Critters was a big part of my childhood. Even though I loved “Gremlins”, “Ghoulies” and even the amazingly schlocky “Munchies”, “Critters” always held a special place in my heart. I loved that it was about a family sticking together. I loved the shape-shifting, alien bounty hunters. I loved the foul-mouthed little monsters themselves. I loved it all. So when I caught wind that someone had made a Critters fan film I was immediately intrigued. When I heard it was from the creator of “Thankskilling”, Jordan Downey, I sought it out as fast as I could.
For those of you unfamiliar, “Thankskilling” and it’s hilariously named follow up “Thankskilling 3” (billed as the first movie to “skip” it’s own sequel) are low budget romps to give even the guys at Troma a run for their money. They are uproarious in their raunch and unapologetic in their absurd, discount aesthetics. Downey is just my kind of horror fan. Someone who not only loved the classics but appreciated the more ridiculous films in the vast horror canon. He cites films like “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre”, “Leprechaun” and “Jack Frost” as influences. The last two being crowning achievements in the history of cheesy horror cinema. This places him firmly on a middle ground that makes him perfect for the “Critters” franchise.
His fan film is incredible to behold. It looks great with cinematography that puts most indie films released these days to shame. The effects are impressive with a twist on the bounty hunter’s head that automatically made me grin from ear to ear. The score and editing are on a whole other level and by the time the action started I was already in love. If Downey intended for this film to be an application to direct a Critters reboot I think he pulled it off with flying colors. I want to see his full Critters feature right now and I first saw this project two years ago! Give it a look and spread it around and maybe we can get someone in charge to take notice of this brilliant love letter to my favorite 80’s creature feature franchise.
