Gremlins (1984) Warner Bros./Comedy-Horror RT: 106 minutes Rated PG (violence and gremlin gore, some scary moments, language, alcohol abuse) Director: Joe Dante Screenplay: Chris Columbus Music: Jerry Goldsmith Cinematography: John Hora Release date: June 8, 1984 (US) Cast: Zach Galligan, Phoebe Cates, Hoyt Axton, Frances Lee McCain, Corey Feldman, Keye Luke, John Louie, Judge Reinhold, Polly Holiday, Dick Miller, Jackie Joseph, Glynn Turman, Harry Carey Jr., Belinda Balaski, Howie Mandel (voice), Don Steele (voice). Box Office: $153M (US)/$212.9M (World)
Rating: ****
Somebody recently asked me to describe the zany 1984 horror comedy Gremlins and, without pause, I said, “It’s a Wonderful Life crossed with Invasion of the Body Snatchers”. Can you imagine Jimmy Stewart’s reaction if the nasty beasties came to Bedford Falls?
Directed by B-movie auteur Joe Dante (Piranha, The Howling) and co-produced by Steven Spielberg, Gremlins is one of the most twisted summer blockbuster films I’ve ever seen. It’s one of the infamous movies that prompted the MPAA to create the PG-13 rating after irate parents complained vociferously about the level of violence and gory images in this seemingly cute and innocuous PG family movie. The other, of course, was Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. I agree that a tougher rating is warranted in the case of Gremlins; I can see smaller children having nightmares starring the evil gremlins. It doesn’t reach the level of an R movie, but it is too much for PG.
In any event, Gremlins was one of my favorite movies that summer. It also became one of my favorite Christmas movies. I love the idea of vicious creatures wreaking havoc in a small town during the holiday season, a scenario only a true Grinch like me would fully appreciate.
Gremlins opens with inventor Randall Peltzer (Axton, Disorganized Crime) walking through the dark streets of Chinatown, looking for a special Christmas present for his son Billy (Galligan, Warlock: The Armageddon). He follows a young Chinese boy (Louie) to a mysterious antique shop run by his elderly grandfather (Luke, Dead Heat). He discovers a small furry creature called a Mogwai and offers the old man $200 for it, but he refuses to sell it because it takes too much responsibility to care for one. The boy tells Peltzer to wait outside for a moment then sells him the Mogwai. He gives Peltzer three specific instructions in caring for the little creature: 1) never expose him to bright light, especially sunlight, 2) don’t get him wet and 3) NEVER feed him after midnight.
Naming him Gizmo, Peltzer brings him back to the small town of Kingston Falls and presents him to Billy as an early Christmas gift. He needs some cheering up after the rough day he had the bank where he works as a teller. Earlier in the day, he had an unfortunate run-in with Mrs. Deagle (Holliday, Alice), the “Mr. Potter” figure of the movie. She’s very wealthy, very mean and very stingy. She owns a lot of property in town and has no sympathy for tenants who can’t pay their rent on time, regardless of the circumstances. Billy nearly loses his job after his dog scares the daylights out of Mrs. Deagle in the bank. The bank’s vice president (Reinhold, Fast Times at Ridgemont High) doesn’t like Billy very much anyway as they’re rivals for the affections of co-worker Kate (Cates, Fast Times at Ridgemont High).
Naturally, it doesn’t take long for somebody to violate the rules and that’s when the trouble begins. We already know that bright light burns little Gizmo. One of Billy’s friends, Pete (Feldman, The Lost Boys), accidentally spills water on the Mogwai which causes him to multiply. He produces five new Mogwai who aren’t sweet and cute like Gizmo. They’re actually mean and vicious and clever. The next night, they trick Billy into feeding them after midnight. They turn into cocoons and metamorphose into nasty, ugly reptilian creatures which immediately attack Billy’s mother (McCain, Footloose) in the kitchen. The lead one Stripe manages to escape and make his way to the local Y where he jumps into the swimming pool creating more of his kind. They proceed to go on a rampage through town. It’s complete mayhem as Billy and Kate try to come up with a way to stop and end them.
Gremlins is equal parts comedy and horror. In fact, it would be accurate to call it a black comedy given its warped nature. It’s a holiday movie with a black heart and I just love that. What other Christmas movie would dare to include a scene in which an elderly woman is killed by an out-of-control stair lift? Yep, the little monsters tamper with the stair lift and send the old lady flying through the roof right into the front yard. Hilarious! What other Christmas movie would include a sick joke about a character’s aversion to the holiday? Then there’s the infamous sequence where the gremlins attack Billy’s mother and she fights back resulting in a few rather gruesome moments. One gremlin gets mutilated in a blender, another gets blown up in the microwave and one gets stabbed to death with a kitchen knife. That’s the sequence that had parents up in arms. It does look like something that belongs in a horror movie for older audiences.
Thanks to the talented Dante, Gremlins perfectly balances the two genres which makes for one of the more interesting summer blockbuster movies of the 80s. You can see Spielberg’s influence with the cute and cuddly Mogwai, a creature that even made 16YO Movie Guy 24/7 smile. Screenwriter Chris Columbus (Home Alone) pays homage to movies like It’s a Wonderful Life, The Blob, The Wizard of Oz and Invasion of the Body Snatchers. It’s also a nod to B-movies in general as several actors from Dante’s other films make cameo appearances like William Schallert (Twilight Zone: The Movie), Belinda Balaski (Piranha) and Dick Miller (The Howling). It’s always great to see them pop up in movies. Don Steele (Death Race 2000) can be heard as a disc jockey while Looney Tunes animator Chuck Jones shows up in another scene. Kenneth Tobey (The Thing from Another World) appears as a smoking gas station attendant. And yes, that’s Spielberg riding the recumbent bicycle at the inventor’s convention.
Made before CGI effects became the norm, the puppetry effects in Gremlins by Chris Walas (The Fly) look positively amazing. Do they look convincing? Yes, as far as I am concerned! There’s something to be said for old school special effects, but since my regular readers already know how I feel on the subject, there’s really no need to repeat it. Galligan and Cates do a great job in the lead roles; they look just like a small town young couple. They have that sense of innocence and naivety one normally associates with such folks. Country singer Axton is good as Billy’s father, an inventor whose inventions never work right. Holliday turns in a deliciously wicked performance as mean old Mrs. Dingle whose strong anti-canine feelings match those of Miss Gulch from The Wizard of Oz.
Gremlins is an absolute blast! I recently rewatched it after not having seen it for over 10 years and it was like seeing it again for the first time all over again. My friend and I went to a weekday afternoon matinee (June 18, 1984) at the old City Line Theater; it was a great way to spend the first day of our summer vacation. I still wouldn’t recommend showing it to small children. It’s better as a late night movie for teens and adults with a macabre sense of humor. To borrow the title of another bizarre holiday classic, it’s a true nightmare before Christmas, one with plenty of laughs.
