Sticking with Yuletide horror-comedies, movies like Anna and the Apocalypse may not have been possible without 1984’s Gremlins and no Christmas season would be rightfully complete without those fuzzy little creatures and their scaly reptilian counterparts.
Directed by Joe Dante
Written by Chris Columbus
Starring: Zach Galligan, Phoebe Cates, and Hoyt Axton
A man looking for a unique Christmas present for his son purchases a mysterious creature from a shop in Chinatown. The shop owner gives him strict care instructions for the “Mogwai”: no water, no feeding after midnight, and no bright lights. Of course, the man’s son doesn’t abide by the rules and things go sideways when a bunch of mischievous little creatures wreaks havoc on the town.
Director Joe Dante clearly knew what he had and his experience (Piranha, The Howling) clearly gave him the proper perspective for the tongue-in-cheek approach to comedic horror. The movie is only ever as scary as it needs to be, which isn’t very much. The idea of a bunch of little monsters running around is creepy but there’s an undeniable cuteness that makes the death and mayhem more palatable. Chris Colombus’ screenplay is intentionally comical and never aims to be anything serious which is why the film has a wholesome PG rating.
The heart of the film rests on the relationship between Zach Galligan, playing Billy, and the cute little mogwai named Gizmo. There’s a ‘boy and his dog’ kind of bond between the two as they both share some responsibility for the outbreak and set out to stop it. Phoebe Cates was in her 80s heyday starring as Billy’s love interest, Kate, so there’s a familiar dynamic at work between those three characters.
Steven Spielberg served as an executive producer on Gremlins and you can feel his influence throughout the movie. Its success spawned a sequel with another potential follow-up on the way, a video game, and plenty of licenscened merchandise. You can watch it now if you have AMC network, with premium add-on packages through Amazon and Sling TV, or via rental on-demand services.