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C.H.U.D.

C.H.U.D.

List Price: $9.98
Your Price: $9.98
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: NOT FOR THE HARDCORE HORROR FAN?
Review: This is an awesome piece of horror everyone should see. END

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Wonderfully Cheesy
Review: This is great if you're a fan of horror movies, or if you're just looking for a popcorn movie to have around the house. C.H.U.D. is an all around campy horror film, it's just pure fun. I really enjoyed watching the guy that played Merv from Home Alone in this movie. The commentary track is absolutely hilarious, and it's one of the few commentary tracks that i actually enjoy listening to. All in all, I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this movie.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: For people who love bad horror movies and love to laugh.
Review: This movie is for all who love really bad horror movies and love to laugh at how bad they are. My friends and I love to do that and think you will too. Especialy at the end but I won't tell you. The movie is about sewer monsters and how they eat people in the night and how some people try to stop them. This movie stars the guy from Home Alone and Bushwacked. It is a hilarious treat that should not be missed or unseen by anyone. If you have a CHEESY sence of humor then pick up the sewer monsters known as C.H.U.D's.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Best Movie Ever!
Review: This movie is great. It starts off really exciting, but gets borning and corny VERY fast. With that being said, true horror addicts may not enjoy this movie, but fans of cheesey B movies will love it. The plot was original, at least I think it was. I mean really, homeless people turning into monsters, can it get any better? Buy this movie or you are not worthy or calling yourself a movie lover.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The best movie put on celluloid and then transfered to DVD
Review: This movie is without doubt the single best movie I have ever seen. The special effects were awesome and absolutely visually stunning. When I saw that C.H.U.D. stretch his neck two feet long for the first time it simply blew my mind, but the best thing of all has to be the way his eyes glow, the bright light shows the intensity of his soul and they look realy cool. Simply put, everyone should see this movie, or else!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: cool monster movie
Review: This movie rocked!!!! It had cool monsters. The mood was creepy, and the acting was pretty good. This will definitly rank as one of my favorite horror movies of all time.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Eyes in front and behind
Review: This movie works on many levels, both above ground and underground.

Oh this film can be disregarded as typical 1980s monster fare, but the social message of CHUD makes this film as vital as Sinclair's The Jungle or Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin. AJ's words will haunt you for the rest of your days, one man with crazy hair with the moral rectitude to stand up for the undergrounders, the people as he so eloquently states who "live underground."

Perhaps you think I am overstating the case. Well screw you. There is a scene underground where we see two of the men who just can't fit into the above ground world, and these two men have names, those names are Victor and Hugo. Put it together. Victor Hugo. Yes, the great French novelist of Les Mis fame. The people who put this film together knew exactly what they were doing. The CHUDs aren't the monsters. The monsters are US. More on that later.

The interplay between AJ and Bosch will leave you staggered and haggard. Bosch, an everyman, a man for all seasons. The first scene of this movie, so easy to casually dismiss. And when it is revealed that the woman was Bosch's wife, it is a veritable slap in the face. Every scene in this movie counts, man. And we see a huge contrast between the selfish and evil people in charge of the police, and the regular cop on the beat. When Bosch sees his wife's decapitated head his fellow policemen pull him away. Yes they do. They refuse to let him stare at his wife's decapitated head. And when Bosch goes to the bar to drink himself into oblivion they not only watch him, they even suggest that maybe he should go home. The eternal fraternity of policemen has never been so poignantly showcased.

Oh, AJ and Bosch have some zany banter don't they! Much needed comic relief, the hippy and the everyman. They sure make an odd couple, don't they! Ha, I giggle just thinking about it. Ha ha ha!

