Critters

Critters (1986), directed by Stephen Herek, Shout! Factory remaster, encoded in 10 bit HEVC with AAC sound, including 5.1 remaster, original theatrical mono, two commentary tracks, and English subtitles.

IMDb : https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090887/

Video encoded in two-pass 9 600 kbps x265 10bit with the veryslow preset for archive quality image.

English subtitles OCRed, proofed and corrected.

Note : Often dismissed as a rip-off of Gremlins, this is actually a pretty different beast, a sci-fi horror comedy with intergalactic bounty hunters, ravenous furry aliens in a small Kansas town, and quite a lot of 80s butt rock. It is, indeed, The Power of the Night, since most of this film takes place during a single night. It's a little slow to get going, but once it does, it's pretty fun, tightly plotted and with satisfying outcomes for most of the characters. The practical creature effects are minimalistic, but work, there are a few explosions and other 80s staples, and it doesn't outstay its welcome.

The cast is also quite solid, although the only well known actors are in smaller roles: Dee Wallace as the mom, M. Emmet Walsh as the sheriff, and a very young Billy Zane as the boyfriend from the big city. The bratty lead kid (Scott Grimes) actually manages to walk the line between annoying and endearing fairly well, and in the end you're kind of invested in the characters.

This remaster is pretty good looking, moderate grain, decently sharp, although I feel like the copious night scenes are sometimes just a tad too dark. 5.1 remaster is also good, and the two commentary tracks are well worth your time, especially the one with the creature designers.

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