Grimy cult classic C.H.U.D. crawls onto Blu-ray from Arrow Video
Director Douglas Cheek’s 1984 cult classic C.H.U.D. is one of the most important home video horror movies of the 1980s, its Media Home Entertainment purple-tinted cover and tagline (“They’re Not Staying Down There Anymore!”) enticing a generation of kids to rent and re-rent the movie, perpetually.
And the hype was warranted. Despite Leonard Maltin saddling the movie with the dreaded “BOMB” rating, C.H.U.D (which sort of stands for Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dwellers) is a really, really good little movie, with a great cast (John Heard and Daniel Stern and Kim Griest and a cameo by a then-unknown John Goodman) and amazing Caglione and Drexler monsters, plus grimy, authentic NYC locations.
We love the movie.
And we’re THRILLED that Arrow Video is dragging it High-Def life, in a Dual Format Blu-ray and DVD.
From a post on the Arrow Facebook page today:
From the subterranean depths it crawls! Finally making its long-awaited debut on Blu-ray, director Douglas Cheek’s cult ‘80s favorite C.H.U.D. is the ultimate underground movie experience.
In downtown Manhattan, a police captain’s hunt for his missing wife leads to the discovery of a series of mysterious disappearances in the area. Extending his search into the tunnels and sewers below the city streets, it soon becomes clear that something monstrous is lurking in that subterranean world – and it won’t stay there much longer…
Starring John Heard (Home Alone) and Christopher Curry (Starship Troopers) alongside an early appearance from John Goodman, C.H.U.D. has justifiably built up a huge cult following in the years since its release in 1984, with one of the most iconic creature designs of the period.
SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS
•Brand new restoration from original film elements
•High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
•Original Uncompressed Mono PCM audio
•Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
•Audio commentary by director Douglas Cheek, writer Shepard Abbott, and actors John Heard, Daniel Stern and Christopher Curry
•Brand new crew interviews
•Original Theatrical Trailer
•Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Dan Mumford
FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film
Street date TBA.
C.H.U.D is a perfect little picture, one that had far more on its mind than most of its early ’80s horror contemporaries. Are you a fan? Will you be purchasing?
Instead of trotting out a trailer, we’re going to show you an investigative report this writer did a few years ago, charting the C.H.U.D. epidemic in Toronto. Enjoy!
