Critters (1986)

User Rating:

5.7/10   

Director:

Stephen Herek

Writers:

Stephen Herek (screenplay)
Domonic Muir (screenplay)
(more)

Release Date:

11 April 1986 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Horror | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

The original tasty entree!

Plot:

A massive ball of furry creatures from another world eat their way through a small mid-western town...

Plot Keywords:

Bounty Hunter | Kansas | Monster | Human Duplication | Police Officer Killed

Awards:

3 nominations

Cast

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
Roger Hampton	...	Jake
Chuck Lindsley	...	Pool Player #1
David Stenstrom	...	Pool Player #2
Adele Malis-Morey	...	Woman #1
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Corey Burton	...	Critters (voice)

Directed by
Stephen Herek

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Stephen Herek		screenplay
Domonic Muir		screenplay
Domonic Muir		story
Don Keith Opper		additional scenes (as Don Opper)

Produced by
Rupert Harvey	....	producer
Sara Risher	....	associate producer
Robert Shaye	....	executive producer
Barry Opper	....	producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
David Newman

Cinematography by
Tim Suhrstedt		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Larry Bock

Production Design by
Gregg Fonseca

Art Direction by
Philip Dean Foreman

Set Decoration by
Anne H. Ahrens		(as Anne Huntley)

Makeup Department
Teresa M. Austin	....	hair stylist
Teresa M. Austin	....	makeup artist
R. Christopher Biggs	....	makeup artist: "Zanti"
John Criswell	....	special makeup effects artist
Kathy W. Estocin	....	key hair stylist
Kathy W. Estocin	....	key makeup artist
Thomas Floutz	....	special makeup effects artist
Bill Forsche	....	makeup artist: "Zanti"
Nedra Hainey	....	hair stylist
Nedra Hainey	....	makeup artist
Cary Howe	....	special makeup effects artist
Greg Johnson	....	special makeup effects artist
Julie Mauger	....	special makeup effects artist
Richard N. McGuire	....	special makeup effects artist
John Naulin	....	special makeup effects artist
Steve Patino	....	special makeup effects artist
Robert Zoller	....	special makeup effects artist

Production Management
Daryl Kass	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Leon Dudevoir	....	first assistant director
Bob Esposito	....	third assistant director
Linda Graeme	....	additional assistant director
Mark Helfrich	....	second unit director
Whitney R. Hunter	....	second assistant director (as Whitney Hunter)
Perry Husman	....	second assistant director
Matia Karrell	....	additional assistant director
George Parra	....	third assistant director

Art Department
Paul Byers	....	assistant property master
Carol Lee Davis	....	scenic painter (as Carole Davis)
Anthony Doublin	....	special props supervisor (as Anthony Dublin)
Richard Bryan Douglas	....	construction foreman
Isabel Bau Madden	....	art director: second unit
Timaree McCormick	....	property master
Len Morganti	....	storyboard artist
Drex Reed	....	special props
John Krenz Reinhart Jr.	....	construction coordinator (as John Reinhart)

Sound Department
Richard Beggs	....	sound re-recording mixer
Patrick Giraudi	....	sound re-recording mixer: restoration
Robert W. Glass	....	sound re-recording mixer
Dan Harville	....	post-production sound designer
Matthew Iadarola	....	sound effects
Matthew Iadarola	....	sound re-recording mixer
Dale Johnston	....	supervising sound editor
Tom Ruff	....	post-production sound mixer
Steve Sollars	....	boom operator
Don Summer	....	production sound mixer (as Donald Summer)

Special Effects by
Casey Cavanaugh	....	special effects
Frank Ceglia	....	special effects
Charles Chiodo	....	critter designer and supervisor
Edward Chiodo	....	critter crew
Stephen Chiodo	....	critter designer and supervisor
Clark Hunter	....	puppeteer
Ray Massara	....	special effects
R. Bruce Steinheimer	....	special effects (as Bruce Steinheimer)
Chuck E. Stewart	....	special effects supervisor
Ken Tarallo	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
Gene Warren Jr.	....	miniature effects supervisor

