'Critters: A Four Course Feast!' (1986-1992) • Frame Rated

Monster movies have captivated audiences since the infancy of cinema. From the silent era’s lumbering behemoths to the atomic mutants of the 1950s, genre lovers have always revelled in watching otherworldly mutants wreak havoc on the silver screen. The ‘creature feature’ experienced a renaissance during the 1980s when filmmakers merged mid-century monsters into the classic Atomic Age madness with the decade’s penchant for outrageous practical effects and unabashedly grotesque violence.

When Joe Dante devilishly unleashed Gremlins (1984) into cinemas, it briefly redefined the cinematic landscape of horror-comedy. In its wake, almost every filmmaker shamelessly recreated their own stories about parthenogenetic creatures and devilish little monsters terrorising suburban America. An abundance of imitators such as Ghoulies (1985), Munchies (1987), and Hobgoblins (1988) all sought to recapture the alchemy of Dante’s work. Unfortunately, none of these pale facsimiles recaptured the original’s charm or cultural resonance. However, among these pretenders, one title emerged with a semblance of longevity. Although it may not be as iconic nor as firmly wedged in the public consciousness as Dante’s classic, the most highly revered of all the Gremlins impersonators will forever be Critters.

Despite sharing an abundance of inescapable similarities with the more universally renowned Gremlins, Stephen Herek (Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure) has consistently maintained that his directorial debut was both conceived and written long before Dante explored the dangers of feeding a Mogwai after midnight. According to Herek, Dominic Muir (Puppet Master: Axis of Evil) penned the screenplay several years before the two collaborated as assistant editors on City Limits (1985). The script even underwent subsequent rewrites designed to reduce those similarities before the project eventually caught the interest of New Line Cinema. It would be easy to dismiss the validity of such claims, but the decade was awash with SFX-driven creature features. It’s not entirely inconceivable that two creative screenwriters could stumble upon similar ideas during the same era.

Ultimately, the credibility of Herek’s assertions has sparked long-fuelled debates among horror enthusiasts and is for viewers to decide. However, what cannot be denied is that Critters carves out its own distinct identity and distinguishes itself as a different kind of beast. While Gremlins drew heavily from the Chinese mysticism of old adventure serials, Herek’s creature feature is a satirical pastiche of 1950s alien invasion flicks and the pulp comic book tales of the same era. The tale of extraterrestrial beings descending upon a picturesque town feels like a deliberate homage to the Cold War paranoia allegories epitomised by Don Siegel’s Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956). Whereas the titular creatures themselves are ferocious menaces with an insatiable appetite for human flesh. They leave a trail of destruction in their wake as they’re pursued by two shapeshifting bounty hunters. Much like Tobe Hooper’s remake of Invaders from Mars (1986), Critters gleefully balances affectionate homage with gentle parody. It embraces the camp tropes of low-budget science fiction while subverting them with distinctly 1980s sensibilities.

Critters 2: The Main Course (1988) indulged in the decade’s infatuation with sequels that were larger, louder, and unapologetically absurd. It earned its place as a minor cult favourite for its audaciously bizarre Easter-themed carnage. Unfortunately, following the commercial disappointment of Critters 3 (1991) and Critters 4 (1992), the franchise languished in obscurity for almost two decades. However, the mischievous Krites have experienced an unexpected resurgence in recent years and spawned several sequels. Through its Blue Ribbon Content subsidiary, Warner Bros. resurrected the series with Critters Attack! (2019), while the web series Critters: The New Binge (2019) premiered on the horror streaming service Shudder. Although the franchise is unlikely to reclaim the modest success of its origins, Arrow Video’s latest Blu-ray collection ensures that a new generation of horror enthusiasts can rediscover the anarchic charm of these pint-sized intergalactic terrors. Audiences with an appetite for the peculiar delights of vintage creature features, get ready to tuck into the main course.

Critters (1986)

A group of small alien creatures escape a prison transport ship and are pursued by two shape-shifting bounty hunters to Earth…

When a group of voracious extraterrestrial beings known as the Krites face incarceration at Prison Asteroid-Sector-17, they orchestrate an audacious escape by commandeering a spacecraft to evade their captors. Their defiance prompts two transforming bounty hunters with superhuman abilities to find the fugitives, eradicating them once and for all. Upon crash-landing on planet Earth, the aggressive beasts make their way to the quaint town of Grover’s Bend. After feeding on everything in sight, their destructive rampage culminates in a siege of the Brown family farm. As the patriarch Jay (Billy Green Bush), his wife Helen (Dee Wallace), their teenage daughter April (Nadine Van Der Velde), and precocious son Brad (Scott Grimes) fall victim to the creatures’ savage onslaught, the family are forced to shelter themselves inside their home. Amidst this escalating chaos, the relentless bounty hunters arrive on Earth and help the Browns eliminate the creatures with their otherworldly expertise.

