Christmas and Halloween reign supreme in terms of holiday-themed horror to the point that every other holiday pales in comparison when it comes to horror offerings. Easter does have a few selections to offer, but many of them don’t lean into any familiar holiday motifs. Then there are the horror films that get lumped in simply because the villain bears likeness to the Easter bunny. It can be slim pickings. That’s okay, though, because we really only need one solid horror movie to celebrate Easter with. One that isn’t afraid to spill some Easter bunny blood.
Critters 2: The Main Course is that definitive Easter horror movie.
Co-written by David Twohy (Warlock, Pitch Black) and director Mick Garris (The Stand, Masters of Horror), Critters 2 makes clever use of the holiday as a means to implement those remaining Crite eggs stashed away in a barn from the end of Critters. They’re discovered and sold to a shop in Grover’s Bend, to be painted and used in the town’s annual Easter egg hunt. The holiday is also an excuse for plucky hero Brad Brown (Scott Grimes) to make his return, having been laughed out of town between films due to his tales of man-eating aliens. In this sequel, he’s back to visit with his grandma for the holiday weekend.
Of course, those eggs hatch during the Easter egg hunt, leading to one fantastic sequence that sees the Sheriff, unamused about donning the Easter bunny suit in the first place, get a crotch full of carnivorous Critter babies. Brad and his buddy, resident town drunk Charlie (Don Keith Opper), might have once been the black sheep of Grover’s Bend, but their experience with the pint-sized monsters makes them invaluable when the proverbial shit hits the fan.
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Luckily, bounty hunter Ug (Terrence Mann) returns to Earth with his partner Lee to destroy those Crites once and for all. While the first film had Ug pick an Earthbound shape straightaway, Lee had a more difficult time settling. Lee has a much easier go of it this time, nearly settling on Freddy Krueger before shifting into a Playboy playmate (Roxanne Kernohan) – including the freaking staple from the magazine’s centerfold. It’s a clever gag that always gets a laugh.
Between the hints of nudity thanks to Lee, and the dialed up gore thanks to the Critters spreading their carnage across town, Critters 2 feels harder than its PG-13 rating. The larger number of Critters means more humor, more feeding frenzies, and more special effects. On that note, Critters 2 unleashes a giant Critter ball that brings instant death to anyone in its path.
As the narrative shifts toward the widespread chaos of the Critters wreaking havoc, less time is spent on the motifs of the holiday. But it is very Easter appropriate that the townsfolk come together to take refuge in the church. And if we’re really stretching, you could argue that Charlie’s “death” and resurrection are apropos of Easter, too.
Really, though, the death of the Easter bunny punctuating one dangerous Easter egg hunt is worth the price of admission alone. Mick Garris’ feature debut, combined with the Chiodo brothers’ effects and a group of endearing characters we care about, come together to make Critters 2 one hell of a fun way to spend Easter Sunday – this year, next year, or any year.
Critters 2 is available for rental on Amazon, Vudu, and Apple TV.
Editor’s Note: A version of this article was originally published on April 22, 2019.
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