Wildly inert horror (C.H.U.D. (DVD))

Member Name: shaneo632

Product:	C.H.U.D. (DVD)
Date:	07/07/09 (3 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Well made

Disadvantages: Boring and too serious

Quite how C.H.U.D. recieved a rave from the New York Times upon its release is beyond me. It also won the Best Fantasy Film Award at Brussels International Festival of Fantasy Film in 1985, but of course, advances in special effects have rendered it little more than a kitschy film that very much belongs to its cult audience.

On the other hand, I was expecting a cheesy B-movie and found a film that was actually trying to be serious. With a title like CHUD (an acronym for "Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dweller"), you don't try and convince your audience that you're making a film that's seriously trying to terrify them. The only thing this film gets right is the terrible creature effects, although for 99% of the film, the creature is kept off screen anyway, and the rest of the thematic material just isn't engaging enough to keep one interested.

The film opens as the New York City Police Department receives reports of people being snatched and attacked on the streets of New York. Witnesses say the victims are being pulled into manholes by deformed, grotesque creatures. So, to combat the problem, a police officer teams up with a journalist and a hippie to investigate the phenomenon. Unfortunately, though, it's nowhere near as exciting as the premise sounds.

What could have been a fun and kitschy creature feature throwback is ultimately too self-important and serious to resonate. Moreover, the low budget is painfully abundant, as the elusive CHUD monster appears on screen for a total of less than a minute.

Summary: A curiously self-serious B-movie