I have a special appreciation for the Critters franchise, which just hit Blu-ray in glorious new 2K transfers thanks to Scream Factory. It all started the night my family purchased our first VCR and I was let loose in our local mom and pop video store to pick out a tape on my own. I had obsessed over that cover with the rad painting by Soyka in the dusty horror section for weeks, and I was finally able to pull the tag for Critters on my own. Unlike most kids, I had yet to see Gremlins since it had yet to make its almost nonstop run on cable, and Critters was my first foray into the tiny monster sub-genre, which remains a perennial favorite to this day.
Contrary to what you think, Critters was not a reaction to Gremlins, but Gremlins did pave the way for PG-13 horror aimed at kids, making it possible for the film to get made. It’s directed by Stephen Herek (Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure/ Mr. Holland’s Opus) and written by Domonic Muir, who both began their careers under Roger Corman. The script for the first film originally began as small passion project to make a name for the two, with Corman originally attached to produce. But after a happenstance meeting with Rupert Harvey, he swooped in, bringing the project to a still young New Line Cinema who backed the film with more financial resources than Corman could have offered the pair.
Critters (1986), which laid the foundation for the franchise, focuses on teen Brad Brown (Scott Grimes), who lives on his parents’ farm in rural Grover’s Bend, Kansas. One night a hijacked alien spaceship crashes on his farm carrying a group of intergalactic criminals, creatures called “Krites.” These little “Critters” are blood thirsty creatures that roll around like demonic Popples eating any and everything in their path. Sent to hunt them down is a pair of shape shifting space bounty hunters, Ug and Lee, who befriend the town drunk Charlie (Don Keith Opper) who claims he could intercept transmissions from space in his fillings. Critters succeeds because it knows exactly what it is and wastes no time doing it. Watching it now, it’s still a lot of fun and doesn’t overstay its welcome, running a scant 85 minutes. This is also in part thanks to The Chiodo Brothers, who were responsible for the memorable creature design and the film’s hilarious gags with the little monsters.
The first film was a modest hit, so next up was Critters 2: The Main Course (1988), which was the only sequel released to theaters. The film picks up two years later with Brad Brown (Scott Grimes) returning to Grover’s Bend to visit his grandmother for Easter. Charlie, who left Earth and joined the bounty hunters, is recalled back to Earth to do a sweep for any Krites that are left. Of course, the Krite eggs we saw at the end of the first film are found and sold to a local antiques dealer, who then turns around and sells them to the local church for their Easter egg hunt. With the town divided over what actually happened that night two years ago, any doubt the Critters were more than tall tales are erased as the town is besieged by the tiny creatures. Unlike the first film, this is definitely inspired by Gremlins, and you get a lot of hilarious shots of frolicking Critters causing mayhem.
Finally, you have Critters 3 and 4, which were shot in rapid succession one after the other to save money and were intended for the booming direct-to-video market. Critters 3 has our favorite Critters this time leaving Grover’s Bend for the big city after stowing away on a family’s camper. Taking a cue from Batteries Not Included, the Critters happen to end up in a building where the landlord is trying to force out his tenants, so he can redevelop the property. Given the budgetary constraints the film never ventures too far away from its primary building location, and thanks to this and its cast of unremarkable characters it’s the weakest link in the series. The strangest bit of trivia to come out of the film is a bizarre Titanic connection since the film features both Leonardo DiCaprio and Billy Zane pre-Titanic fame. The film thankfully picks up steam in the third act as Charlie, who makes a brief appearance in the beginning, shows up to take out the Critters, only to end up in a very precarious situation at the end of Critters 3. The film ends on a cliffhanger leading straight into Critters 4.
Finally, for Critters 4, they once again prove the old horror adage, everything is better in space. Charlie is now trapped on a space station and is tasked with hunting down the Critters in a scenario pulled right from Aliens as Charlie and the space truckers who found him are forced to fight for survival while a large corporation hopes to weaponize the Krites. Critters 4 is easily the darkest of the four films and does something surprising in that it manages to give Charlie an end to his character arc that was honestly impressive considering the franchise. It does this while still leaving the door wide open for more films that sadly didn’t come. That being the case, it still was a great way to bookend the series with the character that started it off now finishing it.
