‘Critters’, by Stephen Herek
Within the programming of
The Magnetic Terrace 2022. Vulnerable Critters
A classic 1980s B-movie whose evil space creatures became video-rental horror icons.
| Duration: | 1 hour 45 minutes |
Critters, directed by Stephen Herek. USA, 1986. 96’
Eight hungry aliens land on Earth, looking for food. On the way, they encounter the Brown family and decide to make its unwitting members their main course. But the Browns will receive help from an unexpected source: a pair of intergalactic bounty hunters. This science fiction horror film laced with dark comedy is the first in the Critters franchise, starring the most malevolent of all the furry creatures to appear in the 1980s.
Stephen Herek (Texas, 1958) made his directorial debut with Critters in 1986 and followed it up in 1989 with the hit comedy Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, where he worked with the then-unknown Keanu Reeves. He later directed Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead in 1991 and The Mighty Ducks in 1992. Herek was a regular director for Disney productions throughout the 1990s, most notably The Three Musketeers in 1993, the highly successful live-action remake of 101 Dalmatians, starring Glenn Close, and the 1998 Eddie Murphy comedy Holy Man. He also directed the critically acclaimed Mr. Holland's Opus in 1995.
