The main characters include an evil federal bureaucrat (George Martin), a police chief (Christopher Curry), a wild-eyed dope-smoking ex-con hippie soup kitchen proprietor (Daniel Stern) and a bunch of 7-foot purple and green guys with glowing eyes and no noses – the C.H.U.D. (the acronym stands for “Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dwellers”).
The C.H.U.D. creep through the New York sewers and emerge from manholes in the SoHo section of Manhattan and feed on innocent passersby.
C.H.U.D also stands for Contaminated Hazard Urban Disposal. When new York City prohibited hazardous waste from being transported through the city, the feds began to store drums of deadly contaminated and radioactive waste in sewers and subway tunnels where homeless people found the stuff in the drums, and it made them all big and slimy and mean.
John Heard co-stars as slovenly freelance fashion photographer George Cooper (pictured above), who – in search of “relevance” and “integrity” – ventures underground to photograph homeless people . . .
With such subject matter, the film is obviously not without humour: Besieged by C.H.U.D. at one point, Cooper’s live-in model Lauren Daniels (Kim Greist) screams from a third-floor window. “Somebody help me” and someone in the street suggests she call Ghostbusters.
Possibly the first film to see NYPD officers issued with flamethrowers – so they can defend themselves against the dastardly Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).
George Cooper
John Heard A.J. ‘The Reverend’ Shepherd
Daniel Stern Captain Bosch
Christopher Curry Lauren Daniels
Kim Greist Flora Bosch
Laure Mattos Francine the Landlady
Brenda Currin Justin
Justin Hall Fuller
Michael O’Hare Officer Sanderson
Cordis Heard Hays
Vic Polizos Chief O’Brien
Eddie Jones Officer Crespi
Sam McMurray Interrogation Cop
Frank Adu Mrs Monroe
Ruth Maleczech Murphy
J.C. Quinn Ad Woman
Patricia Richardson Ad Man
Ray Baker Doris
Beverly Bentley Val
Graham Beckel Jackson
Gene O’Neill Hugo
Rocco Siclari Victor
Bill Raymond Gramps
Peter Michael Goetz Cindy
Shana Lee Farrell Commissioner
John Ramsey Wilson
George Martin Shadow Man
John Bedford Lloyd Coroner
Henry Yuk Benson
Robert Toupin Sgt. Parker
Frankie Faison Gooney NRC Man
Ivar Brogger Judson
Parnell Hall Newscaster
Jon Polito CHUDs
Lou Leccese
Sanford Clark
James Dudley
Carey Eidel
Director
Douglas Cheek
Video
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The C.H.U.D. creep through the New York sewers and emerge from manholes in the SoHo section of Manhattan and feed on innocent passersby.
With such subject matter, the film is obviously not without humour: Besieged by C.H.U.D. at one point, Cooper’s live-in model Lauren Daniels (Kim Greist) screams from a third-floor window. “Somebody help me” and someone in the street suggests she call Ghostbusters.