Click to read our full Critters retrospective.

USA | 1986 | 86 MINUTES | 1:85:1 | COLOUR | ENGLISH

Critters 2: The Main Course (1988)

Eggs of the small but voracious alien creatures called Krites are left behind on earth and, after hatching, set their appetites on the small farm town of Grover’s Bend…

Following the unexpected box office success and surprisingly positive critical reception of Critters, New Line Cinema quickly greenlit the sequel Critters 2: The Main Course. With Stephen Herek departing the director’s chair to pursue other ventures, Mick Garris (Sleepwalkers) was brought on board to helm the project. Armed with David Twohy’s (The Chronicles of Riddick)) screenplay, the studio hoped that he would imbue the sequel with a playful malevolence. Drawing on his experience from Steven Spielberg’s Amazing Stories (1985-87) anthology TV series, Garris sought to craft the mischievous spiritual sibling to E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982). He explained, “I wanted this idyllic small town setting. An imaginary America that is beautiful and wonderful and nostalgic, and just kick it in its teeth”.

After spending two years attempting to escape the shadow of his peculiar reputation, Brad Brown (Scott Grimes) returns to his hometown of Grover’s Bend. While trying to keep a low profile, he intends on enjoying a tranquil Easter weekend with his grandmother (Herta Ware). However, trouble returns when a batch of dormant Krite eggs are inadvertently thawed, unleashing an insidious menace upon the unsuspecting town. As chaos unfurls, alien bounty hunters Ug (Terrence Mann), Lee (Roxanne Kernohan), and Charlie (Don Opper) return to Earth to help eradicate the small yet murderous creatures. What begins as an isolated outbreak soon escalates into a full-scale invasion after the ferocious furballs multiply exponentially. As the insatiable predators begin devouring everything in their path, Brad and the extraterrestrial allies must destroy the carnivorous fiends once again.

If the original Critters was a derivative retread of Gremlins, then Critters 2: The Main Course anticipates the sheer insanity and shattering unpredictability of Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990). With its tongue planted even more firmly in cheek than its predecessor, Garris relishes the opportunity to embrace irreverent comedy and relegates the horror elements to the background. Rather than being a formidable menace, the titular creatures are transformed into mischievous vehicles for violent slapstick as they gleefully wreak havoc in absurdly inventive ways. Many moments see the voracious extraterrestrials primarily function as the punchline of increasingly elaborate and gruesome physical gags. One Krite inflates and bursts like an overfilled balloon after attempting to bite a tyre, whereas another is reduced to a grotesque blob after an unfortunate encounter with boiling cooking oil. The comic mayhem certainly skews toward juvenile sensibilities, but even the most hardened viewers will find themselves chuckling at the cruelty displayed.

Although it unapologetically indulges in absurdist comedy, there’s a healthy amount of carnage and gore to maintain a satisfying bite. The Chiodo Brothers’ (Killer Klowns from Outer Space) practical effects are undeniably impressive and the noticeably larger budget helps elevate the creature design. Through a carefully choreographed interplay of intricate animatronics and meticulously crafted puppetry, the titular monsters are imbued with a level of menace that surpasses their ancestors from the previous instalment. Their unguiculated hands and rows of serrated teeth render them as horrifyingly effective agents of chaos. As they unceremoniously hurtle through Grover’s Bend like tumbleweeds propelled by ferocious winds, they violently obliterate everything in their path. A particular gruesome highlight involves the Krites coalescing into a gigantic carnivorous ball, indiscriminately mowing down hapless townsfolk and leaving a trail of mutilated victims in their wake. Admittedly, the exaggerated violence leans heavily into cartoonish territory, but Garris’ assured hand ensures the horror retains its edge amidst the levity. It provides a welcome counterbalance to the outlandish comedic elements and still looks incredibly impressive four decades later.

