Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dwellers. I'm not spoiling anything. It's right there on the poster. So based on that you should have a decent idea of what this one is about. There has been an uptick in unsolved murders and missing person reports in New York City (the old, dirty one I only see anymore in 80's movies). The evidence suggests that someone - or something - living under the streets is responsible.
John Heard plays a George Shepard, a photographer who is fed up with advertising shoots and "trying to make a difference" with his photo-journalism. He is in the middle of a project where he is photographing an extensive community of homeless people living in the sewer systems of NYC. Daniel Stern plays "The Reverend" - an ex-con who has changed his ways and now runs a soup kitchen for the homeless. And Christopher Curry plays Bosch - a NYPD captain who has a personal stake in the case, as his wife is one of the persons gone missing. They must work together to figure out what is going on under the streets, taking on City Hall and "The Man" in the process.
What I liked
The Setting - the old grungy NYC. There's something about movies from this era where things just don't look nice - they look real and lived-in. I appreciate that. Even movies shot today that go into dilapidated areas look too crisp - there's something about the shot-on-80's-era-film that just looks honest and more true to life to me.
C.H.U.D. would sink or swim based on our three leads, and luckily they are all very good. Heard (despite being a kind of a jerk and looking like a slob) was a good straight man. And even though he gets first billing time is pretty much split between the three. Daniel Stern plays the loose-cannon pretty well and is actually quite funny - although the Netflix description of him playing a "crazy bum" is really selling his character short. The star of the show in my eyes though was Curry - the fed up cop doing things his own way. Curry sells his anger well, but there's an earnestness to the role that you couldn't get away with in a cop character nowadays. He's not an anti-hero or damaged goods - he's just a straight-up good guy.
The supporting cast was good too. Kim Greist plays George's wife Laurie, who gets to do a bit more than just be the damsel in distress by taking part in a nice sequence fighting a CHUD in her apartment. George Martin was great as "The Man" - in this case a representative of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (to dispose of Nuclear Waste). He plays the annoying "I'm in charge whatever I say goes" type stooge almost perfectly. There are also some familiar faces "before they were famous" - Patricia Richardson (I didn't spot her), Sam McMurray, John Goodman, Jay Thomas... they don't do much, but still fun to see.
And I'm not sure if this is just rose-colored glasses, but there is something about certain genre scripts from that era that are just well-written. Here, we get good little introductions to each character - nothing obvious, but little things that they say (George's answering machine, Bosch's first exchange with his coworkers) or how they dress (The reverend's stained sport coat) that really get to the core of the character efficiently.
The monsters (Humanoid Underground Dwellers) are pretty cool. They are WAY more mutilated than I would have expected - the only humanoid thing about them is the general shape - and yes, they are people in suits. They kind of reminded of updated mole men - thick, slimy brain-looking growths over their whole body, (kind of cheesy) illuminated eyes, and sharp claws. And while you never really see them attack, you do get to see the aftermath, and it's not pretty. But other than the occasional bite-wound and blood on the walls after an attack, there isn't an awful lot of gore here. "Cannibalistic" is a stretch too. Some of the bodies turn up thoroughly uneaten. It's definitely R-rated, but the kind of R-rated I would feel okay showing to a 12-year old.
But the fact of the matter is the 12-year old would probably be bored. It is a creature-flick, but it definitely emphasizes character over action, especially early on. Other than the opening scene - a mutant hand shooting out of the sewer - you probably don't see the CHUDs for half the movie. But I appreciate that pacing. They don't make 'em like that anymore.
And I really dug the score too. You've got the early 80's time-frame where the synthesizer is just coming into it's own, and it's featured to great effect here. I love the minimalist, pulsating synth sounds that drive the action in the third act.
What I didn't like
There were some pacing issues - not in the overarching sense, but within individual scenes. For instance, there is a section where George is rescued by the Reverend from the CHUDs. It is edited in such a way that there is never any really tension - shots just linger a bit too long to be effective.
And some of the scare scenes don't really make sense. Once it's been established that a CHUD is in their building (quite the coincidence, really), Laurie is taking a shower and the drain jams up. She bangs at the drain and a bunch of blood shoots out. It looks cool, but there is literally no reason for it to happen. Also, when the Reverend discovers a CHUD lair, he sneaks *towards* them for some reason. It's (kind of) good for a scare, but again makes no sense.
Ultimately
C.H.U.D. a good mix of "underdog fighting the man" and creature feature. While the CHUDs were cool and I'll never turn down a monster attack, the charismatic performances from our actors are what really made this film enjoyable to me.
I would recommend this film.
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