Search - C.H.U.D. on DVD

MPAA Rating: R Content Advisory: Violence, Graphic Violence, Adult Situations, Not For Children, Adult Language, Profanity Movie Release: 1984 DVD Release: 01/30/2001 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV Audio Tracks: English SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 36 mins Studio: Anchor Bay Members Wishing: 1 Genres: Drama, Horror, Creature Film, Natural Horror See Also: Cult Fiction: C.H.U.D.

People are disappearing all over the Big Apple. Nobody cares, though, because most of the missing are homeless. But when investigative reporter Murphy (J.C. Quinn) tips off principled photographer George Cooper (John Heard) to a government conspiracy involving the dumping of nuclear waste beneath the streets, Cooper decides to dig a little deeper. Soon he discovers the existence of C.H.U.D.s, or "Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dwellers," derelicts who have become grotesque monsters after being exposed to the mountains of hazardous waste. Meanwhile, Captain Bosch (Christopher Curry), a cop whose wife is among the missing, forms an unlikely alliance with the Reverend (Daniel Stern), a leftist soup-kitchen cook who knows the score. Murphy, Cooper, Bosch, and the Reverend soon run up against the stonewalling tactics of Wilson (George Martin), a government toadie. As the titular monsters begin to tire of their underground habitat, the protagonists -- including Cooper's wife, beautiful model Lauren Daniels (Kim Greist) -- face a race against time to defeat not only the C.H.U.D.s, but the government's cover-up. The debut, and only film, from writer Parnell Hall and director Douglas Cheek, C.H.U.D. was followed by 1989's C.H.U.D. 2: Bud the C.H.U.D. Co-stars Stern and Heard would later appear together in the first two Home Alone pictures, while Curry would appear in the third. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide

John Heard - George Cooper
Kim Greist - Lauren Daniels
Daniel Stern - The Reverend
Christopher Curry - Capt. Bosch
George Martin - Wilson

Toxic waste and New York City are the culprits to cannibalistic humanoid underground dwellers in the 1980s monster classic C.H.U.D. Presented in 1.77:1 anamorphic widescreen, this version of C.H.U.D. by Anchor Bay looks much better than a film of this quality deserves. The image quality is consistant with bright colors and black levels even and bright. While the transfer suffers from minor imperfections (including dirt, grain, and some scratches), overall, this is a very good job by Anchor Bay. Audio is presented in Dolby Digital 1.0 Mono and sounds only passable. All aspects of the soundtrack including dialogue, effects, and music are all clear and concise, but as with most mono tracks, =C.H.U.D.'s tends to have a flat, hollow quality that is disappointing to the viewer. However, this fact is greatly made up by way some nice extra features included on this edition of C.H.U.D. A commentary track by director Douglas Cheek, writer Shepard Abbott, and actors Daniel Stern, John Heard, and Christopher Curry both entertains and enlightens with funny quips and stories about the production of C.H.U.D. Also included on this disc is an anamorphic trailer for C.H.U.D. as well as a behind-the-scenes photo gallery. Fans of this smaller title will delight in the above average effort put forth by Anchor Bay. ~ Patrick Naugle, All Movie Guide