C.H.U.D. (1984)
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A police officer and a homeless shelter manager must confront mutated creatures lurking in the New York City sewers.
The story
In New York City, a police officer and a homeless shelter manager team up to investigate a series of mysterious disappearances. They soon discover that the missing people have been hunted by humanoid monsters living in the city's sewer system. These creatures, mutated by radioactive and chemical waste, have begun emerging from the manholes to feed on the surface. As the investigation deepens, the pair uncovers a conspiracy involving the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which has been hiding the hazardous waste beneath Manhattan. The duo must navigate the dangerous underground tunnels to uncover the truth before the government attempts to silence everyone involved.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After a woman and her dog are dragged into a sewer manhole by a creature, NYPD Captain Bosch begins investigating a string of disappearances. He teams up with A.J. "The Reverend" Shepherd, a homeless shelter manager who believes the events are a government cover-up. Simultaneously, a photographer named George Cooper, who documents the city's 'undergrounders,' finds himself caught in the same mystery. They discover that the monsters are humans mutated by 'Contamination Hazard Urban Disposal' waste hidden by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The NRC plans to seal the sewers and eliminate any witnesses. During the investigation, a reporter is eaten, and George's girlfriend, Lauren, is attacked by mutants in her apartment. Eventually, George and A.J. find a camera left by a slain NRC crew and use it to report their findings to Bosch. In a final confrontation, a man named Wilson from the NRC tries to kill them, but A.J. shoots him with Bosch's gun, causing a truck to explode as it falls into a manhole.
- First release year
- 1984
- Runtime (minutes)
- 96
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Douglas Cheek
- Writers
- Parnell Hall · screenplay; Shepard Abbott · story
- Cast and characters
- John Heard; Daniel Stern; Kim Greist; Christopher Curry
- Genres
- science-fiction; horror
- Themes
- government conspiracy; environmental hazards; urban decay
- Tone and mood
- horror; gritty
- Premise and plot tags
- cannibalism; mutants; homelessness
- Franchise connections
- C.H.U.D.
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews upon release but has since gained a dedicated cult following.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 44% · scale: percentage · review count: 50; Metacritic · score: 57 · scale: 100 · review count: 4
- Production trivia
- The title is an abbreviation for 'cannibalistic humanoid underground dwellers'.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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