Gremlins (1984)

Directed by Joe Dante [Other horror films: Piranha (1978), The Howling (1981), Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983, segment ‘It’s a Good Life’), The ‘Burbs (1989), Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990), Trapped Ashes (2006, segment ‘Wraparound’), The Hole (2009), Burying the Ex (2014), Nightmare Cinema (2018, segment ‘Mirari’)]

As with many people, Gremlins is a movie I first saw when I was a kid. I thought it was a great movie than, and very little of the magic has disappeared with the growing years.

There’s so many aspects of this film that are laudable. The small-town feel, the special effects, the characters, the music – there’s a lot here, so let’s #DigIn.

One thing that’s always captivated me about this film is the location of Kingston Falls. It feels like a 1950’s Norman Rockwell painting writ large, though the look and homey feel doesn’t varnish the reality that there are many poor and struggling people in the town. A woman and her children face prolonged hunger, people are out of work, and while everything looks great, there are problems here even before the gremlins decide to make the town and its citizens their bitch.

Still, the small town feel is great in this movie. It seems that everyone knows everyone. The main character, Billy, who’s long out of school, is still in contact with his old science teacher, which I’ve always found odd, and when Billy needs to take his mother for medical attention, they just walk down the street to where their family doctor lives. It’s a small town, and that vibe permeates throughout, which is great.

Naturally, the special effects are pretty good. Gizmo always looks cute (and actually, when I was young, I won a Gizmo doll at a carnival, and it was quite cuddly), the gremlins look moderately frightful, and throughout the film, there are some quality effects, such as the way the gremlins multiple by water. The lighting also plays a part in this – sometimes, the lighting is quite striking, and helps add to the effect.

I also love how at times, when it shows the whole of Kingston Falls, it’s a literal painting. That scene with the group of gremlins first walking into town from the YMCA was stellar. The final shot, with the man walking away with Gizmo, was beautiful. And God, the opening – what an atmospheric, beautiful opening on a busy, Chinatown street with narration by Hoyt Axton’s character. He also gets closing narration, and it’s just great (“before you call the repairman, turn on all the lights, check all the closets and cupboards, look under all the beds. Because you never can tell – there just might be a gremlin in your house.”)

Zach Galligan (Waxwork, Bad Candy, Nightbeasts, Psychic, Hatchet III) doesn’t always make the most engaging lead, but he’s fun enough. Obviously, Phoebe Cates can be overdramatic at times; still, it’s all in good fun. I absolutely adore Hoyt Axton (Buried Alive, King Cobra) – he seems like such a likable guy, and his narration, as I said, was on point. Despite limited scenes, Keye Luke (Dead Heat, The Cat Creature) was great, and playing Billy’s mother was Frances Lee McCain (Back to the Future), who killed four gremlins on her own, which was deff impressive.

Even the smaller characters are pretty good, though, and include some surprising faces. Judge Reinhold (Beverly Hills Cop, The Hollow) appeared only in two scenes, Jonathan Banks (Better Call Saul, Breaking Bad, Dark Breed) only a handful himself, and Corey Feldman (Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter, Voodoo, The Lost Boys) in a few places. All add something, though. I’d be remiss to not include the great Dick Miller (Chopping Mall, A Bucket of Blood, Piranha, Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight), who is always of good quality, and Jackie Joseph (The Little Shop of Horrors), who got just one sequence, but was a lot of fun.

Oh, and there’s also Glynn Turman (J.D.’s Revenge), Polly Holliday as the quotable Mrs. Deagle (“It will be quick and painless compared to what I would do to him,”), and then let’s not forget the most important character, Barney, who was played by Mushroom (also in Pumpkinhead).

As anyone who’s seen the movie can attest to, the music here is stellar. Not only am I talking about the theme music composed by Jerry Goldsmith (which is officially titled “The Gremlin Rag”), but there’s also “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” by Darlene Love and Johnny Mathis’ rendition of “Do You Hear What I Hear?” which pops up in a memorable scene. The music in this film is on point, it’s on fleek, and it’s off the chain-hook dawgs.

I love Gremlins. Sure, I don’t think it’s perfect – not all the comedy works, Cates’ story about the death of her father feels sort of silly (“Now I have another reason to hate Christmas”), and we never see Judge Reinhold’s character torn into pieces – but I think it’s a very solid film, and a perfect onboarding tool to get younger audiences into horror.

8.5/10