While the original treaded cautiously within its rating, Critters 2: The Main Course boldly pushes the boundaries of its limitations. Garris and Twohy’s screenplay has some fun with themes typically deemed too provocative such as gender identity and religion. There’s a running joke involving the alien bounty hunter, Lee, wrestling with the discomfort of shapeshifting into a human persona. After encountering a Playboy magazine, they assume the identity of its centrefold model (Roxanne Kernohan). Once transformed, they find an unexpected sense of ease, particularly when embracing her physical form shirtless. Equally audacious is the religious satire which brims with sardonic wit. “40 minutes to the Resurrection” the priest proclaims, moments before the Easter Bunny spectacularly crashes through a church window while being devoured by Krites. Although it avoids offending the tender sensibilities of the core audience, it might have sparked controversy had prudish parent groups taken notice.

Overall, Critters 2: The Main Course may fall short of the richer characterisation and genuine surprise that elevated its predecessor. However, Mick Garris compensates with his wildly imaginative approach to shenanigans and pandemonium. David Twohy’s screenplay exhibits a surprising amount of intelligence and humour, whereas The Chiodo Brothers provide an anarchic mélange of inventive practical effects and endearingly crafted puppetry. It’s undeniably a franchise highlight and firmly secured its position as one of the more distinguished entries in the subgenre of diminutive creature features.

USA | 1988 | 86 MINUTES | 1:85:1 | COLOUR | ENGLISH

Critters 3 (1991)

The tiny fur ball aliens that will eat anything or anyone set their sights on a Los Angeles apartment tower…

Unfortunately, Critters 2: The Main Course failed to replicate the modest success of its predecessor, failing both critically and commercially. With a paltry box office gross of $3.8M against a $4Mn budget, it effectively extinguished New Line Cinema’s ambitions of establishing a lucrative horror franchise. However, after recognising the burgeoning home entertainment market as a sanctuary for underperforming properties, the studio adopted a strategy embraced by other struggling horror series such as Hellraiser, Tremors, and Child’s Play. After launching the New Line Home Entertainment division, Critters 3 was the first instalment to be released directly to video. Although this approach underscored a significant shift in the economics of horror filmmaking, it also marked the beginning of the franchise’s steady decline in quality.

Taking place sometime after the chaotic events in Grover’s Bend, Annie (Aimee Brooks) and her family are returning home after a tiresome road trip. Their mundane journey takes a sinister turn when their car breaks down, and Charlie (Don Keith Opper) delivers a chilling warning. The carnivorous aliens have returned and he’s determined to eradicate them. Unbeknownst to the unsuspecting family, one of these malevolent creatures surreptitiously plants its eggs beneath their vehicle before they continue their journey. Upon reaching their dilapidated Los Angeles tenement, the eggs hatch and unleash carnage on the Los Angeles apartment complex. As the furious extraterrestrial creatures besiege the building’s residents, Annie and Josh (Leonardo DiCaprio) try to rescue the remaining tenants by getting them to the roof. However, as the relentless invaders overrun the building, the pair must rely on Charlie, who has tracked the alien menace to the heart of the city.

It’s an uphill battle for director Kristine Peterson (Body Chemistry), who’s tasked to make a continuation of the franchise without the same budget as previous efforts. Unfortunately, Critters 3 never overcomes its financial limitations and the premise of ‘Krites invading L.A.’ doesn’t come to fruition. David J. Schow’s (The Crow) screenplay flirts with an urban horror akin to Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989) or Predator 2 (1990). However, the opportunity is squandered by the decision to confine the action in a dilapidated apartment complex. The setting is used as nothing more than a generic backdrop for forgettable characters and cheap antics. The potential of Krites wreaking havoc in a large city is fertile ground to be explored, but Critters 3 lacks an audacious director and its screenplay fails to elevate the material beyond the confines of tired genre conventions.

The biggest crime Critters 3 commits is emphasising comedy at the expense of horror, effectively neutering the menace that once defined the Krites. The adolescent humour is ratcheted up to an almost unwelcome extent. Although they displayed outlandish behaviour in the previous entries, the creatures carried an undercurrent of genuine menace that made their behaviour simultaneously entertaining and unnerving. However, the third instalment reduces them into uninspired caricatures of themselves. Most of their screen time is squandered on painfully prolonged sequences of their juvenile antics. If the creatures are not getting knocked down like bowling pins with accompanying sound effects, they’re consuming tinned beans which prompts a symphony of flatulence. Such juvenile humour might amuse the easily entertained but are more likely to induce exasperated eye-rolls.

