Critters (film series)

CRITTERS (15)

D: Stephen Herek

New Line/Smart Egg/Sho Films (Rupert Harvey)

USA 🇺🇸 1986

86 mins

Science Fiction/Horror

W: Stephen Herek & Dominic Muir

DP: Tim Suhrstedt

Ed: Larry Bock

Mus: David Newman

PD: Gregg Fonseca

Dee Wallace Stone (Helen Brown), Billy Green Bush (Jay Brown), Scott Grimes (Brad Brown), M. Emmet Walsh (Harv), Don Opper (Charlie McFadden), Terence Mann (Ug / Johnny Steel)

In a rural Kansas town, a species of small furry aliens terrorise the locals and a family try and prevent the attack of their farm with the help of a pair of intergalactic bounty hunters.

It's much better than it has any right to be, with some great creature effects, moments of comedy and a few scenes which cause a fright.

The massive success of 1984's Gremlins saw a huge surge of horror-comedies involving small, scary things, and it's unfortunate the Critters was lumped in amongst the crowd, it has enough originality about it to stand on its own. It's also unfortunate that the trio of sequels were much less fun.

6/10

CRITTERS 2: THE MAIN COURSE (15)

D: Mick Garris

New Line/Smart Egg/Sho Films (Barry Opper)

USA 🇺🇸 1988

86 mins

Science Fiction/Horror

W: David Twohy & Mick Garris

DP: Russell Carpenter

Ed: Charles Bornstein

Mus: Nicolas Pike

Terrence Mann (Ug), Don Opper (Charlie McFadden), Scott Grimes (Brad Brown)

Retread of the first film with the carnivorous furball aliens terrorising the rural Kansas town of Grover's Bend once again.

Though a handful of actors reprise their roles from the first film, this sequel fails to repeat the comedy, horror or general enjoyment of the first film, and the visual effects are of much poorer quality.

It's still the best sequel of the series, but only because the two films that followed were completely terrible.

4/10

CRITTERS 3 (15)

D: Kristine Peterson

New Line (Rupert Harvey & Don Opper)

USA 🇺🇸 1991

86 mins

Science Fiction/Horror

W: David J. Schow

DP: Tom Callaway

Ed: Terry Stokes

Mus: David C. Williams

Aimee Brooks (Annie), John Calvin (Clifford), Leonardo DiCaprio (Josh), Don Opper (Charlie McFadden), Terrence Mann (Ug)

The violent little beasties from the first two films return again, this time to wreak havoc on the residents of a Los Angeles apartment complex, presumably because they simply had enough of Kansas.

It isn't good in any respect, but is notable for Leonardo DiCaprio's debut performance (this is not worth watching the film for though, even if you are a massive fan of the actor).

3/10

In space... they love to hear you scream

CRITTERS 4 (15)

D: Rupert Harvey

New Line (Rupert Harvey & Don Opper)

USA 🇺🇸 1992

90 mins

Science Fiction/Horror

W: David J. Schow & Joseph Lyle

DP: Tom Callaway

Ed: Terry Stokes

Mus: Peter Manning Robinson

Don Opper (Charlie McFadden), Terrence Mann (Ug), Angela Bassett (Fran), Brad Dourif (Al Bert)

Fourth and final of the Critters movies which moves away from the formula of the first three films to be more of a low-budget parody of the film Alien, with a team of intergalactic assassins onboard a space station trying to obtain the last remaining creatures from incarceration to prevent them from being used for biological warfare.

The Critters themselves are practically reduced to bit parts and it's all rather stupid.

2/10