Cinematical

I would have appreciated this news more had it come to us from CHUD.com, but anyway DreadCentral.com reports that Rob Zombie is set to direct a remake of C.H.U.D. For those of you poor souls who haven't seen this B horror classic, the original was about deformed creatures called C.H.U.D.s (Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dwellers), who live in the sewers and feed on the citizens of New York City. Back in 1984, it was a fitting allegory for the homeless problem, whether or not it was intended as such. Now that the homeless population is growing again -- or now that we've forgotten about or stopped worrying about where Giuliani sent the '90s homeless -- it's ripe time for a redo. A C.H.U.D. remake could even go head to head against the under-Gotham-ghost-story The Night Tourist.

But is Zombie the best director for the job? His recent remake of Halloween was almost universally panned by critics. However, it was a huge success at the box office. Considering the cheapness and cheesiness of the original, though, he probably couldn't do much worse than the original C.H.U.D., which despite my nostalgic fondness, isn't nearly as revered as the original Halloween (in fact, this may be an understatement). Personally, I'll probably still prefer the first C.H.U.D., but I'm eager to see it redone with more money and better effects, if that's what Zombie can bring to the the remake.