Gremlins (1984)
“They’re watching Snow White. And they’re loving it!”
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Response to Peary’s Review: None of it really makes a whole lot of sense–and just when you think things couldn’t be cozier, they suddenly turn, as Peary puts it, “vicious and cruel”. A deeper analysis of Gremlins kept creeping up on me as I was watching it — are these ugly, perversely hedonistic reptilian buggers meant to represent a Pandora’s box of the world’s evils, everything most obscene about humanity which lurks just beyond our naïve grasp? Hmmm… P.S. Although this film was marketed squarely at my age group when it was released (I was ten at the time), I never did see it. Truth be told, I used to be deathly afraid of horror movies (five minutes of Carrie gave me nightmares for years), and suspected that Gremlins would be a bit too scary for me to handle. Seeing it now as a Horror-savvy adult, I have to say I think I was right — as Peary notes, the young kids who would most enjoy the nifty special effects and muppet-like Gizmo probably “shouldn’t see this movie.” Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
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Posted on July 21st, 2006 by admin
Filed under: Original Reviews
Yes - a must; as you state, any true film fanatic would find this (odd to say) a delight since, as you note, the influences are endless. As well, a successful mix of comedy and horror is not all that common and ‘Gremlins’ is a rousing success-esp. from the moment the premise kicks in and Darlene Love is singing, ‘Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)’ during the opening credits. Many highlights follow, the topper probably being the bad Gremlins watching ‘Snow White’ and “loving it” in spite of the fact that they’re demonic. I have a soft spot, though, for the kitchen invasion, when we see a side of Mom we couldn’t have dreamed! After he contributed the high point segment of ‘Twilight Zone: The Movie’, I had big hopes for Dante as a film director. Can’t imagine how that promise could have gotten off-track; the bulk of his major work has been a disappointment. However, he did manage to make ‘Gremlins 2: The New Batch’ the kind of sequel that made sense, as it ‘logically’ pumps up the jam.