Critters

The Critters film series, from New Line Cinema, 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.

Althoughly widely believed to have been made to cash in on the success of the similarly themed Gremlins, 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. In any case, the basic plotline of the first film - mysterious strangers arrives in small town to repel marauding invaders - is more like a classic Western narrative.