CRITTERS 2: THE MAIN COURSE (1988) d. Mick Garris (USA)
CRITTERS 3 (1991) d. Kristine Peterson (USA)
CRITTERS 4 (1992) d. Rupert Harvey (USA)
The energetic creature feature Critters landed with a splash in the spring of 1986, sporting a killer cast, memorable monsters, sharp scripting, and a newly minted PG-13 rating to introduce youngsters to the joys of horror and humor swirled together for their viewing pleasure. Though often dismissed as a Gremlins clone, like that film, the reasons why Critters works as well as it does are a) director Stephen Herek keeps his wacky antagonists (Furballs-with-teeth alien criminals known as The Krites) consistently vicious and scary, and b) we are given relatable human protagonists, courtesy of screenwriter Domonic Muir, that we actually grow to care about and worry for their safety.
When the Krites escape a space prison, steal a ship, and end up in the sleepy burg of Grovers Bend, Kansas on planet Earth, they are pursued by two face-changing bounty hunters, one of whom takes the guise of a hair-metal rock n’ roller and the other a rotating mix of the town’s residents. The central cast features Dee Wallace Stone, Billy Green Bush, Scott Grimes, and Nadine Van Der Velde as the Brown family, M. Emmet Walsh and Lin Shaye as members of the local law, and Don Opper as the town drunk Charlie, whose beloved character would drive future films in the Critters franchse.
Watching the Chiodo Brothers (Stephen, Charles, and Edward), who would go on to future glory with Killer Klowns from Outer Space and Team America: World Police, come up with their instantly iconic creations and then ambulate them with such abandon is one of the great joys of mid-80s genre fare. These are wild, teeth-gnashing, quill-flinging, puppet creations that truly take flight as characters, with personality and feral energy to burn.
The success of Critters inspired New Line Cinema to conjure a sillier but no less entertaining sequel two years later, which served as Mick Garris’ feature directing debut, followed by numerous direct-to-video follow-ups and even a short-lived TV series. Four decades later, the Krites continue to roll their way into horror fans hearts, as recognizable and beloved as any of their 80s heyday brethren and a legitimately enjoyable slice of mini-monster mayhem!
Join AC and his fun-loving panel of guests (Dodd Alley, Matthew Amador, Eric Anderson, Daniel Ekholm, Eric Fritzius) as we celebrate 40 years of CRITTERS!
**If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to SUBSCRIBE and click the NOTIFICATION BELL for the H101wDrAC channel - you won't want to miss what we have coming up next!**
Keep Searching, Keep Exploring, and, most of all, Keep Sharing the Scare!
CRITTERS 3 (1991) d. Kristine Peterson (USA)
CRITTERS 4 (1992) d. Rupert Harvey (USA)
The energetic creature feature Critters landed with a splash in the spring of 1986, sporting a killer cast, memorable monsters, sharp scripting, and a newly minted PG-13 rating to introduce youngsters to the joys of horror and humor swirled together for their viewing pleasure. Though often dismissed as a Gremlins clone, like that film, the reasons why Critters works as well as it does are a) director Stephen Herek keeps his wacky antagonists (Furballs-with-teeth alien criminals known as The Krites) consistently vicious and scary, and b) we are given relatable human protagonists, courtesy of screenwriter Domonic Muir, that we actually grow to care about and worry for their safety.
Watching the Chiodo Brothers (Stephen, Charles, and Edward), who would go on to future glory with Killer Klowns from Outer Space and Team America: World Police, come up with their instantly iconic creations and then ambulate them with such abandon is one of the great joys of mid-80s genre fare. These are wild, teeth-gnashing, quill-flinging, puppet creations that truly take flight as characters, with personality and feral energy to burn.
The success of Critters inspired New Line Cinema to conjure a sillier but no less entertaining sequel two years later, which served as Mick Garris’ feature directing debut, followed by numerous direct-to-video follow-ups and even a short-lived TV series. Four decades later, the Krites continue to roll their way into horror fans hearts, as recognizable and beloved as any of their 80s heyday brethren and a legitimately enjoyable slice of mini-monster mayhem!
Join AC and his fun-loving panel of guests (Dodd Alley, Matthew Amador, Eric Anderson, Daniel Ekholm, Eric Fritzius) as we celebrate 40 years of CRITTERS!
**If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to SUBSCRIBE and click the NOTIFICATION BELL for the H101wDrAC channel - you won't want to miss what we have coming up next!**
Keep Searching, Keep Exploring, and, most of all, Keep Sharing the Scare!
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