Meet the Applegates is a 1990 American science fiction horror black comedy film directed by Michael Lehmann. It was filmed during 1988-89, but not released in the United States until 1991 due to the financial difficulties surrounding New World Pictures, the film's production company. It takes a dark, satirical look at the end of the world, nuclear holocausts, alienism and terrorism. It was filmed in Oshkosh, Appleton and Neenah, Wisconsin. It has gained a cult following.
The film focuses of a family of mutant shapeshifters from Brazil who have taken human form and settled in Ohio. Their mission is to cause a nuclear holocaust and human extinction. However, their experience of human life is accompanied by an exploration of human vices and flaws. The family's father is having an extramarital affair, and is eventually blackmailed by his mistress. The family's mother has become a shopping addict, and resorts to robbery to pay off her debts. The family's adolescent son is developing a constant craving for cannabis, and is more interested in actively participating in the heavy metal subculture than his family's mission.