C.H.U.D.

Awful. Long stagnant semi intertwining plots that serve to waste time. Worst still is that it really tries instead to be story led instead of being fun or thrilling. Story led and it's about cannibalistic humanoid underground dwellers? This is the essense of boring. As if its not boring enough the C.H.U.D appear after an hour an they are stupid. You could acheive a better effect getting a pound shop mask and putting l.e.d lights in the eye hole. You have to fight the urge to turn the movie off. The director cannot capture horror in any way. So bad it's bad.

This is a rare creature feature in that the people are the highlight, not the creatures. The dialogue, especially in the first half, is witty and has decent social commentary; especially for the 80s. The movie juggles environmental hazards with the homelessness epidemic, all while delivering characters with understandable motivations. Now, the "issue" is when the monsters appear. The "C.H.U.DS" aren't even a real "issue," it's just that the last half is a pretty standard creature feature that doesn't really capitalize on the commentary given in the first half. What we get is a slapstick government villain with questionable motivations. The C.H.U.Ds themselves look pretty good, if a little silly, and the special effects are really nicely done throughout the movie. C.H.U.D manages to balance its progressive social messaging along with its horror elements relatively well, which I would say is a pretty rare thing, especially for horror movies. So if you are in the mood for some fun with a little something deeper (if a little surface level) going on, do try it and hopefully enjoy it. 3 ½ stars.