The one character who really moves me is Val. Val is the consummate survivor. The one undergrounder who continues to frequent AJ's establishment for his daily helping of gruel. Val, a survivor, has managed to avoid the CHUDs prowling around underground. And when he says "they have the power....to shut...the sky", you might be taken aback. Oh but don't you remember! Every scene, every line of this movie MATTERS! Are "they" the CHUDs? Oh no. "They" are US! US! When Val attempts to escape through one of the last manholes, "they" (ie US) SHUT THE SKY! They seal the manhole shut! This is really important, so follow me here. The sky, in our above ground world, is the sky. But we need to walk in the undergrounder's shoes. Their sky is our ground! And when the ground is sealed, Val is hurtled down, where his head smashes against the rock. Killing him. Val is dead, not killed by the CHUDs, but by us, the surface dwellers. See, it's just like I told you! The CHUDs are not the real monsters!

Val predicts his own death, just like Abraham Lincoln and Jesus. And we thought he was just a scruffy and smelly bum! See, we must discard our prejudices when watching this movie.

Oh, how can I leave out what is possibly the greatest scene in movie history! AJ, who has just left the hastily arranged meeting with the authorities, attempts to phone the media to expose the CHUD conspiracy. But the powers that be send a GOON after him. The goon follows him, and when AJ is about to make a phone call on a public phone, the goon grabs his dime and EATS IT. Shocking isn't it, the depths of depravity that the powers that be will stoop to in order to keep the truth hidden. What kind of monster would eat a dime? See, the real monsters are not the CHUDs! They only eat people!

John Goodman stars as an unfortunate cop, in his second most horrific role of all time. Getting eaten by CHUDs is clown work compared to having to be Roseanne's husband.

This movie should be required viewing for all people who are humans, whether you live above the ground or below the ground. For too long we have tried to camoflauge the truth, as the girlfriend of the photographer in this movie tries to cover the pimple on her butt with make up. Oh yeah! The shower scene! When she (she's pregnant and unsure if she wants to carry the pregnancy to term) sticks the hanger into the drain, and blood spurts out, is that a metaphor for abortion? But I digress. We want our lives to be cozy and worry free. Remove yourself from the safety of your own perceptions, and watch CHUD. It will make you think, it will make you laugh, and it will make you do other things as well.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Simpsons can't be wrong! C.H.U.D. rules!
Review: When I first heard of C.H.U.D. on The Simpsons, I thought to myself "I bet they're just mocking it -- it can't be a good movie!" But, boy, was I wrong! This piece of cinematic perfection was by far the best movie ever made on the topic of cannibals living underground in humanoid form. Go right out and buy this movie -- you won't be disappointed!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Great 80's movie
Review: When I first saw this movie on video i immedaitally loved it. It had suspense, some good action and music. The only problem i had with it was the lousy editing, especially the diner scene with john goodman, it's obvious that this was switched around to the end probably to get the sequel ready. NOTE: Don't get CHUD II unless you are a die hard zombie fan it's worth a rental but that's it. Now that CHUD is finally on DVD, and unedited it's even better. You don't really care about the characters too much because most all of them are irritating anyway. But once tthe CHUD's start snatching people off the streets it's great fun to watch them scatter about in the sewers.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: More fun than a barrel of toxic waste
Review: When you think of the 1984 horror movie "C.H.U.D.," try and think of an old 1950s or 1960s atomic bomb crazed monster movie. The only difference is that they updated the concept to fit the late 1970s and early 1980's fear of nuclear waste. Most long time fans of horror-I'm talking about fans old enough to watch this junk on cable television around the same time MTV appeared on the scene-have seen this movie before. In some ways, it's a classic even though it isn't particularly gory or scary. I can't tell you how many people I have ran into in the intervening years who have mentioned this movie when a discussion turns to horror films. I always nod my head in understanding and then try to drop in a few titles that better represent the horror franchise. Still, "C.H.U.D." is a charming little film that every new aficionado of shriek cinema should see, and since good old Anchor Bay released it on DVD with a great picture transfer and several fun extras, there's simply no excuse not to watch this one in the near future. It's been years since I saw it, and I was greatly surprised at how much I had forgotten. It's always nice to revisit old friends, eh?

