C.H.U.D. II Reviews

C.H.U.D., the 1984 schlock-horror classic, was a bona fide bad-movie howler, though an unintentional one. The big mistake made by the makers of C.H.U.D. II was aspiring to intentional humor. The results are intermittently amusing and, in the only genuine way the sequel matches the original, virtually devoid of suspense. For those unfamiliar with the premise, C.H.U.D. is shorthand for Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dwellers, a deranged military experiment that went horribly out of control. As the sequel opens, the last existing C.H.U.D., nicknamed Bud (Gerrit Graham), is being put into permanent cold storage. Wacky General Masters (Robert Vaughn) has Bud shipped to an out-of-the-way suburban government facility for safekeeping until he can cajole Congress into appropriating funds to continue the C.H.U.D. project. Enter a trio of zany teenagers (Brian Robbins, Bill Calvert, and Tricia Leigh Fisher) who steal Bud and bring him back to life. Well-done horror spoofs require more wit and conviction than are displayed by the makers of C.H.U.D. II. Director David Irving tries to bring some visual style and inventive humor to the proceedings, but he's hobbled by Ed Naha's script, with its lackluster plotting, and by dialog that provokes more groans than giggles.