Reviews (130)

5 Star Show... Support the DVD so more will be released!
Ok, I admit it... I'm a B5 freak. I'm a First One that started watching this show because it had a good review in Cinefantastique. At first, I fell into the trap of comparing this show to the standard for all other TV SciFi, "Star Trek" and it came up poorly... but sticking with the show, I began to realize that it wasn't a Star Trek immitation. It was establishing itself on it's own merits. It was to Star Trek as "Law & Order" is to "Hill Street Blues", two excellent shows sharing a similar genre. I became - in short - a FAN...

So having admitted to my biases...

When the VHS sets were released, I shared "In The Beginning" with my two sons... Rather surprisingly to me, they became hooked as well! "In The Beginning" produced after the show had ended, is just a good scifi/adventure romp for the viewer - not requiring any previous knowledge of the B5 universe (although your enjoyment is enhanced if you do)... It is an excellent jumping-on point.

Then theres the other side of the coin, "The Gathering". This is the pilot episode - unfortunately, is rather a poor representation of the show...It has the unenviable task of establishing the main characters as well as the entire universe in which the series would play. Additionally, because the series was not immediately picked up after the pilot, there were quite a few character and design changes from the pilot to the first regular episode. (And the creator has gone on record stating that it wasn't his best effort, that he was still too timid in asserting his creative vision). So all in all "The Gathering" despite a re-edit is probably one of the weakest shows in the lot of over 100...

Alas - poor sales of the VHS sets (beautifully packaged btw) caused Warners to cancel future VHS releases after only 1/2 the series was thus produced.

Now Warners is trying it again with the DVDs, but have backed off from plans for complete season-by-season releases until sales are gauged from this intial offering. So, despite the fact that I would prefer boxed sets ala "Stargate SG-1" - I will buy this release sight unseen. I hope that all B5 fans, Scifi fans, indeed fans of well-written, tightly scripted TV in any genre, will support this endeavor.

Getting the pilot, but rest will wait until boxset
Hi,

I have been really looking forward to this. I will buy the pilot episode alone on DVD .... But for me to buy the rest of the episodes, I am waiting for AOL Time Warner to release the whole season, one box set at a time. Until then, it's only the pilot episode for now. I sincerely hope AOL Time Warner makes the right decision!

The best sci-fi series ever made.
My wife & I watched the entire series seasons 1-5, put up with the strange times of the night it was shown (before TNT), taped the entire TNT series, and we are now watching our tapes for the 3rd time. Babylon 5 plays like a wonderful long movie you want to see over again every year or so. For that reason alone, I am ready to buy all 5 seasons on DVD. It deserves to be sold as a season-by-season box set for the fans (TV movies included), along with releases of 2 shows each (like the VHS releases) for those that don't want to buy it all at once. I would also highly recommend the companion B5 guide books by Jane Killick or Andy Lane while you watch this classic, well made series.

Join the Revolution
Among science fiction fans, there are two groups. Those that Love Babylon 5, and those that 'just can't get into it'. Part of that separation may come from a lack of long term attention span.

Those that love B5 have patience, a permanently installed sense of wonder, and the capacity to enjoy the long involved story line - the evolution of the characters and the B5 universe. Those that 'don't get it' seem to have less patience, need a 'quick fix' of color and sound, and do not care too much about continuity, logic, or character development.

And, you are encouraged to THINK in this series. That puts some people off. How does a despotic dictatorship take over a free society? Watch the Night Watch develop, remember Earth history (Nazi Germany), look around you. How can a womanizing lizard and a drunken gambler become heroes, bitter enemies, loyal friends, a Leader and an Emperor? Watch J'Kar and Lando grow and change. How can 'angels' betray Mankind? Watch....

This series isn't for everyone. Just the Best of Us.

Have patience. Join the Revolution.

Finally!
Babylon 5 is in my opinion the most outstanding sc-fi series ever. I have been waiting long and patiently for the series release on DVD.

