a review of 魔精

PODCAST MACABRE 2025 21. Dee Wallace + 2025 CULT MOVIE CHALLENGE WEEK 44: MONSTERVISION WEEK Punches well above its weight class, as the various '80s GREMLINS knockoffs go. Doesn't really get going until maybe 40 minutes in, but I appreciate that Stephen Herek takes the time to really set up the family and townsfolk dynamics early on while keeping the check-ins with the space bounty hunters and the Critters themselves to a minimum. The Critters are a bit 1-dimensional in comparison to the Mogwai/Gremlins, insofar as they really only exist to chomp on things, shoot quills, and spin around like Sonic the Hedgehog, but they definitely exemplify the '80s toyeticism around these kinds of movies. It also sorta proves Ebert's oft-quoted dictum that any movie with M. Emmett Walsh (or Harry Dean Stanton) is better than the same movie without; I wouldn't necessarily say that the fairly minimal sheriff role was crying out for an actor of Walsh's caliber, but his presence definitely added a bit of heft to the character.