Character Relationship Map: Critters

Characters

• Helen Brown (played by Dee Wallace) — protagonist

  Matriarch of the Brown family, fiercely protective during the initial alien invasion.

• Jay Brown (played by Billy Green Bush) — supporting

  Father of the Brown family, injured while defending his farm.

• Brad Brown (played by Scott Grimes) — supporting

  Young boy who discovers the crashed alien ship.

• April Brown (played by Nadine Van der Velde) — supporting

  Teenage daughter of the Brown family, targeted by critters.

• Charlie McFadden (played by Don Keith Opper) — supporting

  Former baseball pitcher turned town drunk who claims alien knowledge via dental fillings.

• Johnny Steele (played by Terrence Mann) — supporting

  Rock star persona assumed by the bounty hunter Ug.

• Steve Elliot (played by Billy Zane) — supporting

  April's boyfriend who is killed by the critters.

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• April Brown → Steve Elliot (Romantic Boyfriend) — April and Steve are romantically involved.

  The plot explicitly describes Steve as April's boyfriend, and the two are together in the barn before the attack.

• Brad Brown → April Brown (Family Siblings) — Brad and April are siblings who face the invasion together.

  Brad is described as the younger son and April as the teenage daughter of the same Brown family.

• Helen Brown → April Brown (Family Mother) — Helen is April's mother.

  Helen is identified as the Brown family's mother, and April is one of the children sent to school from the family home.

• Jay Brown → April Brown (Family Father) — Jay is April's father.

  Jay is identified as the Brown family's father, while April is sent to school as his daughter within the Brown household.

• Helen Brown → Brad Brown (Family Mother) — Helen is Brad's mother and part of his immediate family.

  Helen is identified as the Brown family's mother and sends Brad off to school with the family.

• Jay Brown → Brad Brown (Family Father) — Jay is Brad's protective father.

  Jay sends Brad to school and later accompanies him to investigate the crashed ship and the partially eaten cow.

• Jay Brown → Helen Brown (Family Spouses) — Jay and Helen are the parents leading the Brown household.

  The plot identifies Jay as the Brown family's father and Helen as its mother, and they sit together with their children at breakfast.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Charlie McFadden → Johnny Steele (Unknown Contrasting Identities) — Both names are associated with the bounty hunters' use of human identities, but the plot does not establish a direct personal bond between them.

  The bounty hunter studies television identities and assumes the form of rock star Johnny Steele, while another transformation later assumes Charlie's...

• Charlie McFadden → Helen Brown (Alliance Defender) — Charlie's final intervention protects the Brown household.

  Charlie helps stop the Krites after they destroy the Brown farmhouse, enabling the Brown family to survive the invasion.

• Charlie McFadden → April Brown (Alliance Rescuer) — Charlie directly helps save April from the alien creatures.

  The plot states that Charlie and Brad rescue April after she is taken by the Krites.

• Brad Brown → Charlie McFadden (Alliance Rescue Partners) — Brad and Charlie cooperate during the rescue operation.

  Charlie and Brad manage to rescue April after the remaining Krites kidnap her.

Story Analysis

A rural family struggles to survive an alien infestation while unlikely allies help destroy the invading creatures.

Plot Progression

1. Escape From The Asteroid — The Krites escape from an asteroid prison and hijack a ship. Bounty hunters are hired and study Earth before pursuing them.
2. The Farmhouse Under Siege — The Brown family encounters evidence of the crashed aliens near their Kansas farm. The Krites cut the power, attack Jay, and trap the family.
3. Panic Across The Town — The Krites continue their attacks while the bounty hunters search the town. Brad discovers the hunters' nature and leads them toward the creatures.
4. The Ship And The Firecracker — The Krites kidnap April and attempt to escape. Charlie and Brad rescue her, while Charlie's Molotov cocktail ignites the abandoned firecracker and destroys the ship.
5. A Temporary Restoration — The family receives a way to contact the bounty hunters, and the farmhouse is restored. Charlie leaves to pursue intergalactic bounty hunting, but Krite eggs remain.