C.H.U.D.

You go into C.H.U.D. knowing it's a bad movie and you accept it. You brace for impact and let the experience soak into your pores. One problem - There's not enough to actually guarantee entry into your skin or pupils. C.H.U.D. (Cannibalistic. Humanoid. Underground. Dwellers.) is a disappointing film, really. It has the structure of being a true cult classic but doesn't meet you halfway and leaves you stranded with protruding budget factors.

C.H.U.D. has had the immense pleasure of being referred to on every pop culture force from The Simpsons to The Critic to Tom Green. The influence of the early eco-horror film is widespread and I really don't know why. It's not that it's a bad film, it just lacks anything that separates it from the bulk. The stars of the film are the mutants and we don't have enough of them. With a small budget, on screen groups of C.H.U.D. are hard to come by. Near the end we get a group of 3 or so in the same shot. It was a godsend but didn't save the film.


This "B" movie features Home Alone alumni Daniel Stern as a greasy scam artist turned humanitarian and some photographer who was meant to be the main character but didn't present enough presence to differentiate him from other secondary characters. The C.H.U.D. are displayed with perfection. Slimy and wide eyed mutated creatures from beneath New York's streets makes for a great story to be told. It's quite enchanting that the C.H.U.D. look like Piccolo. Well, more so than the albino vampire that is Piccolo in the new Dragonball live action film.


C.H.U.D. is a bad film but in it's defense I will admit to enjoying the film greatly for its monster mash charm and is a great film to compliment the Halloween festivities. The incredibly slow pacing and cyanide laden dialogue makes the film turn for the worst but it rebounded slightly by mayhem thanks to an early John Goodman cameo and a great political conspiracy sub-plot. A worthy 80s monster cheese that doesn't touch the luridness of Street Trash.

-mAQ