Saturday, February 18, 2017

C.H.U.D. SPECIAL EDITION: A NEW MONSTER



One thing you have to give film makers in the eighties credit for when it came to horror films. Rather than sit back and rely only on remakes and sequels (of which there were plenty) a number of movie makers made a point of creating some new monsters to scare us with. Not all worked but when they did they worked well. Case in point C.H.U.D.

C.H.U.D. tells the story of George Cooper (John Heard), a noted news photographer who is trying to take a break away from the news to pursue a new career as a fashion photographer at the bequest of his girlfriend Lauren (Kim Greist). He’s picked a bad time to start the change since a series of bizarre murders and disappearances are happening in New York at the same time.

Ties between the murders and a set of homeless people that George once did a photo essay on, a group that lives beneath the city streets in the abandoned tunnels of the NY subway system, draw the attention of the police and the curiosity of George. They especially interest a Det. Bosch (Christopher Curry) whose wife we later learn is one of the missing. Bosch turns up the pressure on A.J. Shepherd (Daniel Stern), an ex-con who now runs a soup kitchen for the homeless.

The paths of all three cross as they begin to investigate the crimes and find clues on their own leading to the discovery of a creatures living deeper in the tunnels that are killing the people of New York. Dubbing them C.H.U.D. or Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dwellers, the government may be involved in their creation. If so the term C.H.U.D. may have a different meaning. In any event, we’re offered a new urban legend and monster to tie in with the explanation.

The movie is not blockbuster summer hit material but it does offer something rarely seen in many horror films today and that’s originality. As I said from the start, movies tend to rely on tried and true formulas and creations from vampires to the currently hot zombies. That the film makers here could come up with a new creation, a new monster, deserves credit. The low budget film actually looks quite good and the fact that it stands up to the test of time serves it well. When you consider that the movie came out in 1984 and people can still tell you what C.H.U.D. stands for speaks volumes.

The camera work is good for a low budget film. The acting ranges from good to bad but good for the most part. The story has a few holes but hey, this is a horror film and they often have more holes that a brick of Swiss cheese. Here they don’t detract from the film itself but turn it into one of those films you love even for all of its flaws.

I can’t sing the praises of Arrow Video enough. Once again they’ve offered fans the opportunity to witness this film in the most pristine version possible. And as always the extras here are many worth watching as opposed to the usual making of extras new films get with stars sitting and repeating the same lines about how great their movie is before it gets released. What does Arrow offer this time?
-Brand new restoration from original film elements
-High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
-Original Uncompressed Mono PCM audio
-Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
-Audio commentary by director Douglas Cheek, writer Shepard Abbott, and actors John Heard, Daniel Stern and Christopher Curry
-Brand new crew interviews
-Original Theatrical Trailer
-Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Dan Mumford

If you love the film you’ll want to add this to your collection. Horror fans will want to do the same. And if you’ve never seen the film then by all means make it a point to seek it out. It’s solid entertainment that will have you walking a wide path around manhole covers for the rest of your life.

Click here to order.

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