Gremlins - Liked It

Starring: Zach Galligan, Phoebe Cates, Hoyt Axton
Director: Joe Dante
Runtime: 1 hour, 46 minutes
Comedy | Fantasy | Horror | 1984

Synopsis: A boy inadvertently breaks three important rules concerning his new pet and unleashes a horde of malevolently mischievous monsters on a small town.

Some people have coined Gremlins to be a classic from the 80s, which is why this movie has been added to our 80s/90s month. I for one, have not seen Gremlins before today. And after watching it, I ask myself why? Why have I not seen it? It’s so much fun to watch. Zach Galligan plays Billy, a boy who is helping to support his family because his dad is a screw-up inventor. One day, his dad brings home a creature, who they so named Gizmo, along with three rules: 1) keep him out of sunlight 2) don’t get him wet and 3) don’t feed him after midnight.

Well, needless to say he doesn’t follow these rules. The creature multiplies when wet and turns into disgusting evil things when fed after midnight. The whole town is destroyed and some people are killed by these things.

For being an 80s film, it’s clear that the special effects are from then, but it didn’t deter from the movie watching experience. I thought the effects were good, and I liked the way the creatures were brought to life… by I assume puppets… and the looks that they were given. Both the cute initial phase and the end grotesque phase.

I did like how some of the aspects of the film brought comedy i.e. the gremlins watching Snow White. That scene was probably my favorite along with the scene in the bar. For Phoebe Cates to act like that around puppets that she knows aren’t real - well I don’t know if I could do that. It was quite humorous as well.

I’ll go ahead and give this movie a “Liked It” rating. It was very enjoyable to watch and I feel like I’ll watch it again in the future… perhaps with my kids one day. Gotta keep these classics around for good! There is apparently a sequel, but I’m not sure I’d be interested in that (4/5).