Gremlins (1984)

Director: Joe Dante
Starring: Zach Galligan, Phoebe Cates, Hoyt Axton

Synopsis:
A bank teller in a small town gets an exotic pet that spawns some dangerous offspring.

Impressions:
Along with Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, this is one of the movies (in)famous for triggering the creation of the PG-13 rating. Oh, were there ever some angry parents back in '84 who thought this was just about a boy and his cute little monster pet and then the pods hatched... ^o^ I mean, it's not that extreme. I'd almost be willing to call it "Baby's First Horror" as it can be a bit scary for kids, but even the most malicious things the Gremlins do are likely to make adults laugh more than anything else. There's definitely some black comedy at work and the setup is brilliant. The filmmakers even lampshade the idyllic small town setting by having It's a Wonderful Life play in one scene. (Other classic movies are used to similar effect throughout the film.) The animatronics used for the Mogwai and Gremlins are pretty good. I like the iconic designs of both and if you're a fan of the classic creature feature, this plays into that well. It's a fun movie that I have a lot of nostalgia for. Give it a watch at the very least.

Rating:
Own It