Set in the gritty and grimy streets of New York City, "C.H.U.D." We soon learn something isn't quite right in the city that never picks up after itself. George Cooper (John Heard), a big shot photographer working on a new project concerning the homeless, starts hearing things about missing people. Intrigued, and worried considering some of the vanishing are people he has worked with recently, he decides to quietly start investigating the disappearances. Meanwhile, a city cop named Bosch, whose own wife vanished without a trace some time before, begins assembling reports on sudden disappearances. His superiors could care less since nearly all of these people are vagrants and similar forgettables. Captain Bosch perseveres, always remembering the grief and horror over his own personal tragedy. In order to get information, the good cop pays a visit to A.J. Shepard (Daniel Stern), affectionately known on the street as "The Reverend," a man who runs a soup kitchen to feed the poor. Shepard isn't happy about seeing Bosch, and only reluctantly agrees to help when the cop emphasizes he is truly sincere about solving the mystery. It isn't too long before Cooper, Shepard, and Bosch join forces to defeat an evil lurking under the streets of the city. What could possibly dwell in the sewers under New York City? Why, something called C.H.U.D., of course! When Cooper goes underground to check on one of his pals, he discovers that monsters have been preying on the homeless. These people are so scared they've started arming themselves in order to fend off the evil ones.

The photographer takes a picture of one of the mutilated corpses he finds in the sewer, pictures that ultimately end up in the hands of Shepard and Bosch as they take their case to the chief of police, the mayor, and the head of the Nuclear Regulatory Agency, a guy named Wilson. After an attempt to stonewall these three heroes fails (Shepard threatens to go to the newspapers), Wilson reluctantly reveals that the C.H.U.D. are something called cannibalistic humanoid underground dwellers. Wilson claims a small amount of nuclear waste leaked into the sewers of New York and turned a few vagrants into ravenous, glowing eyed monsters with a fondness for human flesh. A mission to flush out the monsters with flamethrowers fails miserably, so it's up to our three heroes to do the job themselves. The C.H.U.D. aren't about to take any attempts to eradicate them lying down, and eventually move aboveground to wreak mayhem on the innocent residents of the city. More painful truths come out when Shepard and Cooper discover that Wilson lied about the toxic waste leak, a truth that is much worse and one that paints the bureaucrat in an extremely unfavorable light. Expect to see plenty of explosions, fires, and general carnage before the credits roll.

"C.H.U.D." is one of those fun movies you just can't help but chuckle over as you watch. The success of the film is mostly due to the cast, especially Daniel Stern as the frenetic A.J. Shepard. The Reverend is a cranky, anti-authoritarian type who just loves to cause trouble. His haircut, a cross between Mark Twain and Don King, adds to the general sense of ridiculousness. When he goes mano a mano with the evil Wilson, you know the common man will finally get his due. Of course, John Heard isn't a slouch either as the outraged George Cooper. Christopher Curry adds a bit of seriousness as the inquisitive Captain Bosch. Be sure and look for John Goodman and Jay Thomas as two cops unfortunate enough to have an encounter with a C.H.U.D. in a diner. The only disappointments in the movie are the lack of gore and the short screen time allotted to the creatures. More C.H.U.D. and fewer messages about the threat of bureaucratic conspiracy and nuclear waste disposal would have made for a better horror film.

Once again, Anchor Bay turned out a great disc. There's a trailer, special effects stills, and an excellent commentary track from director Douglas Cheek, John Heard, Christopher Curry, and Daniel Stern. These guys have a lot of fun taking potshots at the movie and it's amusing to listen to them. Another plus is the amazing picture transfer and audio quality (crystal clear, folks). You just gotta love that cheesy '80s synth score! If you haven't seen "C.H.U.D.," get cracking. This movie definitely falls quite high on the "must see" list. It's not gory and not scary, but it is loads of fun.


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