C.H.U.D. Lives!: A Tribute Anthology

I first saw the groundbreaking horror comedy and, now, cult classic of 1980s B-movies, “C.H.U.D.” (1984) on VHS at my homeboy’s all-summer-night, wild-weekend, eleven-year-old birthday party in rural Appalachia. The tape was a rental and so was the VCR. Kid lived alone with his Moms who let us run amok & rewatch that CHUD tape all night long. We really got our money’s worth of those bug-eyed, big-city, sewer-ass, long-neck CHUDs!A couple years later, in 1986, Stephen King published his seminal magnum opus, Pennywise the Clown’s IT, featuring a sewer climax called the Ritual of Chüd, ostensibly based on Chöd, a Tibetan "cutting through the ego” & wisdom of emptiness ritual described in “Magic and Mystery in Tibet” (1932). Well, OK, maybe SK never watched CHUD while writing It, sure, but to me, the Ritual of C.H.U.D. is where you rent CHUD on VHS in 1984 & watch it on repeat for 3 days & then you Be Kind & Rewind, repeat as needed.I heard about a CHUD sequel, but never saw the tape for rent with my own yellow eyes, & didn’t have the premium subscription cable TV channel it may have then directly screened to, although supposedly some guys had in fact seen it once, so they said. Based on second-hand descriptions featuring a namesake CHUD named Bud the Chud, it didn’t seem like the follow-up was up to my chudly zeitgeist standards, or so I was able to jealously convince myself, not being able to see it at all in any case.In time I regularly rented the regular old classic flavor CHUD on VHS plenty more times, everybody loves a good CHUD any old day or night, I always said / say. It tapped into the Alligators-in-the-Sewers-based conspiracy theories by way of emerging video game first person shooterism.Finally, long ago now, but finally, those VCR days gave way to DVD days, and sooner or later, there came CHUD on DVD to the DVD store. Well you can bet I got that, and, like every CHUD lover, I was sorely disappointed to find that the release was some kind of bullshit “restored” version that was, to a discerning CHUD connoisseur, obviously not the same movie I grew up loving on VHS. Where were all the fart jokes? Why was the movie all out of order now?In time I came to understand that the drive-in grindhouse rental tape chudsperience of the 1980s had been a true hell for the original producer of the movie, who didn’t have control enough of the overall effort to stop “The Distributors” from re-editing his Film, adding all kinds of extra jokes & madness that made his Serious Work into a Campy Thing, i.e. the Thing what I knew & loved.I still have the Restored DVD, and never had my own Original VHS copy, so I’ve come to love the restored cut, and surely 9 out of 10 people who ever even saw CHUD in their lives in the first place would never be able to tell you a single difference. But those in the know, KNOW.I even got my own Blu Ray copy of CHUD II: Bud the CHUD, and while yes it is a terrible movie on par with the let-down between Return of the Living Dead 1 and 2, it is also strangely big budget Hollywood 80s, pretty weird, a must see for CHUD scholars, or fans of the guy from Cellar Dweller or Mick Jagger’s one wife.“What’s up with them CHUDs?” I asked myself in the dead of night for many long years across two centuries. “Will they ever get another CHUD movie up into my face?”A few years ago I started to see here & there about how some fine people were making a new book about CHUDs, & I was like, “Do people who watch CHUD movies read books?”I can only speak for myself, but, “Yes,” I said to myself, “I would read a book about CHUDs,” even though this in no wise per se suggests the idea could be a profitable venture.I set my artificial intelligence CHUD-awareness bio-bot routines for Kill and watched the calendar turn, & the more it seemed I heard about the CHUD book, the less CHUD books there was to be found, anywhere in all the sewers of the world. Finally BOOM! There it was on Amazon, the CHUD book. I got a copy ASAP, & the package includes a little extra educational bonus behind the scenes info in yr entertainment mix, about the Producer’s cut guy, who must have had a controlling interest in being real close to the vest about not letting any CHUD stuff out ever again in his life over his cold dead chudass body– turns out the guy (who’s interviewed) really did have to die before the CHUD book was published! Omg/lol/RIP. My hope is the book makes money, & then maybe we all gone live to see another CHUD movie after all...Folks, the new CHUD book is a Chudlover sewerload goldmine. It’s a meta / exegesis / ergodic / urgodic experience of chudlerly & chudlery in the making, encompassing all two of the CHUD movies (and including the Producer vs Distributor’s cut aspects of the first one), as well as laying framework for further storylines set before, during, between, and after both/all the films.This CHUD book plays around the same way as the similarly awesome recent Star Wars book, “From A Certain Point of View,” which retells A New Hope from 40 authors’ additional POV’s worth of characters incidental and/or aside, in about as many different styles & approaches.The CHUD book displays a true understanding of its own deep universe (and universal leeway), and it is also (naturally) far more expansive with its Brand than the aforementioned Disney Lucasfilm property. There’s a great ratio of Known CHUD and New CHUD situations going on, leaving one with room for more and wanting more!Although, that feeling could also be caused by CHUD offgassing & related cellular mutation from the book, which is a great real print book from the fine people at Crystal Lake Publishing, a big cast behind the scenes who probably had a hell of a time doing this, along with Ross Baxter, Jonathan Maberry, Tim Waggoner, Nick Cato, Greg Mitchell, Mort Castle, Martin Powell, Chad Lutzke, Philip C. Perron, & all the other fine contributing authors themselves!THEY ARE… CHUD GREEN.Sublimely absurd. Evolved to dissolve. These glowneye shown creatures mutate monster lineage realtime, quivering streamers of another era in their eminent domains, gogmagogin Dweller Messiah permutations of possessives plural scales & toneless harmonic keys to the subway fulla steamtrain chudtrains a’comin!Bosch is back and it’s no surprise, because cops, crooked politicians, corporate fascists, goonass henchmen, paramilitary hazmat exterminator squads, & the like are a huge part of being a CHUD. Even when Bosch takes it rural-side for a plush safe escape (he think), he can’t hide from that modern toxic dump of grindhouse horror: it might still be the 80s, but he’s already feelin that internet everywhereness, he’s at the Camp, he’s at the No Told (NOTLD) Red House Farmhouse Beast House of Leaves above Appalachian CHUDnest mines,…You’re gonna recall the Lil Doggie, The Farting Idiots, the Missing Wife, the Grampa gotcha Lost n Found…Think of all the CHUDness setpieces CHUD brings, & you’ll surely find all that and more in the new CHUD book: NYC, 42nd St., toxic cinema, shitty apartments, greasy diners, punk kids & punk rock, Alcoholics Anonymous, retail coffee & donuts, church pantries, pimps, hookers, gaping manholes with clattering locklids, raw-meat raw-meal bloody trash, litter, sewage, bums, hobos, yes plenty of bums & hobos, infectious chudfart fallout, ‘Nam Vets, darkroom acid baths, Glory Hole Tiddie Ulysseses & Rambos…Go on & holler for My Bodyguard and The Toy, Big Brother, that Stuff can’t save you from this Mushnik Creeps-show bloodbucket bughouse!Plagueship CHUDland sails, w.a.s.t.e.-filled, from sea to frontier borderhaus, from the ‘70s to the ‘80s to the ‘90s, & beyond: the painted days are chewed in seconds & years.All aboard!

