Gremlins: Furry Bundles of Comedic Horror
GREMLINS
DIRECTED BY: Joe Dante
STARRING: Zach Galligan, Phoebe Cates, Hoyt Axton, Polly Holliday, Frances Lee McCain
GENRE: Comedy
YEAR: 1984
COUNTRY: United States
Miniature green monsters tear through the small town of Kingston Falls. Hijinks ensue as a mild-mannered bank teller releases these hideous loonies after gaining a new pet and violating two of three simple rules: No water (violated), no food after midnight (violated), and no bright light. Hilarious mayhem and destruction in a town straight out of Norman Rockwell. So, when your washing machine blows up or your TV goes on the fritz, before you call the repair man, turn on all the lights and look under all the beds. ‘Cause you never can tell, there just might be a gremlin in your house.
From Horror Freak News:
“Gremlins was a huge hit in 1984, and eventually did spawn a sequel, although not until 1990. Kind of a comedy, kind of a kids movie and yet very dark and a bit violent, Gremlins is horror is the Steven Spielberg style. This film helped secure the reputation of director Joe Dante as a “Master of Horror”, following The Howling and The Twilight Zone: The Movie as a popular trio of films by this director over a few years. The popularity of is due to a couple of factors, including the very cute and funny creatures (no CGI in the 80s) and the humor of the mean gremlins, particularly the ringleader who sports a white Mohawk.
Gremlins is one of those films that the more “mature” among us remember seeing as kids and loving, and maybe haven’t watched again since. Interestingly, sitting down with Gizmo and the evil bunch again after all of these years was just as enjoyable as the first time years ago – maybe even more enjoyable as I reveled in the physical FX instead of the CGI fare we have been bombarded with of late. This is a film that must be seen at least a few times, and the darkness that makes this inappropriate for children is icing on the cake.
PROS:
- Decent cast performance.
- Adorable non-CGI Gremlins.
- Interesting story.
CONS:
- A little too campy, even for the 80s.
SCORE: 8.0 / 10
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nGd36NhmTE
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