C.H.U.D. Year: 1984 Director: Douglas Cheek Written by: Parnell Hall Threat: Mutants Weapon of Choice: Claws Based upon: Original IMDb page:

Other movies in this series:
C.H.U.D. II - Bud the Chud

Rish Outfield's reviews
Folks, I love C.H.U.D.. There is a special place reserved in the recesses of where my heart should be for that movie. As a child, I saw the TV commercial, and became literally obsessed with the idea of C.H.U.D. and CHUDs. I talked endlessly with my friends about CHUDs and we often pointed out schoolmates and teachers we would like to feed to the CHUDs. And the really funny thing is, neither I nor my pals--none of us--had ever seen C.H.U.D.. None of us knew what they looked like. We just knew they existed, and that there was a movie out there all about them. When I got to Junior High I met other folks who had to have been touched by the phenomenon that was C.H.U.D., for if someone's dad checked water meters, he was "workin' with the CHUDs," and if somebody was going to get beat up, he was "CHUD-bait." Funny, but true.
It was only years later that I actually saw the film. And you know what, it wasn't really that good. But even so, the legacy lives on within me.

The tyranist's thoughts
Isn't it funny that there are legendarily bad movies out there that are almost universally available and yet few people have seen them. Everyone mentions C.H.U.D. at one point or another, but how many people have actually seen it?
Well, I have. And even though I watched it alone, it was fun. This is exactly the kind of campy movie that large groups of people would have a riot with. The effects are terrible, the monsters silly and cool at the same time, and the action just plain funny.
So people are disappearing from a certain neighborhood in New York. No one knows why, but it is getting worse. Soon a self-made preacher, a fashion photographer, and a concerned police chief are battling the C.H.U.D.'s. Oh, and there is a government cover up involved.
As bad as this movie was, I was having so much fun watching it that I was totally willing to forgive bad dialogue and mediocre acting just to enjoy it. Once in a while a movie comes along that you can't help but enjoy even while you stare at it's lack of panache. There is a sort of cool appearance by John Goodman and Sam McMurray plays a "bad" cop. Daniel Stern is probably the best part of the movie even though some of his scenes are so over done they might be painful to more sensitive viewers.
What it comes down to is that it is time for people to stop mentioning this movie as if they've seen it and just see it. Preferably with a large group of people who are in the mood for silly horror.

Total Skulls: 19

Sequel
Sequel setup
Rips off earlier film
Horror film showing on TV/in theater in movie
Future celebrity appears		John Goodman, Sam McMurray
Former celebrity appears
Bad title
Bad premise
Bad acting
Bad dialogue
Bad execution
MTV Editing
OTS
Girl unnecessarily gets naked
Wanton sex
Death associated with sex
Unfulfilled promise of nudity
Characters forget about threat
Secluded location
Power is cut
Phone lines are cut
Someone investigates a strange noise
Someone runs up stairs instead of going out front door
Camera is the killer
Victims cower in front of a window/door
Victim locks self in with killer
Victim running from killer inexplicably falls
Toilet stall scene
Shower/bath scene
Car stalls or won't start
Cat jumps out
Fake scare
Laughable scare
Stupid discovery of corpse
Dream sequence
Hallucination/Vision
No one believes only witness
Crazy, drunk, old man knows the truth
Warning goes unheeded
Music detracts from scene
Death in first five minutes
x years before/later
Flashback sequence
Dark and stormy night
Killer doesn't stay dead
Killer wears a mask
Killer is in closet
Killer is in car with victim
Villain is more sympathetic than heroes
Unscary villain/monster
Beheading
Blood fountain
Blood spatters - camera, wall, etc.
Poor death effect
Excessive gore
No one dies at all
Virgin survives
Geek/Nerd survives
Little kid lamely survives
Dog/Pet miraculously survives
Unresolved subplots
"It was all a dream" ending
Unbelievably happy ending
Unbelievably crappy ending
What the hell?