If you are a fan of the original movie This is a MUST HAVE. Would have loved to see how this one would haved translated on film. This movie was one from my childhood thank you to the writers for this one. The writing is so good it feels the stories were parts missing from the movie " the kirby case" feels so authentic The story with Gramps and Art even better here then in the movie. So well done More action, more C.H.U.Ds, more, gore Just pure survival. This book is to C.H.U.D what ALIENS was to ALIEN. Some of the events in the story takes place years after the 1984 events pieces of this book can be used in a sequel these monsters are no joke .Once again thank you to the writers for just one hope they can do another one . Give us a real C.H.U.D sequel. Hope it happens. Really Fun book. 5 stars.

This is an amazing tribute anthology featuring great writers at the top of their game. Buy it and you'll re-discover the world and characters of C.H.U.D.It's great to go back to the world of C.H.U.D. with such a wonderful and entertaining read. You'll find horror, suspense, crime and more. You'll love it.Thank you Crystal Lake Publishing for giving us "C.H.U.D. Lives! A Tribute Anthology." Keep up the good work!

Loved the read. But wish there was more CHUD books and comics.

These stories fit very well in the C.H.U.D. universe. A full range of storylines that most will find enjoyable. Have fun!

Amazing collection of short stories based off the 80's Cult Classic C.H.U.D. I have highly enjoyed most of the stories compiled here.