Let's hope that the studio now releases all seasons in rapid succession. Boxed sets for a complete season would be nice. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Douglas Cheek's grotty urban horror fable C.H.U.D. deserves to be seen in its natural habitat--a Times Square grind-house theater--but horror enthusiasts will have to enjoy this widescreen version from the comforts of their own homes. John Heard stars as a former fashion photographer now pursuing a "real" career in photojournalism. While working on a piece about the homeless, he discovers that toxic waste, stashed in New York's sewer system, is turning tunnel squatters into the title acronym (Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dwellers). Teaming up with frazzled soup kitchen capo (and fellow Home Alone alumnus) Daniel Stern, Heard uncovers a government conspiracy behind the mutations; horror fans will know exactly how the government handles its uncovered wrongdoings. While Gary Sherman's Raw Meat (1973) remains the final word in homeless horror films, C.H.U.D. has a threadbare charm, thanks to Cheek's poker-faced direction, the endearingly slap-dash effects (courtesy John Caglione Jr. and Ed French), and game performances by a surprisingly A-list cast, including appearances by John Goodman, Jay Thomas, Patricia Richardson, and Jon Polito.

Anchor Bay's DVD is uncut and retains all of the cutting-room footage added by New World Pictures to beef up the butchered TV version; furthermore, it features a rollicking commentary by Cheek, Heard, Stern, cast mate Christopher Curry, and writer Shephard Abbott, which is worth the purchase price alone. Easter-egg hunters should click on the C.H.U.D.'s glowing eyes in the main menu for a longer version of the grotesque shower scene. --Paul Gaita ... Read more

Reviews (35)

Classic 80's Horror movie makes for a wonderful DVD.
Im a child of the 80's. I love just about everything the 80's had to offer. The toys were better, the cartoon's were better and the horror movies were better. Sure, the special effects might seem a little crude to the crowd of today. But I think its more the idea's and story lines that make them alot better than horror movies of today. "Scream" and "I know what you did last Summer" just don't cut it as good horror movies. Its just a bunch of pop teen idols getting slashed up by the "who done it" killer. *yawn* BORING! 80's horror movies had interesting plots, creepy idea's, dark and brooding camera work, scary bad guys. The list could go on and on. C.H.U.D is one of the 80's classics and one of my own personal favorites. Its about homeless people who live under the steets of New York. Soon the hobo's and city people come up missing. As it turns out, the city has been storing toxic waste drums beneath the streets and the hobo's are turning into horrible, mutant undead monsters! Most people pass off the monsters as "corny" looking, but I would rather see make-up special effects than CGI special effects. Don't get me wrong, I like CGI special effects. Im a fan of the Jurassic Park movies because the CGI is so sweet! But you can't beat all the hard work and morbid detail that went into movies like C.H.U.D, Hellraiser and Friday the 13th. Anyways, the rest of the movie is a cat and mouse chase beneath the city streets to escape before its too late. I don't want to get into too much detail about the movie, you'll just have to see it for yourself. Take my word for it, C.H.U.D is what horror movies are all about.

This is what DVD is all about
I am proud to say I took part in an Anchor Bay poll that led to them picking up the rights to this movie. They did a splendid job. The digital transfer is beautiful... almost too beautiful. And the widescreen picture allows you to see everything as the director intended (in this Director's Cut!)...

Some might argue that this film is a slap in the face to the digital medium. Maybe. But this film represents to me the tongue-in-cheeck bad horror movies of yesterday.

If you're a fan of C.H.U.D., the commentary alone is worth the purchase price. Just picture John Heard, Daniel Stern, and director Douglas Cheek arguing back and forth about who ruined which scene. They didn't even realize it was the director's cut they were watching until about halfway through!

And if you own the DVD, there is an Easter Egg worth checking out. From the Special Featurs menu, press the up arrow on your remote and the C.H.U.D.'s eyes should light up. Hit enter and it will take you to that oh-so wonderful shower scene, only this time uncut. I wonder if the actress knows they re-instered her breasts into this DVD?

Yeah, this is what DVDs are all about.

