Revisiting GREMLINS
So I forced my son to watch GREMLINS yesterday, insisting that it’s a holiday movie, which it is. It’s actually kind of an anti-holiday movie, kind of the anti-IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE.
As usual, he moaned how he hates watching movies (he of the TikTok 20-second influencer challenges and that insane trend of dual videos running side by side), but was instantly captivated — laughing, reacting, commenting the whole time through. He of course loved Gizmo and all his little vocalizations, enhanced when you turn on subtitles. Afterwards, he said it was “okay” but also wanted to talk about it, and said it was even scarier than the SCREAM movies but also funnier. So despite his protestations, I think we have a fan.
And as for me — after the umpteenth viewing (last time easily a decade or so ago), it’s still one of the great films of my life. It’s got this totally conventional setup and a totally whacked out sensibility. Everyone talks about how insane GREMLINS 2 is (largely thanks to the Key & Peele sketch), but GREMLINS itself is absolutely nuts in the best way. The Gremlins aren’t so much monsters from some foreign land, as they are effed up mirror reflections of humans. Somehow, they get little outfits and earmuffs and sometimes even leg warmers. The mayhem sequence is a thousand times weirder than I ever recalled, particularly the sequence in the bar where Phoebe Cates (still immeasurably adorable) is forced to serve them as they play cards, drink to excess, get into fights, and even shoot each other point blank. It makes absolutely no sense from a “rules of monsters” perspective, but it makes total sense within the bizarro logic of the movie.
It really is a cartoon come to life, which makes perfect sense when you look at other entries in Joe Dante’s filmography, especially his sequence in THE TWILIGHT ZONE which reimagines the famous “I’ll send you into the cornfield” episode as more of a Looney Tunes nightmare.
The best illustration of this cartoon sensibility is when the Gremlins appear as Christmas carolers in front of old Mrs. Deagle’s house. Stripe even seems to know Deagle and have it out for her, though it’s unclear how or why. All we know is she’s a combination of the Wicked Witch of the West from THE WIZARD OF OZ and Potter from IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE, hateful towards dogs and people alike. The Gremlins somehow know that people sing carols with little books while wearing knit caps and earmuffs. Meanwhile, Stripe sabotages her stair-climber which ultimately sends her on a rocket ride up the staircase and out the window in one of the film’s funnier death scenes.
Overall, the film weaves a truly delightful blend of horror and comedy, with some great performances and a few brilliant character showcases — namely, Billy’s Mom fighting off a Gremlin incursion into her house (one of the greatest domestic superhero moments in film) and Kate (Phoebe Cates) recounting the horrific tale of why she hates Christmas.
It’s also got a lot to say about American ideals and capitalism — arguably this is about as anti-American and anti-capitalist as you could get, at the very least if you define America and capitalism as unfettered xenophobia and greed. If you notice, every character who demonstrates some form of prejudice, hatred or greed ends up getting their just desserts — with the exception of good old Dad, Randall Peltzer, who as brilliantly played by Hoyt Axton is just a hapless dim-witted inventor trying to make his kid happy for Christmas by buying an unknown creature on the black market and then charging off to the only business convention in history that’s scheduled on Christmas Eve.
Not to mention a dozen new Easter Eggs I noticed this time around, including Steven Spielberg on an electric buggy, Dr. Dante’s hypnotism record, a cameo from Looney Tunes animator Chuck Jones, Robbie the Robot’s attempt to sell oil to a customer on a payphone, and more.
There’s so much to love and unpack about this film, but even on the surface, it’s just a blast to watch and always has more to offer on every viewing.
