C.H.U.D. Movie Review
"I smoke pot for the Lord!"
This 1984 film is one that I had watched, and enjoyed, years ago, but it had somehow found its way out of my memory bank--I'm glad I went back to it! Movies from the 1970's and 1980's with that gritty New York City look and feel hold a weird, special place in my heart, and this flick certainly delivers in that department. Much of the film takes place in and below the Chambers Street subway station in Lower Manhattan (hey, I've been there!)--a group of homeless people live well under the station, and so do those responsible the many disappearances--the Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dwellers.
"Just call us Chuds, everyone does"
Our monsters are impressive in that 1950's monsters throwback kind of way. We don't get a ton of gore with the death scenes, but the shots of the carnage left behind make up for that. What will likely surprise you most about this movie is the level of acting, which is really good considering this is a low-budget 1980's horror film. As weird as it was seeing Heard play a good guy (I can't see him in anything without picturing him saying "I don't get it, I don't get it!), he actually pulls it off nicely. Less surprising is a young Daniel Stern absolutely stealing the show and giving us hints at the goofiness he would be known for years later in movie such as City Slickers and Home Alone--and as hard as it is for me to picture John Heard as anybody other than Paul from Big, it's just as difficult for me to hear Stern's voice and not wonder how Kevin and Winnie are doing--I'm still bitter with the end of that series--don't get me started. The familiar faces don't stop there--Patricia Richardson (Quantum Leap) has a brief appearance, Sam McMurray (Raising Arizona) plays a cop, and, in the same scene, at the time unknowns Jay Thomas (Cheers) and John Goodman (10 Cloverfield Lane, Kong: Skull Island) show up for a moment or two.
They won't be laughing long
There are some political statements made in this movie, from the 1980's New York City homeless problems to government ineptness, that resonate even today, and I could go on and on about that, but nobody is here to read about that (at least I hope that's not why you're here, as you will be sadly disappointed), so I won't touch on that too much except to say it is obviously here, but not shoved down our throats as such messages are in other horror flicks...don't get me started on that either. Instead, go out and check out C.H.U.D--it's a fun eighties film that has a lot going for it, and leaves us with an ending that seems to tell us that although the monsters we know may not be dead, the real villain is.
On A Scale Of One To Ten: 7
C.H.U.D. Movie Trailer
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