The weakest entry of the series, Critters 3 is a woefully transparent attempt to imitate Gremlins 2: The New Batch. It echoes the same narrative beats of Joe Dante’s classic, but appropriately scales everything back in terms of budget and ambition. Kristine Peterson does her utmost with the uninspired material and it’s amusing to witness the screen debut of a young, pre-fame Leonardo DiCaprio (Killers of the Flower Moon). However, this third instalment succumbs to adolescent humour, and not to the comic degree that Critters and Critters 2: The Main Course balanced delicately.

USA | 1991 | 86 MINUTES | 1:85:1 | COLOUR | ENGLISH

Critters 4 (1992)

After being cryogenically frozen and waking up on a space station in the near future, the Critters aim to have the unwitting crew for lunch…

In a bid to maximise efficiency, New Line Cinema decided to produce Critters 4 concurrently with its predecessor, effectively creating two pictures for the price of one. While anticipating the ambitions of later franchises such as Hellraiser: Bloodline (1996) and Jason X (2001), Rupert Harvey (A Nightmare On Elm Street 5: The Dream Child) made his directorial debut by taking the franchise into the depths of outer space. Unlike the previous three instalments, Critters 4 eschews the franchise’s signature humour in favour of a darker, more sombre tone.

Taking place immediately after the conclusion of Critters 3, intergalactic bounty hunter Charlie (Don Opper) is tasked with placing the remaining two Krite eggs in a special preservation pod. During the deposit, he is accidentally locked inside and thrust into deep space. After being cryogenically frozen for over five decades, he’s awakened when a salvage spacecraft and its crew rescue him from hibernation. Onboard are engineer Al (Brad Dourif), pilot Fran (Angela Bassett), Captain Rick (Anders Hove), cargo specialist Bernie (Eric DaRe), and engineer apprentice Ethan (Paul Whittlhorne). The crew is under strict orders to return the pod to the TerraCor company for a reward. Once they arrive at the uninhabited space station to deliver the cargo, Captain Rick opens the pod and accidentally releases Charlie and two Krites. As the carnivorous furballs begin terrorising the abandoned facility, Charlie and the salvage crew must destroy them all before the Terracorp company turn them into weapons of mass destruction.

What Critters 4 attempts to achieve is stripping away the overt comedic excesses that nearly suffocated its predecessor. Yet, by removing all levity from the narrative it actually overcompensates and loses sight of its central antagonists. It’s an unpardonable sin that the franchise’s defining menace is relegated to the sidelines and reduced to mere inconveniences. Once the crew becomes stranded aboard the abandoned space facility, the story focuses on them contending with an array of challenges unrelated to the Krites themselves. A malfunctioning computer traps a character in an elevator, characters are nearly jettisoned into the vacuum of space from a garbage disposal, and the lingering threat of a nuclear meltdown overshadows the ostensible threat of the ferocious creatures. Even the climactic showdown centres on a dramatic standoff between Charlie and Ug.

It’s somewhat deflating that the titular antagonists are reduced to mere background irritants and the majority of the death sequences occur off-screen. Nevertheless, the brief moments they do appear are undeniably entertaining. Despite the noticeably constrained budget compared to earlier entries in the franchise, the craftsmanship of the legendary Chiodo Brothers elevates these fleeting appearances. The Krites remain impressively articulated and their movements seamlessly integrate into the modest production values. Particularly striking is the first attack sequence, which features a newly hatched Krite forcing itself down a character’s throat and consuming them from the inside out. It’s surprisingly gruesome and stands out as one of the few memorable moments.

For every misstep Critters 3 stumbled upon, Critters 4 corrected. Yet, for every fleeting success its predecessor managed, Critters 4 does wrong. While other franchises reached a comedic crescendo by entering space, the final instalment curiously jettisons much of its humour. The biggest laugh arrives not throughout the 90-minute runtime but during the closing credits when we’re assured no Krites were harmed during production. Whereas the small thrills come at the expense of the Krites themselves, relegated to glorified extras in their own saga. Angela Bassett (Black Panther) and Brad Dourif (Child’s Play) lend a faint glimmer of credibility, elevating the material slightly above the previous entry. Perhaps it’s best the original film franchise ended here.

USA | 1992 | 87 MINUTES | 1:85:1 | COLOUR | ENGLISH

Limited Edition Blu-ray Box Set Special Features:

The carnivorous creatures from outer space have finally arrived on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video. Each disc showcases a marvellous 1080p transfer and is presented in the original aspect ratio of 1.85:1. While Critters and Critters 2: The Main Course have been sourced from the original camera negatives and received a brand new 2K scan, Critters 3 and Critters 4 haven’t been afforded that luxury. Regardless, the result is a wonderful looking image.

