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C.H.U.D. (1984) - Douglas Cheek

So its 2011 now... 2010 was a huge year for me with Horror Movie Project. Thanks to everyone who has visited and taken an interest in the site, and thanks to everyone who has linked to me. Thank you everyone on Rotten Tomatoes and Facebook for your cool support. Thank you Better Board. You guys rock.

So a good friend of mine suggested that we sit down and watch C.H.U.D. I had never heard of the movie before, so I agreed. We grabbed a couple beers and sat down to be entertained by the unknown.

The plot is pretty thin. There's an evil conglomerate that is dumping nuclear waste in the sewers of New York where a community of homeless people live. Naturally a few of the homeless mutated and became C.H.U.D.'s Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dwellers.

I couldn't have guessed that I would turn this movie on and see actors like Daniel Stern and John Goodman making cameo appearances. I didn't know that I would be taken by the movie's comedy whether it be intentional or not. There is nothing scary about this movie whatsoever; its more of a commentary on homelessness.

If you haven't seen C.H.U.D. go out and rent it; this movie is right at home in the corner of some dirty video rental place that still carries VHS sitting on the shelf between a copy of Captian America starring Dolf Lundgren and Crazy Fat Ethel 2. Movies like this make me wish I could turn back the clock and work at a video rental store in the mid 90's.

With all of the unintentional comedy and the lack of scary parts C.H.U.D. is an exceptional cult film; it is genius without even knowing it. C.H.U.D. is an 80's schlock movie through and through, but if you want something serious and scary look elsewhere. C.H.U.D. snags a 6 out of 10 from me. Daniel Stern makes the movie.

Gog... and Magog
  • Robert Englund (Freddy Kruger) was going to take the role that Daniel Stern filled, however he passed on it to take on Nightmare on Elm Street.
  • The first victim in the movie is Daniel Stern's actual wife.
  • In the Simpsons Homer says that he was attacked by CHUDs the last time he visited New York City.
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