''Critters 3'' is a 1991 American

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...

comedy horror Comedy horror, also known as horror comedy, is a literary, television, and film genre that combines elements of comedy and horror fiction. Comedy horror has been described as able to be categorized under three types: "black comedy, parody and sp ...

direct to video movie and the third installment of the ''Critters'' franchise, directed by Kristine Peterson.

Cary Elwes Ivan Simon Cary Elwes (; born 26 October 1962) is an English actor and writer. He is known for his leading film roles as Westley in ''The Princess Bride'' (1987), Robin Hood in '' Robin Hood: Men in Tights'' (1993), and Dr. Lawrence Gordon in ...

mentioned on the commentary for the uncut edition DVD of ''

Saw 3D ''Saw 3D'' (also known as ''Saw: The Final Chapter'') is a 2010 American 3D horror film directed by Kevin Greutert and written by Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan. It is the sequel to 2009's ''Saw VI'' and seventh installment in the ''Saw'' ...

'' that he passed on the role of Josh. It was shot simultaneously (from February 1991 until July 1991) with its sequel, '' Critters 4''. Unlike the first two films, it does not take place in the town of Grover's Bend.

Plot

Sometime after the events in '' Critters 2: The Main Course'', Charlie MacFadden is tracking down the last of the Critters. A family of three – Annie (the main protagonist), Johnny (her little brother) and Clifford (the father) – stops at a rest stop when their car's tire pops. At the rest stop, Charlie warns them and Josh, stepson of a corrupt landlord, about the Critters. As this happens, a Critter lays eggs under the family's car and the family leaves, unknowingly taking the eggs with them. Soon after they arrive at their tenement, the Critters hatch and attack the sleazy maintenance man, Frank. When the landlord arrives, he too is eaten by the Critters after Josh locks him in Clifford's room, unknowingly trapping his stepfather with the creatures. Next, one of the residents is attacked and wounded. Annie, her family and five others (including Josh) try to get to safety in one piece by getting to the roof of the building. Charlie arrives and destroys the remaining Critters, saving the remaining tenants. The film ends in a cliffhanger as Charlie is about to destroy two Critter eggs, but is ordered not to and a containment pod sent from the Intergalactic Council crashes into the basement.

Cast

* Leonardo DiCaprio as Josh *

Aimee Brooks Aimee Brooks (born November 19, 1974) is an American former actress. She is mostly known for her roles in horror movies, including the lead protagonist in ''Critters 3''. Her most recent film is '' Closed for the Season'' in 2010. Aimee Brooks a ...

as Annie *

Don Keith Opper Don Keith Opper (born June 12, 1949) is an American actor, writer, and producer who has starred in film and on television. He is best known for his role as Charlie McFadden in the 1986 science fiction film '' Critters'' and each of the three se ...

as Charlie MacFadden *

John Calvin John Calvin (; frm, Jehan Cauvin; french: link=no, Jean Calvin ; 10 July 150927 May 1564) was a French theologian, pastor and reformer in Geneva during the Protestant Reformation. He was a principal figure in the development of the system ...

as Clifford *

Nina Axelrod Nina Kether Axelrod (born July 28, 1955) is an American actress who appeared in films and television mainly during the late 1970s through the early 1980s. Since the early 1990s, she has worked as a casting director on films and taught drama in sc ...

as Betty Briggs * William Dennis Hunt as Briggs * Geoffrey Blake as Frank * Christian & Joseph Cousins as Johnny *

Terrence Mann Terrence Vaughan Mann (born July 1, 1951) is an American theatre, film and television actor. He is best known for his appearances on the Broadway stage, which include Chester Lyman in '' Barnum'', Rum Tum Tugger in ''Cats'', Javert in '' Les ...

as Ug * Jose Luis Valenzuela as Mario * Diana Bellamy as Rosalie * Katherine Cortez as Marcia * Frances Bay as Mrs. Menges *

Bill Zuckert William Zuckert (born December 18, 1915-died January 23, 1997) was an American actor. Life / Career Born and raised in The Bronx, New York, Zuckert began his career in 1941 in radio and lent his voice to hundreds of dramas over the next two d ...

as Mr. Menges *

William Hanna William Denby Hanna (July 14, 1910 – March 22, 2001) was an American animator and cartoonist who was the creator of ''Tom and Jerry'' as well as the voice actor for the two title characters. Alongside Joseph Barbera, he also founded the anim ...

as Critter's screams and shrieks

Release

The film was released direct to video by New Line Home Video on December 11, 1991.

New Line Home Entertainment New Line Home Entertainment (formerly known as New Line Home Video) was the home entertainment distribution arm of New Line Cinema, founded in 1990. According to New Line's website, ''Misery'' was the first New Line Home Video release. It was ...

released it on DVD in 2003. The film was re-released in a set containing all 4 '' Critters'' films on DVD by Warner Bros. in 2010. Scream Factory, a subsidiary of

Shout! Factory Shout! Factory is an American home video and music company founded in 2002 as Retropolis Entertainment. Its video releases include previously released feature films, classic and contemporary television series, animation, live music, and comedy ...

, released the four films as part of "The Critters Collection" on

Blu-ray The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of st ...

. The set was available from November 27, 2018.

Reception

Review aggregation website

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wan ...

gives the film an approval rating of 0%, based on reviews from six critics, with an average rating of 2.8/10.

References

External links

* * * {{Kristine Peterson 1991 horror films 1991 films 1990s monster movies 1990s science fiction horror films American comedy horror films American monster movies American science fiction horror films Direct-to-video sequel films Puppet films Films set in apartment buildings Films set in Los Angeles Films shot in Los Angeles New Line Cinema direct-to-video films Critters (franchise) 1990s English-language films Films directed by Kristine Peterson 1990s American films