Stunts
Michael Cassidy	....	stunt coordinator (as Mike Cassidy)
Vince Deadrick Jr.	....	stunts
Steven Lambert	....	stunts (as Steve Lambert)
Denver Mattson	....	stunts
Bill McIntosh	....	stunts
John Nowak	....	stunts
Bobby Porter	....	stunts
Debby Lynn Ross	....	stunts (as Debbie Lynn Ross)
Packy Smith	....	stunts (as Marv 'Packy' Smith)
John Escobar	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Michael Becker	....	still photographer
Shunil Borpujari	....	best boy grip
Shunil Borpujari	....	dolly grip
Kevin Brennan	....	gaffer
Donald Burghardt	....	assistant camera
Russell Carpenter	....	director of photography: additional photography
Dave Footman	....	grip
Michael Haney	....	grip
Kenneth J. Jones	....	key grip
Mark Karen	....	first assistant camera
Richard Kuhn	....	grip
Adrian Licciardi	....	second assistant camera
Tim McGinnis	....	best boy electric (as Tim McGinns)
Christopher Tufty	....	director of photography: second unit

Casting Department
Elisabeth Leustig	....	casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Nina Padovano	....	key costumer
Hilary Wright	....	costume design supervisor

Editorial Department
Hilarie Roope	....	assistant editor
Rebekah Rudd	....	apprentice editor

Music Department
Tim Boyle	....	score mixer

Other crew
Diana Bear	....	stand-in
Ernest D. Farino	....	title designer: main titles
Lisa S. Girolami	....	production coordinator
Tom Gleason	....	production assistant
Adrienne Hamalian-Mangine	....	script supervisor
H. Arman Hargett	....	stand-in (as Arman Hargett)
Melissa Hubbert	....	craft service
Tom Richer	....	location manager
Tom Richer	....	location scout
Cristen Carr Strubbe	....	production secretary
Shi Sun	....	production accountant
Jayson Wall	....	film restoration coordinator (2003 restoration)
Jeff Wells	....	unit publicist

Production Companies

• New Line Cinema (presents)
• Sho Films (as a Sho Films Production)
• Smart Egg Pictures (in association with)

Distributors

• New Line Cinema (1986) (USA) (theatrical)
• Succéfilm AB (1986) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) (2003) (2005) (2006) (2007)) (UK) (TV) (BBC1)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (19??) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (1994) (USA) (VHS)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (1997) (USA) (VHS)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (19??) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Entertainment in Video (2005) (UK) (DVD)
• New Line Home Video (1997) (USA) (VHS)
• New Line Home Video (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• RCA/Columbia Pictures International Video (1991) (Germany) (VHS)
• United Video (1991) (Germany) (VHS)
• Veronica (2004) (Netherlands) (TV)

Special Effects

• Chiodo Brothers Productions (special critter effects)
• Fantasy II Film Effects (miniature effects)
• Quicksilver FX/Studio (visual effects)

Other Companies

• Glen Glenn Sound  sound services
• Intrada  score album released by
• JDH Sound  post-production services
• Sound FX  sound editing
• Sunrise Films  negative cutting

Runtime:

82 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:16 (video rating) | Iceland:14 (theatrical rating) | Argentina:Atp | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 (video rating) (1986) | UK:12 (video re-rating) (2005) | UK:15 (original rating) | USA:PG-13 | West Germany:16 | Norway:16 (original rating)

Filming Locations:

Kansas, USA

Company:

New Line Cinema

Goofs:

Continuity: In the bowling scene, the pins in the lane to the left of the one that "Ug" (disguised as "Johnny Steele") uses disappears in the last shot of the scene.

Quotes:

Charlie McFadden: Call the Army! They're here.

Movie Connections:

References Ghost Busters (1984)

Soundtrack:

Power of the Night

Lunchtime!

This movie is one of the rare low-budget horror flicks that are actually good. The basic plot is that little furry monsters (kind of like hairy kirbys with teeth) land from outer space and begin to eat the town they land by. Pretty basic storyline, but this is a monster movie you know. The Critters (or Krites, to be precise), are, while obviously puppets, very cool and well done. The human actors on the other hand...well, they are terrible. The dad, his shoulder and leg practically gnawed of by critters, remains alert and vigilant, even though he's covered in blood. The boy is average, at best. The bounty hunters are alright. The best actor is Charlie, the drunk. He pulls off a very good performance.

Ok, so this movie won't make any headlines, or be famous. But if you are looking for a late night horror movie, with a dash or two of humor, Critters is a good choice!