Hobgoblins, Ghoulies, Munchies, Spookies — these are all legitimate ripoffs of Joe Dante’s Gremlins. And why not? That movie was (unlike all the aforementioned ripoffs) scary, funny, and both a critical and commercial success. Critters is another movie that gets lumped in with that group, but that’s not entirely fair on several fronts. Outside of being about small, toothed critters, the two films couldn’t be any more different. That and the fact both the Gremlins and the Krites seem to enjoy wreaking havoc. But as director Stephen Herek has said, the initial script by Domonic Muir was written before Gremlins even went into production.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Not to mention, before the camera started rolling on Critters, Herek and Muir went out of their way to rewrite it and tone down elements that could be deemed too similar to the events of Dante’s film. That was a mission accomplished, because, while both films simultaneously function as comedy and horror, their tones are quite different. Specifically, Critters is lighter.
What Is Critters About?
Whereas both films focus on a small group of characters in a similarly small town, Critters is, at its core, about two intergalactic bounty hunters’ pursuit of the escaped nasty little furballs. The two shapeshifting bounty hunters (which is a concept that was continued throughout the first few sequels) end up tracking the Krites down to a countryside town. Some of that town’s residents include the late, great M. Emmet Walsh as the sheriff, Harv, as well as former baseball player turned drunk and alien-invasion prognosticator Charlie McFadden (franchise mainstay Don Keith Opper).
McFadden is friends with young Brad Brown (ER and Party of Five‘s Scott Grimes), and it’s on his family’s farm where the Krites seemed to have holed up, chowing down on the property’s cows. Brad and his father Jay, Billy “Green” Bush (Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday) are the first ones to discover the Krites and, along with the matriarch, Helen (Dee Wallace, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and Cujo), Brad’s sister, April, and McFadden must now fortify their rustic barnyard home against an onslaught of the quill-shooting monsters.
[RELATED: Halloween Director Admits Interest in Reviving Critters or Ghoulies Franchise]
When it comes to what really helps Critters stand apart from Gremlins, it all comes down to the writing and the tone established by Herek. It’s not a movie that takes itself seriously. Even when it’s covering the tragic backstory of McFadden, it does so with a delicate touch. There are no stories about a young woman’s father having broken his neck in a chimney dressed as Santa Claus here.
Admittedly, as a whole, Critters isn’t quite the film Gremlins is. The creature design for the Krites is about as impressive as what was used to bring the Mogwai and Gremlins to life, but the film itself is not half as frightening as what Gremlins pulled off.
Even still, it’s a fun little movie, and without a doubt it was graced by a terrific cast. Along with the aforementioned stars, there’s also Lin Shaye (Insidious and A Nightmare on Elm Street) and, in just his second film after a bit part in Back to the Future, Billy Zane. As Roger Ebert opined, it’s “more than a ripoff” because of “its humor and its sense of style. This is a movie made by people who must have had fun making it.” That latter point is something that carries through during the viewing experience.
Even still, this is also a case where the original film isn’t the best film. Critters 2: The Main Course, which brought back Grimes and was helmed by frequent Stephen King adapter Mick Garris, is. It has both a mega-Krite and a scene where a man in an Easter Bunny costume gets devoured — it’s an easy win.
But even Critters 3 and Critters 4 have their merits. When it comes to Critters 3, it was Leonardo DiCaprio’s film debut, and his role is a sizable one. As for Critters 4, it may be the weakest of the original quadrilogy, but it still has Angela Bassett as its lead and a supporting role for Chucky himself, Brad Dourif. Not to mention, it did the whole “long-running horror series goes to space” thing before Leprechaun, Hellraiser, or Friday the 13th did. Not to mention, the legacy reboot, Critters Attack!, brought back Wallace.
What do you think of Critters? Let us know in the comments below!
