatures, which are clawed, fanged and have glowing eyes, had once been bums living in the sewers beneath the city until being mutated by exposure to radioactivity and picking up a taste for human flesh in the process. They stay out of sight until they're hungry and then pop out of manholes long enough to drag dinner down there with them. Our trio of heroes eventually learn that Wilson (George Martin) and his cohorts at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission have been dumping toxic waste into the NYC sewers for years, and the city's police chief (Eddie Jones) has been helping them cover it all up.I have no clue what some others see in this dreary and completely routine film aside from the fun title. Hardly anything surprising ever happens. Nearly every frame has been shot before, every character has been seen before, any chance at fun is consistently undermined by the depressing, grimy setting and the whole cover-up subplot is THE laziest possible way to structure one of these things. Other moments, like Greist's character (who contemplates getting an abortion earlier on) getting sprayed down with blood after trying to unclog a bath tub with a clothes hanger, seem like botched attempts at social statement. The creature design isn't exactly awful, but you can certainly see much better-looking creatures elsewhere. C.H.U.D. is also excessively talky. There's a surprisingly low amount of horror scenes, nearly all of the carnage takes place off screen and the creature action is slim, which are the only things that could have possibly made the useless plot worth sitting through.The only real pluses here are a few good lead actors (whose talents are wasted in service of a film beneath them) and some amusing lines of dialogue (apparently much of it improvised on the spot). There are also brief appearances from some up-and-coming (and now fairly well-known) actors like John Goodman, Sam McMurray and Patricia Richardson. None of them are given much of anything to do here. In fact, the scene with Goodman and comedian Jay Thomas was completed removed from some prints of the film and was also moved around in the narrative to several different places in other cuts. The fact you can put an entire scene in the middle of a movie, at the very end of a movie or remove it altogether and it doesn't make any difference whatsoever pretty much says all that needs to be said about the movie in general.The film received terrible reviews upon release and wasn't a big hit or anything, but a sequel nobody asked for was made anyway. It turned out to be a follow-up in-name-only and was a zombie comedy that has nothing at all to do with this original film.