My wife and I have been together for 36 years; married for the last 28 of them. Back in 1984 – the year I graduated High School – while we were still dating, we used to go see a lot of movies. First, because it was a heck of a lot cheaper back then, and second, well, it was dark ;-) But I digress. In August of 1984, we had our minds set on seeing something, I’m not sure what it was, but I do remember we couldn’t. So, Elaine suggested seeing C.H.U.D – which was not like her at all since she was/is not a horror fan.Fast forward to March, 2018 and I get an invitation from Joe Mynhardt to read and review a new anthology based around the C.H.U.D mythos. I immediately said yes. I dropped what I was reading, and dove right in to the ARC he provided.If you’ve read any of my anthology reviews, you know I usually like to break each story down for you. But I’m not going to do so here – only because I really don’t want to ruin the fun. All the stories revolve around the C.H.U.D (Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dweller) but they aren’t all set in the sewers of Manhattan, and this is where the fun actually begins. Each author puts their own unique curve to each tale.Unlike a lot of anthologies (especially ones that revolve around a specific subject), there isn’t one story here that I felt was lacking, or didn’t do the C.H.U.D mythology justice. I know Parnell Hall would be very pleased with what these talented authors have done with his original story.Of course, I do have to point out some of my favorites:“C.H.A.D.” by Michael H. Hanson“That’s Entertainment!” by Mort Castle“Step Ate” by Chad Lutzke“All at Sea” by Ross Baxter“You Will Never Leave Harlan Alive” by Jonathan Maberry and Eugene JohnsonIf you are a fan of the cult classic C.H.U.D – or are a little curious as to what a Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dweller is, then pick this one up. Oh, and the eBook (never thought I’d advertise for one of those) has links to some really cool freebies like artwork and behind the scenes stuff!Thanks to Joe and Crystal Lake Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read this wonderful book, and for the awesome, if somewhat bloody, trip down memory lane.

I must be one of the only people that had not watched C.H.U.D, so why did I buy this book. Having purchased the majority of Crystal Lakes Anthologies, I knew that I would be in for a good read.So for people who are thinking what is C.H.U.D well it was a horror film released in 1984. C.H.U.D stands for or Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dwellers, so you can imagine what sort of creatures they are. This anthology opens with an interview with the late Andrew Bonime, producer of the film and finishes with another interview with Parnell Hall, the screenplay writer. Sandwiched between are 19 short stories, each with a different tale to tell of the creatures that walk beneath the ground.So as a newbie to C.H.U.D I loved each story as it was introduction to this cult film and as I am typing this review I am watching the film. Some of the authors use scenes from the film to tell their story. The Dog Walker by Robert E Waters, The Way to a Man’s Heart by Tim Waggoner to name a few. Whilst others put their C.H.U.D imagination to tell a new tale. That’s Entertainment by Mort Castle made me laugh as I could imagine some entrepreneur profiting on people’s terror to make a theme park and Date Night by Dave Robbins have you wandering what sort of teacher Angela Swinton was.Every story had me wanting more and I devoured the book as the CHUD devoured a human. Each story had different levels of gore, which will keep all horror fans happy, and like all horror films not everyone survives. Whether you know C.H.U.D or not this is yet another great anthology to read.

Bonime on CHUDThis anthology is something different, or as David Drake would put it in his introduction of C.H.U.D - egregious. Not bad, not good, just different. That’s what C.H.U.D the movie is - a unique horror film with heart.Such was - and to some, still is, the reputation of horror, that originally Andrew Bonime was reluctant to get involved. He says, in the included interview with Eric S Brown “I felt it would demean my credibility.” However, his wife at the time, had common sense, and convinced him he could make it work, and make it good.Well, like many horror fans I’m glad the film happened and equally glad the book did too.It’s an ambitious project containing interviews, stories, images, everything that makes it unique and eclectic.As for the stories, Eric S Brown, well known for his love of monsters, has chosen well, with stories by writers I’ve not encountered before, plus very familiar and talented writers such as Tim Waggoner, Michael H Hanson and Jonathon Maberry.Each story offers a different side to the CHUD Myth is, though I have to admit I was disappointed more females didn’t submit.Now, I say didn’t submit because I know the publisher and editor support diversity in horror so I suspect fewer women submitted, which is a Shame, though we do get a collaboration with Angeline Hawkes.I suspect it has to do with the film itself, it’s the kind of thing a boy would e perhaps been allowed access to back in the day, whereas the parent might’ve stopped girls from watching it.Anyway, that’s just my theory.Either way, it’s a fun anthology with lots of heart and the stories are obviously written by people who love CHUD.Long live CHUD. Yes, I know there are stops in between each initial but meh, I type a lot of reviews out!Really enjoyed this.