C.H.U.D. (1984)

What a beautiful movie!

From my favorite movies..

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

Blistering performances.

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.

EPA dumps toxic radioactive waste under the city underground dwelling homeless people into man- eating monsters. Bravo, that, is a darn fine B- Movie plot...though they really weren't human any more so technically were they actually cannibals?Not poorly directed at all, this dirty, gritty little inner-city flick gives you a great feel for a part of big cities and its homeless denizens you rarely see. You could practically smell the urine and filth in the underground scenes/sets, good stuff - makes you curious as to what is really down there beneath there streets of huge old cities. Performances range front great to rough, there are a surprising number of actors who became big names involved, Heard, Stern, John Goodman cameo,Ruth Maleczech, Jay Thomas and many more, someone knew a lot of people! say what you will you won't forget Val! ;) Daniel Stern makes the film, his performance as the ex-con soup kitchen operator is spot on. Sparce, negligible musical score actually works, most scenes don't need it, gives it a more realistic touch. Monsters are great,cheesy special effects- the neck stretching scene, hanging stuffed dog, bravo.Fun all the way through, some actual suspenseful scenes, perfect ending, this film well-deserves a healthy cult status/following!

C.H.U.D is not your average bloody 80's monster film. It is more of a heavily message environmental film in a sense. that being said how is the overall product? Not so good. First of all if you want to rate past decades films you have to put your mindset in that era in terms of special effects, picture quality, etc. The film is around 1h 30 min and as you are watching you with you had some of those minutes back.The C.H.U.D monster for 90% percent of the film is barely there. The only time it's there only last 10 seconds plus the kills is off screen so there is little to no blood. What troubles me is the fact the rating is R which is weird considering the fact the film in my eyes is tame comparing to other monsters film but it's nothing that is getting points off for. Most of the film is drama/mystery storyline among the people with their everyday problems which could have been cut down. It is because of this the film suffers pacing issues and for a movie that claims to be horror is falsely informed. Also whenever the characters are having a conversation there seems to be jump cuts to another scenario and then back to the previous conversation which is distracting. The least they could do is finish the scene between the characters and then switch to another scene instead of cutting forth then back. The acting was bland so no one seems to care and the delivery of dialog was either exaggerated or emotionless. Special effects were pretty good on the C.H.U.D monster. The makeup department did a great job on costumes.Overall I did not like the film. The only time I liked the film is the C.H.U.D in which I wish they were present instead of short seconds.

My main gripe with this film is that it gets off to a shamefully slow start after the amusing beginning sequence, however once it gets to its last 40 minutes, business picks up. The performances in this film are surprisingly good; that rag-tag 80's new york sensibility of day-to-day survival is upheld on all ends of the acting spectrum; they are a group you actually care about. It also helps that this is the most visceral depiction of the seedy-side of New York I've personally seen since Taxi Driver. The labyrinth of derelict sewers especially give off a feeling that the whole city is about to cave in on account of its own decay. This film tries to convey a message on the consequences of environmental degradation even in a place like a city, but it doesn't really follow through with it beyond using it as the backbone of the plot, which is perfectly fine in a film like this. Daniel Stern's ramshackle underground soup kitchen hero, is the standout, his interactions carry the film and bring everyone together by the story's end. Kudos to Christopher Curry for not overplaying a certain pivotal, depressing moment for his character; he truly plays the worn down cop to an exceptional level as we watch him reach his breaking point. The creatures are definitely creepy to this day, and the gore effects hold up even better, perhaps due their understated use throughout, it never reaches ruinous excess like its dated peers. The ending was both amusing and anti-climactic at the same time. Recommended for those that can handle its slow, methodical pace.