Film

Critters

Name: Critters
Genre: Comedy, Horror, Science Fiction
Released: 1986
Cast: Dee Wallace, M. Emmet Walsh, Billy Green Bush, Scott Grimes, Nadine Van der Velde

Critters is an '80s sci-fi comedy where furry carnivorous aliens crash-land on a Kansas farm and two trigger-happy bounty hunters show up to obliterate them. It's cheerfully gory, knows exactly how silly it is, and treats home-invasion horror as an excuse for practical effects mayhem and deadpan humor. Perfect if you want something that doesn't take itself seriously but commits fully to the bit.

TMDb rating

3.2

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you grew up on 1980s creature features and enjoy a monster movie that cheerfully mixes small-town domestic chaos with gleefully nasty little aliens and a dash of slapstick.

Skip it if you want a tense, serious science fiction story; this one leans on broad jokes and a goofy tone, and its scares are more mischief than dread.

What it asks of you: It runs a brisk eighty-six minutes and moves quickly, so you can give it a relaxed evening without much setup or patience.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Gremlins1984

Joe Dante's exact same DNA: cute-but-destructive creatures, small-town Americana under siege, tonal whiplash between comedy and genuine menace, practical effects that still astonish. A direct ancestor that Critters learned from and riffed on.

But The cuteness factor grates if you're tired of cute things being weaponized, and the pacing drags in the setup. Some of the humor lands softer than it lands funny.

The Hidden1987

Alien body-snatcher thriller with the same deadpan buddy-cop chemistry, practical gore, and willingness to be both scary and absurd. Features Kyle MacLachlan and Michael Nouri in a kinetic cat-and-mouse across Los Angeles. Criminally underseen.

But Takes itself more seriously than Critters, so the tonal shifts can feel jarring. Pacing stutters in the third act when it should accelerate.

Night of the Comet1984

Post-apocalyptic horror-comedy with a similar irreverent spirit and practical ingenuity on a micro-budget. Two sisters and a drifter navigate a dead Los Angeles with surprising charm and style. Witty, weird, and genuinely fun.

But The '80s synth-pop tone won't appeal if you want your post-apocalypse grim. Plot meanders and the ending feels slight.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Critters

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Strange Invaders1983

Both use alien invasion as a frame for absurdist comedy about rural Americans under siege, and both were made in the same era when that concept felt fresh enough to riff on rather than repeat straight.

Body-snatcher sci-fi comedy that does the small-town alien invasion from the '50s-homage angle but weirder and meaner. Features Paul LeMat and Nancy Allen, practical effects that look genuinely unsettling, and a tone that hovers between parody and paranoia. Pulpy, strange, and oddly affecting.

But The '50s pastiche can feel mannered and the plot is repetitive once you see where it's going. Pacing is slack and it's too earnest to be fun, too fun to be earnest.

Tremors1990

Small town versus unstoppable monsters with the same blend of horror-movie stakes and genuine comedy. Kevin Bacon, Fred Ward, and Finn Carter make you care between the creature sequences. Sharper writing and better pacing than Critters.

But Leans more comedy than horror, which disappoints if you want sustained dread. The lead characters can feel overstuffed with quirks.

The Blob1988

Practical-effects remake that updates the '50s original with graphic carnage, knowing humor, and actual stakes. The blob itself is a marvel of puppetry. Bloody, inventive, and surprisingly emotional when it needs to be.

But The tone never quite settles—it wants to be both serious science fiction and B-movie camp. Teenage leads are thin as scripts go.

Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama1988

Pure '80s schlock comedy-horror about a wish-granting imp terrorizing pledges at a bowling alley. Zero ambition, maximum enthusiasm, rubber creature effects that look like they hurt to wear. Gloriously stupid and perfectly aware of it.

But The sexism is casual and pervasive, which feels gross rather than period-piece charming. Production values are rock-bottom even for the era.

Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama poster

Evil Dead II1987

Sam Raimi's proof that you can remake your own film better. Bruce Campbell's slapstick meets real horror: chainsaw hands, demonic possession, practical mayhem. The tonal control between gore and comedy is masterclass.

But The relentless pace and constant escalation exhaust some viewers. If you prefer atmosphere, this trades it for visceral chaos.

Bad Taste1987

Peter Jackson's feature debut: alien cannibals on New Zealand farmland, shot for almost nothing, with spectacular practical gore and a willingness to go anywhere for a laugh. Scrappy, inventive, utterly committed to its premise.

But The effects are intentionally crude and some jokes land on sexism rather than cleverness. The budget shows constantly, and not always in endearing ways.

House1985

Haunted-house horror-comedy where a Vietnam vet and his nephew battle demons in a funhouse of practical effects. Weird, earnest, and genuinely disorienting. Steve Miner directs with style and an eye for the grotesque.

But Tries to balance comedy and real trauma—it doesn't always blend. Effects are uneven and some gags interrupt momentum. Forgotten for good reason.

Phantom of the Paradise1974

Both treat horror as permission to be visually outrageous and comedically cruel without apology. Both have that '70s/'80s practical-effect aesthetic where the seams show and that's part of the charm.

Brian De Palma's glam-rock horror musical about a disfigured composer at a decadent nightclub. Nothing like Critters in plot but identical in spirit: cheerful savagery, practical effects that are nasty and inventive, dark humor that never condescends, and the sense that the filmmakers are having more fun than should be legal.

But It's a musical, which will shut down anyone who hates that. The pastiche of '50s rock operas dates it hard and the script is thin by design. Cult status means some people will find it overwrought.

Rubber2010

Both films stake everything on the commitment to a ridiculous central premise and trust that sincerity breeds comedy. Both would die if they winked at the audience. Both say: accept the weird rule and follow us where it goes.

A sentient rubber tire rolls through the desert killing people. That's it. Quentin Dupieux made a structuralist horror-comedy that's a joke about horror-comedies themselves—the absurdity of the premise is the point. Gorgeous cinematography, hypnotic score, deadpan witnesses who narrate and drink wine, and genuine suspense that the audacity sustains.

But It's a conceptual prank more than a story. If you want plot, character development, or any frame of reference outside 'what if a tire killed people,' you will hate this. Deliberately antagonistic toward audience expectations.