C.H.U.D. (Widescreen)

Set in the gritty and grimy streets of New York City, "C.H.U.D." We soon learn something isn't quite right in the city that never picks up after itself. George Cooper (John Heard), a big shot photographer working on a new project concerning the homeless, starts hearing things about missing people. Intrigued, and worried considering some of the vanishing are people he has worked with recently, he decides to quietly start investigating the disappearances. Meanwhile, a city cop named Bosch, whose own wife vanished without a trace some time before, begins assembling reports on sudden disappearances. His superiors could care less since nearly all of these people are vagrants and similar forgettables. Captain Bosch perseveres, always remembering the grief and horror over his own personal tragedy. In order to get information, the good cop pays a visit to A.J. Shepard (Daniel Stern), affectionately known on the street as "The Reverend," a man who runs a soup kitchen to feed the poor. Shepard isn't happy about seeing Bosch, and only reluctantly agrees to help when the cop emphasizes he is truly sincere about solving the mystery. It isn't too long before Cooper, Shepard, and Bosch join forces to defeat an evil lurking under the streets of the city. What could possibly dwell in the sewers under New York City? Why, something called C.H.U.D., of course! When Cooper goes underground to check on one of his pals, he discovers that monsters have been preying on the homeless. These people are so scared they've started arming themselves in order to fend off the evil ones.

The photographer takes a picture of one of the mutilated corpses he finds in the sewer, pictures that ultimately end up in the hands of Shepard and Bosch as they take their case to the chief of police, the mayor, and the head of the Nuclear Regulatory Agency, a guy named Wilson. After an attempt to stonewall these three heroes fails (Shepard threatens to go to the newspapers), Wilson reluctantly reveals that the C.H.U.D. are something called cannibalistic humanoid underground dwellers. Wilson claims a small amount of nuclear waste leaked into the sewers of New York and turned a few vagrants into ravenous, glowing eyed monsters with a fondness for human flesh. A mission to flush out the monsters with flamethrowers fails miserably, so it's up to our three heroes to do the job themselves. The C.H.U.D. aren't about to take any attempts to eradicate them lying down, and eventually move aboveground to wreak mayhem on the innocent residents of the city. More painful truths come out when Shepard and Cooper discover that Wilson lied about the toxic waste leak, a truth that is much worse and one that paints the bureaucrat in an extremely unfavorable light. Expect to see plenty of explosions, fires, and general carnage before the credits roll.

"C.H.U.D." is one of those fun movies you just can't help but chuckle over as you watch. The success of the film is mostly due to the cast, especially Daniel Stern as the frenetic A.J. Shepard. The Reverend is a cranky, anti-authoritarian type who just loves to cause trouble. His haircut, a cross between Mark Twain and Don King, adds to the general sense of ridiculousness. When he goes mano a mano with the evil Wilson, you know the common man will finally get his due. Of course, John Heard isn't a slouch either as the outraged George Cooper. Christopher Curry adds a bit of seriousness as the inquisitive Captain Bosch. Be sure and look for John Goodman and Jay Thomas as two cops unfortunate enough to have an encounter with a C.H.U.D. in a diner. The only disappointments in the movie are the lack of gore and the short screen time allotted to the creatures. More C.H.U.D. and fewer messages about the threat of bureaucratic conspiracy and nuclear waste disposal would have made for a better horror film.

Once again, Anchor Bay turned out a great disc. There's a trailer, special effects stills, and an excellent commentary track from director Douglas Cheek, John Heard, Christopher Curry, and Daniel Stern. These guys have a lot of fun taking potshots at the movie and it's amusing to listen to them. Another plus is the amazing picture transfer and audio quality (crystal clear, folks). You just gotta love that cheesy '80s synth score! If you haven't seen "C.H.U.D.," get cracking. This movie definitely falls quite high on the "must see" list. It's not gory and not scary, but it is loads of fun.

This B-movie gem revolves around a top secret batch of toxic waste that the government goons have disposed of in the city sewers. This little secret is causing some of the city's underground inhabits to mutate into flesh-eating monsters known as C.H.U.D. (Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dwellers). It's up to "Home Alone" alumni John Heard and Daniel Stern to stop this menace before it's too late. It's easier said than done though as the police department and an alleged N.R.C. representative want to put a lid on things.

"C.H.U.D." opens up somewhat slowly with a lot of pointless back story but the final half-hour is its "bread and butter". Stern and Heard get chased through the city's crappy sewer system full of toxic waste and decapitated heads while Greist is trapped in her apartment by one of the title monsters, complete with glow in the dark eyes. This movie also boats cameo appearances from such diverse talent as John Goodman, Patricia Richardson, and Jon Polito, to name a few.

"C.H.U.D." actually gets some decent treatmant with this DVD release. You get the movie in its original 1.77:1 aspect ratio with all of the television footage inserted back into it (though it says nothing about that on the cover packaging). There's also an easter egg with an alternate take of Kim Greist's shower scene complete with a nice little breast shot. But the best bonus of all has to be the full-length commentary with the film's director, writer, and actors John Heard, Daniel Stern, and Christopher Curry. These guys literally have a blast ripping into the movie. It's good stuff. If you see only one film about radioactive sewer creatures, make it this one.