With some understanding that there are variables at play, such as the cinematographic challenges of low-budget productions, this presentation looks remarkably healthy. The levels of detail are deceptively sharp, and viewers will appreciate the transfer’s ability to showcase the finest textures. Individual patterns remain discernible under various lighting conditions, and the clarity of technology inside the bounty hunter’s spacecraft is also incredibly impressive. Considering Critters largely takes place in the evening, black levels remain strong and consistent. The transfer retains a healthy amount of grain, and there are no fluctuations to report. The 2K scan intensifies the already wonderfully vibrant palette in Critters 2: The Main Course, handling the colour scheme beautifully. The vibrant primaries look fantastic, supplying rich hues of the Easter celebrations.

Arrow Video has made an adequate attempt at restoring Critters 3 and Critters 4. The result is not remarkable, but the image has been given a noticeable boost to help compete with its predecessors. Detailing is not commanding, but there are some individual patterns during tight compositions. The strongest textures emerge with authority during close-ups of Krites. Film grain remains beautifully rendered, but there’s the occasional stability issue. The source has sustained some damage, and noticeable noise fluctuations appear during darker sequences. Despite these issues, the collection is a welcome addition to Arrow’s catalogue.

Each disc features two audio tracks with optional English subtitles. Arrow Video provides an English DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio and an English 2.0 Stereo mix. The sound mix on Critters and Critters 2: The Main Course maintains an attractive amount of dynamic to the midrange, never slipping into distortion when chaos ensues. Dialogue is effectively discernible and nicely prioritised at the front, enabling atmospherics within the mix to be detectable. The Critters 3 and Critters 4 audio track is not a mix of aural fireworks, but atmospherics within the mix are detectable. Dialogue is effectively discernible and nicely prioritised at the front.

High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentations of all four films.
Original lossless stereo 2.0 and 5.1 audio options.
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing.
60-page hardbound collectors book featuring new writing on the films by screenwriter Shane Bitterling and film critics Meagan Navarro and Heather Wixson plus select archival material.
Double-sided fold out posters for all four films.
Limited edition packaging with newly commissioned artwork by Pye Parr.
Reversible sleeves featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Pye Parr.

Disc 1—Critters (Blu-ray)

Brand new audio commentary by film critics Matty Budrewicz and Dave Wain with screenwriter Shane Bitterling.
Archive audio commentary with producer Barry Opper and star Don Opper.
Archive audio commentary with Critter designers Charles Chiodo, Edward Chiodo and Stephen Chiodo.
They Bite!: The Making of Critters documentary.
For Brian: A Tribute to Screenwriter Brian Domonic Muir featurette.
Behind-the-Scenes Footage.
Alternate Ending.
Theatrical Trailer.
TV Spots.
Image Gallery.

Disc 2—Critters 2: The Main Course (Blu-ray)

Brand new audio commentary by film critics Matty Budrewicz and Dave Wain.
Archive audio commentary with Critters designers Charles Chiodo, Edward Chiodo and Stephen Chiodo.
The Main Course: The Making of Critters 2 archive documentary.
Behind the Scenes Footage.
Additional TV Scenes.
Theatrical Trailer.
TV Spot.
Image Gallery.

Disc 3—Critters 3 (1991)

Brand new audio commentary by film critics Matty Budrewicz and Dave Wain.
Archive audio commentary with producer Barry Opper and star Don Opper.
You Are What They Eat: The Making of Critters 3, archive featurette.
Trailer.
Promo.
Image Gallery.

Disc 4—Critters 4 (1992)

Brand new audio commentary by film critics Matty Budrewicz and Dave Wain.
Archive audio commentary with producer director Rupert Harvey.
Space Madness: The Making of Critters 4 archive featurette.
Trailer.
Image Gallery.

Cast & Crew

directors: Stephen Herek (Critters) • Mick Garris (Critters 2) • Kristine Peterson (Critters 3) • Rupert Harvey (Critters 4).
writers: Stephen Herek & Dominic Muir (Critters) • David Twohy & Mick Garris (Critters 2) • David J. Schow (Critters 3-4) • Joseph Lyle (Critters 4).
starring: Don Keith Opper & Terrence Mann (Critters 1-4) • Scott Grimes (Critters 1-2) • Dee Wallace & M. Emmet Walsh (Critters) • Aimee Brooks & Leonardo DiCaprio (Critters 3) • Angela Bassett & Brad Dourif (Critters 4).