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For the individual film Critters, see Critters (film)

Early poster for the first film

The Critters film series, from New Line Cinema, comprises four movies that combine elements of horror, science fiction and comedy. The first film, called simply Critters, was released in 1986 and received "two thumbs up" from Siskel and Ebert.

Althoughly widely believed to have been made to "cash in" on the success of the similarly-themed Gremlins,^[1][2][3] director Stephen Herek has refuted this in interviews, pointing out that the first Critters script was written by Domonic Muir long before Gremlins went into production and subsequently underwent rewrites to reduce the apparent similarities between the two films.^[4] In any case, the basic plotline of the first film - mysterious stranger arrives in small town to repel marauding invaders - more closely resembles a classic Western narrative.

The central focus of the series is upon a group of malevolent carnivorous alien creatures called "Krites" (or perhaps "Crites") that have the ability to roll into balls (cf. hedgehogs) and combine into a pernicious sphere that can roll across the landscape and cause untold destruction. In appearance, the individual Krites resemble small furry/spiky animals with large mouths and many sharp teeth. Throughout the movies - usually in groups - they attack humans by biting and attempting to eat them, or at least a piece of them. The spikes on their backs can be launched as projectiles, with devastating effect at times (actually the spikes can render the victim unconscious or asleep and by pulling them out can awaken the victim). The coloration of the Krites varies between black, brown and navy blue. In the original film they also managed to grow to a larger size - a plot point dropped in all sequels.

The storyline for the first two films involves bounty hunters from outer space who hunt the extraterrestrial monsters in small American towns. The setting for the third movie is a city. In the final film, the hunt takes place on a space station.

The Krites are ravenous monsters without conscience that exist simply to eat and breed and the main human characters in the films endeavor to protect themselves from the creatures while trying to think of ways to defeat them. Terrence Mann appears in all four films as an interstellar bounty hunter named Ug and Don Keith Opper also appears in all four films as Charlie, a bucolic alcoholic who rises to greatness when called upon to defend mankind from being converted into brunch. Leonardo DiCaprio had a role in Critters 3. Dee Wallace-Stone starred in the first film and Billy Zane had a small role in that production. Scott Grimes starred in the first two films as Bradley Brown.

Plans for a fifth movie were dropped due to the declining popularity of the films.^{[citation needed]} A rough draft of the movie was made under the working title Critters 5: Christmas Attack and was to take place shortly after the events of Critters 3 as well as after the beginning of Critters 4. The plot was to either take place in a small town (possibly Grover's Bend) during a snowy winter Christmas or at a vacation hotel. No filming was done for the film but a picture of Don Keith Opper was taken for a wanted picture of Charlie.^{[citation needed]}

• Dee Wallace-Stone as Helen Brown
• M. Emmet Walsh as Harv
• Billy Green Bush as Jay Brown
• Scott Grimes as Brad Brown
• Don Keith Opper as Charlie McFadden
• Billy Zane as Steve Elliot
• Ethan Phillips as Jeff Barnes
• Terrence Mann as Johnny Steele/Ug
• Lin Shaye as Sally
• Michael Lee Gogin as Warden Zanti
• Art Frankel as Ed
• Roger Hampton as Jake
• Angel Casas as Samuel

• In the 1990 movie Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Raphael can be seen coming out of a theatre playing Critters. Both movies were produced by New Line Cinema.

• Critters at the Internet Movie Database
• Critters 2: The Main Course at the Internet Movie Database
• Critters 3 at the Internet Movie Database
• Critters 4 at the Internet Movie Database