Critters (1986)

A race of small, furry aliens make lunch out of the locals in a farming town.

Director:

Stephen Herek

Writers:

Domonic Muir (story), Domonic Muir (screenplay),

Stars:

Dee Wallace, M. Emmet Walsh, Billy Green Bush

3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dee Wallace	...	Helen Brown (as Dee Wallace Stone)
M. Emmet Walsh	...	Harv
Billy Green Bush	...	Jay Brown
Scott Grimes	...	Brad Brown
Nadine Van der Velde	...	April Brown (as Nadine Van Der Velde)
Don Keith Opper	...	Charlie McFadden (as Don Opper)
Billy Zane	...	Steve Elliot
Ethan Phillips	...	Jeff Barnes
Terrence Mann	...	Johnny Steele / Ug
Jeremy Lawrence	...	Reverend Miller
Lin Shaye	...	Sally
Michael Lee Gogin	...	Warden Zanti
Art Frankel	...	Ed
Douglas Koth	...	Bowler #1
Montrose Hagins	...	Organist

Storyline

A massive ball of furry creatures from another world eat their way through a small mid-western town followed by intergalactic bounty hunters opposed only by militant townspeople.

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Plot Keywords:

outer space | bounty hunter | alien | kansas | monster | 

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Taglines:

The battle began in another galaxy. It's about to end in the Brown's backyard.

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 April 1986 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Hora das Criaturas

Filming Locations:

USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$13,167,232 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

New Line Cinema, Sho Films, Smart Egg Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

82 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

There are a total of five (5) poison spikes shot from the Critters.

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Goofs

When the rest of the family drags the father in through the front door of the house after he is attacked the second time, a crew member is very clearly visible through a window at the back of the shot.

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Quotes

[Transformer disguises himself as Charlie and turns towards the pool players]
Charlie McFadden: Keep your shirt on asshole.

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Connections

References Forbidden World (1982)

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Soundtracks

"Power of the Night"
Written by Terrence Mann, Richie Vetter and Dodie Pettit
Performed by Mann
Produced by Richie Vetter for East Coast Productions, Inc.

User Reviews

Cheesy eighties garbage - but good fun!

I saw this film for the first time as a kid on a coach on the way home from a holiday in France. I guess whoever was in charge figured all the kids would be asleep by the time they put this on, but I managed to stay awake and watch the lot, and Critters became a firm favourite of mine for the next few years. Despite seeing this film and the first two sequels several times as a kid, I could pretty much remember nothing about it when it came to watching it this time; and despite the fact that Critters is not quite the film I remember it being, this is still a fun little eighties crapfest with plenty to recommend it for! The plot focuses on a war in outer space that spills over onto a farm in a small mid-western town. The town unwittingly greet a meteorite, that later gives way to a host of nasty, furry little creatures with big teeth! Hot on their tails are a pair of intergalactic bounty hunters sent to track down the furballs - but the 'critters' get their first, and manage to cause quite a lot of damage before the bounty hunters eventually arrive...

Critters is clearly reminiscent of the 1984 hit Gremlins, as evidenced by the basics of the plot as well as the focus on humour. The critters themselves are hilarious little creations - thick black hair and a mouth full of teeth, but in their own way they're also fairly frightening! Gremlins isn't the only influence on this film - the whole idea of something bad coming from space being followed by something to stop it obviously came from The Terminator, and there are a number of other ideas taken from elsewhere - but the film doesn't feel like a bunch of stolen ideas, and that is to it's credit. The secluded farmyard setting is also to its credit, and again, while it's not the most original location for a film like this to take place, it works well so that isn't a problem. The cast, which includes the likes of M. Emmet Walsh, Dee Wallace and Billy Zane, all do their jobs well, and the action is always exciting enough to ensure that the film remains interesting. I won't say that this is a classic of the genre - but its good fun and I certainly recommend it.