C.H.U.D. II: Bud the Chud – a Mite-y Movie Mention
Movie
C.H.U.D. II: Bud the Chud (1989)
Genres
Comedy, Horror, Science Fiction
Elevator Pitch
High school students wake up a zombie that the army had hidden in their small town.
Reasons to Watch
- Gerrit Graham is delightful as Bud
- Robert Vaughn knows exactly what kind of movie he’s in and just has fun with it
- So many ridiculous cameos (watch Rich Hall get a haircut!)
- Zombie rampage on Halloween
Random Observation
This feels like a zombie spoof that got picked up by someone who happened to have the rights to use the C.H.U.D. title. It has nothing to do with movie to which it is a purported sequel.
The Bees (1978): A Mite-y Movie Mention
Movie
The Bees (1978)
Genres
Horror, Science Fiction, Thriller
Elevator Pitch
Scientists attempt to make killer bees infertile and wind up making them intelligent.
Reasons to Watch
- John Saxon negotiating with bees
- John Carradine buzzing happily to himself
- So many bees
- Unintentionally hilarious deaths
Random Observation
This is a totally sincere attempt to make a plea to save the environment. Sort of the Birdemic: Shock and Terror of its day.
The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec (2010): A Mite-y Movie Mention
Movie
The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec (2010)
Genres
Action, Adventure, Comedy
Source
Based on comics by Jacques Tardi.
Elevator Pitch
In order to heal her sister’s near-fatal tennis injury, writer Adèle Blanc-Sec retrieves the mummy of the physician to Pharoah Ramses II for a physicist on death row to bring back to life.
Reasons to Watch
- It’s utterly ridiculous and delightful
- There’s a pterodactyl
- Mummies
- Near-fatal tennis accident
Random Observation
In a just world this would have launched a series of movies. There is however a later animated film based on Tardi’s work, April and the Extraordinary World.
Flood! (1976) — A Mite-y Movie Mention
Movie
Flood! (1976)
Genres
Action, disaster
Reference
The year before this film aired Jaws featured a mayor who wouldn’t close the beach because he feared a loss of tourist dollars. I doubt it’s coincidental that the mayor in this movie refuses to heed warnings about the dam because he fears a loss in fishing revenue.
Elevator Pitch
Town drowns because the mayor buries a report that says the dam needs repairs.
Reasons to Watch
- Robert Culp, dashing helicopter pilot
- Richard Basehart, jerk
- Celebrities drown
- Fun cheap effects
Random Observation
Irwin Allen also produced the TV movies Fire! (1977) and Cave-In! (1979, but finally aired in 1983). Despite the exclamation points, all three of these are fairly tame movies compared to the high-casualty disaster films he produced for theaters.
Mysterious Island (1961) — a Mite-y Movie Mention
Movie
Mysterious Island (1961)
Genres
Action, adventure, science fiction
Source
Based on The Mysterious Island by Jules Verne. (Sequel to both Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea and In Search of the Castaways.)
Elevator Pitch
Castaways fight giant animals and pirates with the help of Captain Nemo while trying to escape before the island’s volcano erupts.
Reasons to Watch
- Harryhausen creature effects
- Joan Greenwood
- Herbert Lom
Random Observation
Although based on a Jules Verne novel, the giant creatures came in by way of H.G. Welles’ The Food of the Gods and How It Came to Earth. Nemo is trying to solve world hunger through enlarging food sources, a common misconception about the motivation of the scientists in that book. This is an ironic combination of plots, as Verne despised the lack of scientific basis in Welles’ stories.
Web of the Big Damn Spider 
