Before John Heard and Daniel Stern co-starred in "Home Alone", they co-starred in the much more interesting "C.H.U.D.", about derelicts in the New York sewers getting exposed to toxic waste and mutating into Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dwellers. Heard plays George Cooper, who is looking into the strange murders, and Stern plays A.J. "The Reverend" Shepherd, who works at a soup kitchen.

When Daniel Stern came to Lewis & Clark College in September, 2004, I went to hear him speak. He talked mainly about his USO trip to Iraq the previous December, but also about "Home Alone", "City Slickers" and such movies. I wish that he could have talked about "C.H.U.D.". True, it's sort of a gross movie, but it's pretty neat for what it is. You probably won't want to venture into the sewer after watching it.

I admit to having a huge soft spot for C.H.U.D. after seeing it during my formative teenage years. It's a wonderfully atmospheric monster movie that makes up for deficiencies in budget with a gritty vibe and on-the-street look, with the real-life New York locations never looking grubbier or a more fitting place to shoot such a story. It's like the TAXI DRIVER of monster flicks, at least in terms of setting.

There's a lot to love about C.H.U.D., although some seem to miss the point. It's not a polished classic in the same class as PREDATOR or RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD, no, but the fact that it's so different from those films really makes it stand out. The creatures look cheesy but I still prefer these practical effects to modern-day CGI, and the whole subway/underground setting is portrayed perfectly (for a similar, scarier movie, try the British DEATH LINE with Donald Pleasence).

The cast is also a real delight. Instead of the usual buff, poorly acting male model type characters, we get a leading group of character actors who look and feel utterly realistic. Christopher Curry (STARSHIP TROOPERS) is the stressed-out detective investigating his wife's disappearance, John Heard (HOME ALONE) the photographer who comes into contact with something spooky, and Kim Griest (BRAZIL) his wife who's menaced in the shower in one bizarre moment. George Martin's villain is great fun, but the real delight here is the slobby Daniel Stern (also HOME ALONE) in his best screen role, full of character charm and charisma. The characters alone make C.H.U.D. a great film, but add in the great cinematography and conspiracy plotting and you have a classic of its type.

Under the streets of New York live the Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dwellers. Photographer George Cooper (John Heard) is doing a story about the subterranean homeless. He and his model girlfriend Lauren Daniels (Kim Greist) have just moved into a studio apartment. Police Captain Bosch is covering up the rash of disappearances under the direction of the higher ups. It's a government conspiracy. A.J. 'The Reverend' Shepherd (Daniel Stern) runs the local soup kitchen and reports that his underground regulars are going missing.

I've always wanted to see this ever since I heard about the title and what it stands for. It's pure camp right from the start. It's the same for the rubber suit creatures. It's all very B-horror. There are moments of weird B-ness like swallowing the coin and Heard's girlie scream. I was initially expecting an underground battle with the group of characters going into the sewers. Instead, the group is split up and there's a non-sensical scheme to pump explosive gas underground. Also, it makes no sense why they would use flamethrowers rather than simply shooting the creatures. It's stupid and insane. It's pure B nectar.