My Experience of Space Critters
Image From IMDB
First Experiences Of Space Critters
As a child of the eighties I grew up on Space Critters. Gremlins was massive when I was a kid, and I also watched Critters, Ghoulies, Leprechauns, and a bunch of others too (I got into horror young) As I got older I familiarised myself with the various sequels of all the franchises while working at Blockbusters, and also watched more modern movies with the Space Critter idea like Slither. Space Critters were everywhere, in all shapes and tiny sizes.
As I mentioned in my previous articles on the subgenre there was often a level of comedy that accompanied the creatures, especially of the more furry variety, but they could be nonetheless terrifying. The little bastards caused nonstop death and chaos. They even tried to ruin Christmas!
I don’t remember reading too many books involving Space Critters when I was younger but I’m sure there must have been some within Goosebumps and other series like that. The books I read at the time that had little creatures terrorising the heroes would have been more fantasy books. Imps, evil fairies, and such like, maybe one day I’ll cover those too.
There were also plenty of Space Critter toys with the most memorable being Boglins. They too became part of popular culture and were clearly inspired by Gremlins, Critter and Ghoulies.
Image From IMDB
Space Critters in Movies
But, like I mentioned, for me it was the films that were the most memorable part of the subgenre. I absolutely love creature features, and Space Critters came under that umbrella. I adore great puppetry work, animatronics, and stop motion. Any practical effect really. I’d replace all CGI with practical effects right now if I could, and these movies were stuffed full of all that good stuff. I loved the design of the Gremlins and Critters too. Cute, adorable, and deadly. They were fun.
I was a fan of horror pretty early on and had probably watched nastier stuff than those movies even in my younger years, but I really do believe Space Critters are a good gateway horror trope. Something that isn’t to scary, but is scary enough. Something that can be cute, but could also potentially cover the screen (or fill the page) with blood. They can, and have, worked in many different ways within the horror genre.
These little critters could be put alongside other creatures within the creature feature genre, things like killer dolls, insects, spiders, etc etc, but I think they’re worthy of their own place. Not just because of Gremlins immense popularity, but because they have their own vibe and style about them. That mixture of comedy and horror, together with the various practical effects employed to bring the tiny creatures to life, really created a different experience.
This may have been what Chucky became, but Childs Play didn’t start of in that manner, and the dolls genre tends to be more possession based than space based anyway (more on that in the near future) So, despite some overlap with other small pests, I consider Space Critters it’s own horror experience.
Image From IMDB
Space Critters Within My Own Work
Many years before I started writing horror I wrote a kids book which I never published. Within that, I had at two stories that could qualify as Space Critters. I hadn’t even thought of those stories when I approached this subgenre, so I won’t share them now (they’re not edited anyway) but it did remind me that I have a longer writing history with Space Critters than I thought.
Both of these stories are nearly fifteen years old now and followed a similar pattern of trouble making critters terrorising kids. In my favourite of the two the Critter (Lord of the under bed I think it proclaimed itself) tries to torment and eat young twins who turn the tables on the round bouncy lord. It mixes horror and comedy, with the little fucker getting his comeuppance. In retrospect I think my kids book was because it was probably a little to violent to be a kids book (at least by modern standards)
I also once co-directed a short film called The Pepperdine Method for a 48 hour film challenge that featured a Space Critter that ended up getting flushed down the toilet. It was mostly shot in stop motion (which at the time was kind of nuts and maybe a little silly for a 48 hour film challenge) It’s something I actually won an award for so the Space Critter genre is near and dear to my heart because of that achievement as well.
My short story for Space Critters: Terraroid, took the subgenre a little more literally as I set the piece in space. It was originally written just as an idea I had, but I think it suits the subgenre well. I enjoyed trying to mix all the elements that make Space Critters work. The impending doom is prevalent throughout. The Critter could be considered weirdly cute. And, it’s a little bitey fucker.
I had fun with the design, and playing with the tropes of how they attack, hide, and implement their swarm mentality. Hopefully I captured the spirt of the subgenre well despite moving the setting from rural USA to outer space.
Space Critters Conclusion
Space Critters is a fun sci-fi horror subgenre that has maybe been underutilised in the last few years (outside of the Lilo & Stitch Stuff) and honestly, that might be a good thing. It’s a subgenre that is designed, on screen at least, for practical effects, and I think within the modern age of CGI something would be lost. I might be wrong, but in my eyes Space Critters need to be puppets and animatronics. They need the personality that practical effects bring.
I’m sure we’re only a few years away from a Gremlins or Critters remake as horror has picked up in the box office again, and I do welcome the subgenre as a whole returning, but only if it’s done right. If it isn’t, I’ll always have the memories of those fun comedy horrors back in the eighties, and it’s a subgenre I can see myself returning to at some point within my own work.
Stephen
