‘The worst thing that ever happened to me was on Christmas…’
I wrote about Gremlins last year when declaring it the second best Christmas film of all time. And yet, here we are again, returning to world of mogwais and bad inventions. When producing that aforementioned article, I was eight years removed from my last actual viewing of Gremlins, so I was coming at it from a place of childhood nostalgia rather than through the eyes of a jaded, middle aged man. After watching it again this year, alongside my wife who was inexplicably watching it for the first time, I’m pleased to report that it remains as magical as ever…
Gremlins is that classic love story. Mogwai meets boy (Zach Galligan as Billy Peltzer). Boy loses Mogwai. Mogwai spawns lots of other mogwais after coming in contact with water. Mogwais eat after midnight and become evil gremlins. Mogwai and boy defeat evil gremlins by turning them into green sludge. It’s a tale as old as time.
I had forgotten a few things since my last viewing of Joe Dante’s masterpiece. I’d completely buried the knowledge that Corey Feldman has a fairly prominent part as Billy’s buddy Pete. I’d forgotten just how dark this movie is. Gremlins explode in microwaves. Gremlins drink whiskey in jazz bars. One Gremlin even flashes Phoebe Cates at one point. And on the subject of Phoebe Cates… I think I’m still as utterly in love with her as I was as a child. The whole cast are universally wonderful, in fact. Hoyt Axton is perfect as Billy’s down-on-his-luck dad Randy. Dick Miller is hilarious (if a little xenophobic) as Murray Futterman. Polly Holliday is suitably villainous as the evil Miss Deagle. Everything just comes together to produce something perfect.
No matter which way you slice it, Gremlins is an incredible work of art. It’s a masterpiece as a Christmas film. It’s a triumph as an ‘80s movie. Gremlins has it all. And if not for the The Muppets Christmas Carol, the undisputed king of the Christmas film, Gremlins would wear that particular crown as well.
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