The Critters film series, from New Line Cinema (which was owned by Warner Bros.), 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.
Although widely believed to have been made to cash in on the success of the similarly themed Gremlins (which was also owned by Warner Bros.),[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 strangers arrive in small town to repel marauding invaders - is more like a classic Western narrative.[citation needed]
The central focus of the series is upon a group of malevolent carnivorous aliens from outer space, called Krites, that have the ability to roll into balls (cf. hedgehogs) and combine into a pernicious sphere that can roll across the landscape and cause mayhem. In appearance, the individual Krites resemble small furry/spiky animals with large mouths and many sharp teeth. Throughout the movies 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 (render the victim unconscious). The coloration of the Krites varies between black, brown and navy blue. In the original film they were also able to grow to a much larger size, although this ability was dropped for the sequels.
The storyline for the first two films involves bounty hunters from outer space who hunt the extraterrestrial monsters in a small American town. The setting for the third movie is a city whilst in the final film the hunt takes place on a space station.
The Critters are ravenous creatures that exist simply to eat and breed and the main human characters in the films endeavor to protect themselves while trying to think of ways to defeat them. Terrence Mann appears in all four films as an interstellar bounty hunter named Ug, as does Don Keith Opper as Charlie, an alcoholic who rises to the occasion when called upon to defend mankind. Leonardo DiCaprio appeared in Critters 3, and Dee Wallace-Stone and Billy Zane both appeared in the first installment. Scott Grimes starred in the first two films as Bradley Brown