For Critters fans like myself who are accustomed to the previous muddy barebones DVD releases, this set is an embarrassment of riches. Each film comes presented here in HD, on its own disc to maximize bitrate. The first two films were newly scanned in 2K just for this release and have never looked better. All the transfers here look great, and that’s not easy considering most of these films take place at night, which was my only worry. The films have a pleasant contrast, good grain presence, and a clarity you’ve haven’t seen before unless you were lucky enough to catch a repertoire screening.
All of the films come paired with a brand-new commentary, trailer, and newly produced documentaries centering on that particular entry with a good portion of the cast and crew involved. Since enough time has passed here, they are genuinely candid about what worked and what might not have worked as well as they liked. The most fascinating part personally for me was the discussion on the production of 3 and 4 and how a last-minute change in concept was behind the lack of Critters in the final film. For the first two films, the docs on each are an hour-plus, with the docs on 3 and 4 running about 30 minutes each. Each Blu-ray also has reversible cover and comes in a very sturdy box to house the collection.
As far as I’m concerned, Scream Factory hit it out of the park with this release, and trust me I’ve waited a long time for decent copies of these films. Not only were the films transferred in HD for Blu-ray, Scream created and curated most of the special features just for this release to make sure fans had a worthy collection for their shelf, and being one of those fans I appreciate it. I also wanted to give a call out to the new artwork commissioned for this release, and to be honest most of the time I am not too thrilled with how these artists handle the property; but the artwork, especially on the box, which is replicated on the lithograph, is extremely badass. So what else can I say? If you haven’t seen these films, now’s the time; and if you’re a fan, definitely pick this up. I think last time I checked this box hit $45, and that’s about $11 a film.
Special Features:
CRITTERS
· NEW 2K scan from the original film elements
· NEW Audio Commentary with producer Barry Opper and star Don Opper
· NEW Audio Commentary with Critter designers Charles Chiodo, Edward Chiodo, and Stephen Chiodo
· NEW They Bite!: The Making of CRITTERS featuring interviews with actors Dee Wallace, Don Opper, Terrence Mann, and Lin Shaye, producer Barry Opper, writer Brian Muir, Critters designers Charles Chiodo, Edward Chiodo and Stephen Chiodo, make-up artist R. Christopher Biggs, special prop supervisor Anthony Doublin, composer David Newman, second unit director Mark Helfrich, Critter Voice actor Corey Burton, and Miniature Effects Supervisor Gene Warren Jr.
· NEW For Brian: A Tribute to Screenwriter Brian Domonic Muir
· Behind-the-Scenes Footage
· Alternate Ending
· Theatrical Trailer
· TV Spots
· Still Gallery
CRITTERS 2: THE MAIN COURSE
· NEW 2K scan from the original film elements
· NEW Audio Commentary with director Mick Garris
· NEW Audio Commentary with Critters designers Charles Chiodo, Edward Chiodo, and Stephen Chiodo
· NEW The Main Course: The Making of CRITTERS 2 featuring interviews with director Mick Garris, actors Liane Curtis, Don Opper, Terrence Mann, and Lin Shaye, producer Barry Opper, Critter designers Charles Chiodo, Edward Chiodo, and Stephen Chiodo, and make-up artist R. Christopher Biggs
· Behind the Scenes Footage
· Additional TV Scenes
· Theatrical Trailer
· TV Spots
· Still Gallery
CRITTERS 3
· NEW Audio Commentary with producer Barry Opper and star Don Opper
· NEW You Are What They Eat: The Making of CRITTERS 3 featuring interviews with producer Barry Opper, screenwriter David J. Schow, stars Don Opper and Terrence Mann, director of photography Thomas J. Callaway, and Critters designers Charles Chiodo, Edward Chiodo, and Stephen Chiodo
· Trailer
· Still Gallery
CRITTERS 4
· NEW Audio Commentary with producer/director Rupert Harvey
· NEW Space Madness: The Making of CRITTERS 4 featuring interviews with producer Barry Opper, screenwriter David J. Schow, stars Don Opper and Terrence Mann, director of photography Thomas J. Callaway, Critters designers Charles Chiodo, Edward Chiodo, and Stephen Chiodo
· Trailer
· Still Gallery