More fun than a barrel of toxic waste
When you think of the 1984 horror movie "C.H.U.D.," try and think of an old 1950s or 1960s atomic bomb crazed monster movie. The only difference is that they updated the concept to fit the late 1970s and early 1980's fear of nuclear waste. Most long time fans of horror-I'm talking about fans old enough to watch this junk on cable television around the same time MTV appeared on the scene-have seen this movie before. In some ways, it's a classic even though it isn't particularly gory or scary. I can't tell you how many people I have ran into in the intervening years who have mentioned this movie when a discussion turns to horror films. I always nod my head in understanding and then try to drop in a few titles that better represent the horror franchise. Still, "C.H.U.D." is a charming little film that every new aficionado of shriek cinema should see, and since good old Anchor Bay released it on DVD with a great picture transfer and several fun extras, there's simply no excuse not to watch this one in the near future. It's been years since I saw it, and I was greatly surprised at how much I had forgotten. It's always nice to revisit old friends, eh?

Set in the gritty and grimy streets of New York City, "C.H.U.D." We soon learn something isn't quite right in the city that never picks up after itself. George Cooper (John Heard), a big shot photographer working on a new project concerning the homeless, starts hearing things about missing people. Intrigued, and worried considering some of the vanishing are people he has worked with recently, he decides to quietly start investigating the disappearances. Meanwhile, a city cop named Bosch, whose own wife vanished without a trace some time before, begins assembling reports on sudden disappearances. His superiors could care less since nearly all of these people are vagrants and similar forgettables. Captain Bosch perseveres, always remembering the grief and horror over his own personal tragedy. In order to get information, the good cop pays a visit to A.J. Shepard (Daniel Stern), affectionately known on the street as "The Reverend," a man who runs a soup kitchen to feed the poor. Shepard isn't happy about seeing Bosch, and only reluctantly agrees to help when the cop emphasizes he is truly sincere about solving the mystery. It isn't too long before Cooper, Shepard, and Bosch join forces to defeat an evil lurking under the streets of the city. What could possibly dwell in the sewers under New York City? Why, something called C.H.U.D., of course! When Cooper goes underground to check on one of his pals, he discovers that monsters have been preying on the homeless. These people are so scared they've started arming themselves in order to fend off the evil ones.

The photographer takes a picture of one of the mutilated corpses he finds in the sewer, pictures that ultimately end up in the hands of Shepard and Bosch as they take their case to the chief of police, the mayor, and the head of the Nuclear Regulatory Agency, a guy named Wilson. After an attempt to stonewall these three heroes fails (Shepard threatens to go to the newspapers), Wilson reluctantly reveals that the C.H.U.D. are something called cannibalistic humanoid underground dwellers. Wilson claims a small amount of nuclear waste leaked into the sewers of New York and turned a few vagrants into ravenous, glowing eyed monsters with a fondness for human flesh. A mission to flush out the monsters with flamethrowers fails miserably, so it's up to our three heroes to do the job themselves. The C.H.U.D. aren't about to take any attempts to eradicate them lying down, and eventually move aboveground to wreak mayhem on the innocent residents of the city. More painful truths come out when Shepard and Cooper discover that Wilson lied about the toxic waste leak, a truth that is much worse and one that paints the bureaucrat in an extremely unfavorable light. Expect to see plenty of explosions, fires, and general carnage before the credits roll.

"C.H.U.D." is one of those fun movies you just can't help but chuckle over as you watch. The success of the film is mostly due to the cast, especially Daniel Stern as the frenetic A.J. Shepard. The Reverend is a cranky, anti-authoritarian type who just loves to cause trouble. His haircut, a cross between Mark Twain and Don King, adds to the general sense of ridiculousness. When he goes mano a mano with the evil Wilson, you know the common man will finally get his due. Of course, John Heard isn't a slouch either as the outraged George Cooper. Christopher Curry adds a bit of seriousness as the inquisitive Captain Bosch. Be sure and look for John Goodman and Jay Thomas as two cops unfortunate enough to have an encounter with a C.H.U.D. in a diner. The only disappointments in the movie are the lack of gore and the short screen time allotted to the creatures. More C.H.U.D. and fewer messages about the threat of bureaucratic conspiracy and nuclear waste disposal would have made for a better horror film.

