Editor’s Note: This was originally published for FANGORIA on January 30, 2001, and we’re proud to share it as part of The Gingold Files.
“Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dwellers.” That silly explanation (and not even the true one, in the story’s terms) of the movie’s acronymic title has led the film to acquire a camp reputation since its 1985 release. Not to mention the fact that theatrical distributor New World Pictures, in addition to cutting the film down from its original 112 minutes to 86, overdubbed jokey new offscreen dialogue onto several scenes and reordered others. Among other things, a diner assault (featuring John Goodman and Jay Thomas) was lifted and placed at the very end of the movie, after a climactic sequence set around its aftermath! These alterations and the fatuous ad campaign helped hide the fact that this is an accomplished blend of horror and satire, with quirky characters well-performed by a better-than-average cast. And next to the films of Larry Cohen and Frank Henenlotter, you’d be hard-pressed to find a genre film of this period with as strong a sense of New York City atmosphere.
The cut of the movie featured on Anchor Bay’s DVD (a version of which has also popped up on TV) runs 96 minutes and, shortened length aside, eliminates all traces of New World’s tampering. The scenes are back in order and there are a number of restored ones, including a key moment where heroic cop Bosch (Christopher Curry) discovers the remains of his vanished wife. Letterboxed at about 1.75:1, the picture on the DVD bears good colors, a crisp image and a fair amount of grain that, under the circumstances, only adds to the mood. The Dolby Digital mono sound is unspectacular but clear and sharp.
On an audio commentary track, director Douglas Cheek is joined by stars John Heard, Daniel Stern and Curry, along with writer Shepard Abbott, who receives story credit on the movie. Heard and Stern, in particular, treat the session as a goof, with the former seeming to neither respect the film much nor understand the job (“How are they gonna hear the movie if we’re talking?” he asks at one point). For quite a while, the talk cries out for a moderator to ask meaningful questions, as much of it consists of banter and wisecracks that are not very revelatory, though some of them are amusing (“My hair looks like something out of a sci-fi movie.” “This is a sci-fi movie, you idiot!”).
Fortunately, the group eventually gets around to significant discussion of the movie, a good amount of it centering on the screenplay and what they feel is wrong with it. Abbott in particular is critical of the work of credited scriptwriter Parnell Hall, and how the final film features literal monsters instead of the more human threat Abbott initially conceived. Producer Andrew Bonime comes under fire too, both for his own, more exploitative contributions (such as Kim Greist’s shower scene and the neck-stretching creature) and because many of the cast and crew were never paid. Regardless, Stern and Curry note that they rewrote 50 percent of the script themselves, and the group has fun pointing out all the other New York character actors who show up (most surprisingly, an unrecognizable Jon Polito as a newscaster).
Other supplements include New World’s trailer and an extensive still gallery that includes plenty of behind-the-scenes makeup shots (including Abbott’s early conception of the C.H.U.D. look). There’s also an Easter egg (light up the monster’s eyes on the “Features” screen): a longer version of the shower scene, with frontal nudity from what is supposed to be Greist, but is clearly a body double—a notion reinforced by one of the stills, which pictures Greist doing the scene wearing a bathing suit.
