C.H.U.D. (1983) Movie Review
Written By: K.M.C
Edited By: Grave Reviews Staff
Film Information
Director: Douglas Cheek
Producers: Andrew Bonime
Writers: Shepard Abbott
Date Released: August 31, 1984
Cast:
John Heard as George Cooper
Daniel Stern as A.J. “The Reverend” Shepherd
Christopher Curry as Captain Bosch
Kim Greist as Lauren Daniels
J.C. Quinn as Murphy
Michael O’Hare as Fuller
Peter Michael Goetz as Gramps
Sam McMurray as Officer Crespi
Frankie R. Faison as Sgt. Parker
et. al.
Rating = 2.5/5 Graves
***May contain some spoilers***
Synopsis
Captain Bosch, a New York City police officer/detective starts to suspect that there is a nonhuman force that is on a killing spree after a flood of missing persons, that include his wife, are reported. He teams up with A.J. Shepherd after he proves that the missing persons have to do with a massive government cover-up. At the same time, George Cooper, a former famous fashion photographer, is working on his project on photographing New York City’s homeless population. All three soon discover that due to the chemical toxic waste being dumped in the sewers by the government, the once human mutants have turned into cannibalistic humanoids seeking blood and perhaps, revenge.
Gore Factor
The gore the C.H.U.D features is seen towards the end of the film when Cooper and Shepherd decide to investigate the sewers themselves. The audience is exposed to short shots of gnarly flesh-eaten wounds, severed bodies and heads, and the occasional gunshot wounds.
The Grave Review
As comical as the name reads, C.H.U.D is an entertaining, lazy-Sunday-watch type of film that incorporates subtle jabs at the government’s way of handling their own consequences, an intriguing love story, and the growing friendship of two individuals who are trying to defeat the underground mutants. The way that the different storylines slowly come to a meeting point once the mutant creatures start to attack is slow, yet engaging. One can find themselves zoning out at specific scenes, but the overall experience can be quite enjoyable that will give you a chuckle here and there.
The acting in C.H.U.D. (1983) was realistic and relatable. There were a few moments where Stern’s character came off as cheesy and Curry’s performance was a little over the top. But for the most part, the film was well casted. The standout actress of the film was Griest who’s performance felt natural throughout.
The makeup artists and special effects team deserve a minor shoutout due to the effort made in making the underground dwellers have specific characteristics that make them stand out from other monsters of the year 84. Although there could have been more full-body shots of the monsters incorporated, the few arm shots and headshots showed the team’s effort. From glowing yellow eyes to elongating necks, the monsters really gave a good level of disgust.
For the foregoing reasons, Grave Reviews gives C.H.U.D. (1983) two and a half graves out of five graves.
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