Once again, Anchor Bay turned out a great disc. There's a trailer, special effects stills, and an excellent commentary track from director Douglas Cheek, John Heard, Christopher Curry, and Daniel Stern. These guys have a lot of fun taking potshots at the movie and it's amusing to listen to them. Another plus is the amazing picture transfer and audio quality (crystal clear, folks). You just gotta love that cheesy '80s synth score! If you haven't seen "C.H.U.D.," get cracking. This movie definitely falls quite high on the "must see" list. It's not gory and not scary, but it is loads of fun.

C.H.U.D. DVD Review!
Of all the great "guilty pleasure" Saturday afternoon monster matinee features I watched when I was growing up, Doug Cheek's "C.H.U.D." remains one of the most memorable. While it's not quite on the entertaining level of cult classics like "Return Of The Living Dead" and "Alligator", both of which it bares similiar resemblances to, though to be fair, "Return" did come after it, "C.H.U.D." is a fool's treasure in cinematic cheese.

This B-movie gem revolves around a top secret batch of toxic waste that the government goons have disposed of in the city sewers. This little secret is causing some of the city's underground inhabits to mutate into flesh-eating monsters known as C.H.U.D. (Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dwellers). It's up to "Home Alone" alumni John Heard and Daniel Stern to stop this menace before it's too late. It's easier said than done though as the police department and an alleged N.R.C. representative want to put a lid on things.

"C.H.U.D." opens up somewhat slowly with a lot of pointless back story but the final half-hour is its "bread and butter". Stern and Heard get chased through the city's crappy sewer system full of toxic waste and decapitated heads while Greist is trapped in her apartment by one of the title monsters, complete with glow in the dark eyes. This movie also boats cameo appearances from such diverse talent as John Goodman, Patricia Richardson, and Jon Polito, to name a few.

"C.H.U.D." actually gets some decent treatmant with this DVD release. You get the movie in its original 1.77:1 aspect ratio with all of the television footage inserted back into it (though it says nothing about that on the cover packaging). There's also an easter egg with an alternate take of Kim Greist's shower scene complete with a nice little breast shot. But the best bonus of all has to be the full-length commentary with the film's director, writer, and actors John Heard, Daniel Stern, and Christopher Curry. These guys literally have a blast ripping into the movie. It's good stuff. If you see only one film about radioactive sewer creatures, make it this one.

Monster movie with a message
Many movies try to teach you important, preachy lessons and disguise them in the trappings of fantasy. CHUD is one of those. Here it is: Homeless people are people too and should not be treated as throw away citizens. But wait! There's more! CHUD manages to squeeze in two lessons for the price of one! Lesson two: Our dependency on products made with toxic chemicals combined with our innate greed is going to be our eventual downfall. Now that we have learned our lesson, start the DVD and just enjoy the fantasy trappings. Because CHUD is a monster movie. A good one.

John Heard (Cat People, Pelican Brief) and Daniel Stern (Home Alone, The Wonder Years) headline a decent cast occupying a New York neighborhood where people have started disappearing. Oh, people have been disappearing for a while, but those others were just homeless people (see Lesson One), but now "important" people are coming up missing. And soon it becomes apparent that creatures in the subways and sewer systems of the city are dining out on the local passersby.

It takes a while before you get a good look at one of the CHUDs (c.h.u.d. representing "canniballistic humanoid underground dwellers"). When you see them though, they are good, original looking monster freaks with glowing eyes and snaggly teeth. Add to that image the fact that they live in those dark places underground and the creep factor is complete. We all know that there are miles of tunnels and passages under our big cities, but no one wants to go down there. In our minds, we see THESE things jumping out at us. A monster movie has to appeal to one of your fears and I guess this is one of mine.

People tend to condemn CHUD for some reason or another. I think it does a good job at creeping you out while providing a solid 90 minutes of entertainment. It won't be shown in your American Cinema 101 class though.

DVD special features include some cool production photos and pre-production looks at the design of the creatures. Audio commentary includes the director and 3 lead actors. Always a plus when they can get the actors to come in and chat. Buy CHUD and I think you will enjoy it. HOWEVER, avoid the sequel "CHUD 2: Bud the CHUD" at all costs. It has almost nothing to do with this film and it is horrible. ... Read more