Review by Roger Carpenter
Made at the height of the creature feature resurgence popularized by films like The Howling, An American Werewolf in London, Wolfen, Humanoids from the Deep, and The Boogens, C.H.U.D. (1984) was a (very) low budget film that was briefly popular upon its release and became a staple of the mid-80’s video stores that seemed to pop up like weeds around that time. We tend to throw around terms like “cult classic” a little too lightly nowadays. I don’t think C.H.U.D. qualifies as a genuine “cult classic,” but the film certainly has legs over three decades plus since its original release.
Perhaps those “legs” have something to do with the coverage from the popular Fangoria magazine during production of the film. Or maybe it had to do with the schlocky but nonetheless horrific rubber monster suits worn for the CHUDs (actually foam latex) to go along with the throwback 1950’s sci-fi monster flick appeal. It may have had something to do with the gritty realism of The Big Apple in the early-80’s and some actual location shooting in very dank and very scary NYC underground locations. But for my money, it was the strong cast that worked for peanuts on the film.
Starring John Heard (Cat People, Big, Home Alone) as a disillusioned fashion photographer trying to develop an expose on New York City’s street people as well as Daniel Stern (Breaking Away, Stardust Memories, Blue Thunder, Home Alone) as a soup kitchen volunteer with a persecution complex, the film is simply littered with actors and actresses who were either on the verge of making it big or were set to become well known character actors. Many of these actors were new to film but were veterans of the Broadway stage with solid acting chops. No less than Patricia Richardson, of Home Improvement fame, as well as John Goodman, had bit parts while Christopher Curry has become a fine character actor, as has Kim Griest who plays Heard’s love interest in C.H.U.D. As an ensemble, these actors and all the stage vets that supported them, elevated what is essentially a B-grade sci-fi monster flick to something more than the sum of its parts.
The plot is simple: street people have started to go missing, especially the “undergrounders”—those who live in the abandoned portions of the city’s sewers and subways. At first the only people who notice are those who work with the homeless like “The Preacher” (Stern) and Cooper, the photographer (Heard). They manage to convince a blue-collar detective (Curry) that something strange is going on, only to be rebuffed by the city big-wigs. But thanks to some of the homeless people, our intrepid trio soon discover the real secret behind the disappearances. Apparently the city made a deal to store radioactive waste (Contamination Hazard—Urban Disposal, or C.H.U.D.) in the very locations the homeless people use for their living areas. Unfortunately, being exposed to C.H.U.D. causes humans to morph into monsters with a taste for human flesh, or Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dwellers… C.H.U.D.s. It’s a race against time to kill the monsters before they escape the sewers and rampage through the city.
Not as outlandishly gory as some of the features mentioned above, and without a budget for any real monster-making (look for a single short shot of a C.H.U.D. with a neck extending transformation), the centerpiece here is the dramatic acting and gritty locations. But make no mistake about it, C.H.U.D. is still a riotously good time especially if you enjoy the monster flicks of the 1950’s.
I originally saw this in the theater thanks to several Fangoria articles which advertised the film, owned it on VHS, and then upgraded to DVD when Anchor Bay first released the film. Now Arrow Films has released C.H.U.D. on a great-looking Blu-Ray, retaining several features from the old disc such as a really funny commentary with director Douglas Cheek, writer Shepard Abbott, Heard, Stern, and Curry. You won’t learn much more about the film from them, but they roast everyone affiliated with the film, including themselves. They are under no illusion as to what they made, but had a great deal of fun while making the film and extend that fun to the commentary. Arrow also includes an interesting feature which is an extended commentary track/interview with the composers for the film score, Martin Cooper and David Hughes. They discuss the score and how they became involved in the project and then the score plays over the film, minus dialogue and sound effects. It’s an interesting commentary and it’s always nice to have the isolated musical score.
Also on the disc is a new interview with production designer William Bilowit, a new interview with special effects artist John Caglione, Jr., a present-day visit to the original filming locations, an extended shower scene featuring more blood and nudity, a behind-the-scenes gallery, and the original theatrical trailer. It’s a great overall package, especially for fans of sci-fi or monster movies. You can purchase the package through Amazon or directly from Arrow at http://www.arrowfilms.co.uk/category/usa/.
