C.H.U.D. (1984)

Director:

Douglas Cheek

Writers:

Shepard Abbott (story)
Parnell Hall (screenplay)

Release Date:

31 August 1984 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Ugly. Slobbering. Ferocious. Carnivorous.

Plot:

A rash of bizarre murders in New York City seems to point to a group of grotesquely deformed vagrants living in the sewers...

Plot Keywords:

Acronym In Title | Entire Title Is Capitalized Acronym | Cover Up | Mutant | Beneath The City

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

John Heard	...	George Cooper
Daniel Stern	...	A.J. 'The Reverend' Shepherd
Christopher Curry	...	Captain Bosch
Kim Greist	...	Lauren Daniels
Laure Mattos	...	Flora Bosch
Brenda Currin	...	Francine the Landlady
Justin Hall	...	Justin
Michael O'Hare	...	Fuller
Cordis Heard	...	Officer Sanderson
Vic Polizos	...	Hays
Eddie Jones	...	Chief O'Brien
Sam McMurray	...	Officer Crespi
Frank Adu	...	Interrogation Cop
Ruth Maleczech	...	Mrs. Monroe
J.C. Quinn	...	Murphy

Runtime:

88 min | USA:96 min (director's cut)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (TVC)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Australia:M (DVD rating) | Australia:R (original rating) | France:-12 | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company:

C.H.U.D. Productions

Trivia:

"C.H.U.D." is an acronym for "Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dweller", but it also means "Contamination Hazard Urban Disposal", as one can (barely) read on the crates full of toxic materials.

Goofs:

Continuity: At the end of the movie when George Cooper and the Reverend escape from the manhole, they realize that they are trying to be killed by Wilson, the supposed NRC guy. The Reverend finds Captain Bosch lying on the ground who was just shot (by Wilson) and grabs Bosch's gun from his belt. After killing Wilson, a scene is shown with the Reverend kneeling beside Bosch who still has the gun tucked in his belt.

Quotes:

Captain Bosch: Are you kidding? Your guy's got a camera. Mine's got a flamethrower.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Film Geek (2005)

One of the best monster movies of the 80's...

I'm not one who goes for slasher flicks... I never understood the popularity of Friday the 13th or Nightmare on Elm Street. But then, this isn't the typical 80's slasher flick... it's a fun and scary monster movie that actually draws emotion from its viewers that make you root for the heroes, despise the villains, and cheer when the CHUDs get the ***t kicked out of them.

Sure, it's got a low budget... but the story is good (probably with a grain of truth, too!) and the sewer sets look good. Daniel Stern is great as the cook/manager of a soup kitchen who is wondering where his assorted homeless buddies have dissapeared to. Christopher Curry is also very good as a police officer searching for his missing wife. The scenes with Curry and Stern are funny and it's neat to watch a friendship develop between them as they deal with the rampaging CHUDs.

Watch for John Goodman as a cop who gets slaughtered in a diner... this was one of his earliest screen roles. Stay away from CHUD 2 unless you REALLY like bad, campy horror. CHUD is freaking Shakespeare compared to CHUD 2.

In short: CHUD is a fun monster movie. Watch it by yourself or with friends... either way it's a good way to spend an hour and a half. Not overly gory like a bad slasher flick, not packed to the gills with nude women. Just a good cast and some funny, scary, and exciting cinema.

It's interesting to note that the original cut of the film that I saw on HBO differs from the regular TV version. The original mentions a slaughter in a diner where there's blood on all the walls but no bodies. At the end, a couple of bums see the CHUDs approaching "another" diner (the John Goodman cameo) and quickly scamper off. The last thing you see is a few CHUDs breaking into the diner to wreck havoc. The TV version has the diner slaughter in the proper timeline... you see it before, during, and after (when the cops find the bloody diner with no bodies). Strange that it would be edited that way, but so be it. 7 out of 10 - but not recommended for the uptight or "serious" moviegoer. If you can't appreciate Tremors, Lake Placid, or even Godzilla, then don't see this movie.