CRITTERS (1986)
There have always been comparisons made between this and Joe Dante's Gremlins, and it's easy to see why. Both are horror comedy creature movies with a twisted sense of humour and a bunch of titular puppets on the rampage. Interestingly the makers refuted this and said it was written prior to its release. Which is sometimes the case with production periods overlapping and the release dates making it look like someone is copying. But there are some key differences and while the holiday favourite is clearly a supernatural adventure, this is pure science fiction schlock. Many of the funniest moments come courtesy of the intergalactic mercenaries sent out to stop the monsters, since their methods are often incompetent and excessive in equal measures.
So let's break down all of these ingredients and see what other parts stand out. For a star the film is surprisingly tame and light hearted which adds to the charm. It's a perfect entry level frightener for younger views with small amounts of blood and aliens that are cute and only vaguely menacing. There are of course still various moments of mild peril as well as some special effects scenes remain gnarly even today. The bounty hunter transformation sequence early on and their discovery of one the first Critter victims makes for a gruesome combo. Their ability to morph into other people is always a highlight, and the choice of one to imitate a corpse adds a darkly funny edge to this idea.
Of course this is all undermined by the absurd nature of the scenes that follow as the hunt becomes nothing more than a series of explosive communication breakdowns and fish out of water jokes. Outside the destruction of a church and then a bowling alley, and a family home, their efforts seem completely useless. It's also clear that posing as a famous rock star and a local priest in a small town isn't the most intelligent plan for characters trying their hand at subterfuge. Besides that if they're really going to try and blend in like this all the metal studded space traveller garb is a poor choice. Many of the laughs come from their efforts to get information from the locals in this guise, and their failure to understand human culture while opening fire on anything that makes a sudden loud noise.
These are the best moments, and it's obvious that the 'Crite' fugitives would have quickly escaped without the intervention of the real protagonists. The residents of soon to be exploded farmhouse, the Brown family, are likeable bunch. Together with their paranoid handyman Charlie these are the characters who actually end up stopping the alien infestation. Plus it's always fun to see Dee Wallace in this sort of thing as the mother. The inclusion of both E.T. style scenes where aliens hide in plain site and later actual toys from the same movie add to this referential tone. They also throw in Amblin style Star Wars jokes too because this is the prime era for that kind of thing. Both the everyday domestic drama and the later siege are entertaining without ever breaking the mould.
Sibling rivalry, home made fireworks and teen romance are all effective inclusions. But enough about character, we're here to see the furball carnage. Luckily the eponymous invaders themselves are a lot of fun. Mostly because of their cruel personalities and the half hedgehog, half teeth design used. Although they're never particularly threatening despite some of the damage caused. I guess it's all the rolling about they do which betrays the limitations of the production and turns them into more of a joke than the story already made them out to be. The red eyes are nice at least, and the obsession with eating is an effective motive that we can all get behind. The foul language in the alien subtitles is also a cute addition.
As a product of it's time you can find many worse releases from this decade, and though it's not amongst the very best it still holds up. Ironically the best way to sum this up is by saying that Critters is to Gremlins what Dante's Piranha is to Jaws. The best in a series of similar features from a time when this was sort of thing was all the rage. There are far weaker entries in this sub genre of tiny puppet monsters around. It's efficient at what it does and remains one of the most watchable movies from the time. Some of the more sickly ending moments may clash with the number of deaths caused, but this is always a charming outing into 1980s monster horror.
3/5
