Reflections on Gremlins
We'll be watching GREMLINS tonight, as I'm sure you're aware. Let's take a little time beforehand to share some reflections of a film that owns property on a small but valuable space of my brain. What do I remember, exactly? Well, it's been a while...
- Most would classify this film as "black comedy". More accurately, I think we could label it "wow, this is a black comedy?" Maybe I was too young (read: naive, sheltered) to realize this was supposed to be funny, nay, a PARODY of monster films. Guess I needed to bone up on my cheesy monster movies first.
- For a comedy, this specimen sure is violent. As tough as the gremlins look on the exterior, they're all goo and pulp on the insides. And don't worry; you'll get plenty of chances to see what they're made of. There was something about a blender, a microwave, maybe some getting run over...
- I recall the gremlins looking too terrifying and evil to be mischievous. For all I knew they could've crawled out from the pits of hell to feast on our livestock and kidnap our children. I'm much less likely to assume, based on their appearance, that they'd be running around like Daffy Duck on steroids. I think they tried to offset this in the sequel, but the goofy ones, somehow, are infinitely creepier.
- Man, this movie scared me something fierce when I was a kid.
- Regardless, the theme song is exceptional, and it'll stick with you forever...
- Setting this during the Christmas season is a nice touch, but it only adds to the creepiness factor. When is an invasion by terrifying monsters LESS funny than during the snowy, tranquil holidays?
- When I hear about gremlin lore, I think of these gremlins specifically. Yes, I'm aware they've been around for untold years, appearing in folk tales all over the globe, but...too bad, as far as I'm concerned they're the DEFINITIVE version of the creatures.
- My dog's mother was named Gizmo. And she looked like Gizmo. My dog doesn't.
There you have it, my collection of thoughts and memories about Gremlins. Will I have my mind changed? Will it reinforce itself as a film that's much scarier than people say? Will it be a 2 hour gloppy, gory, puppet orgy of mayhem? Find out when we watch it...TONIGHT!!!!!
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About thegreatredhope
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October 1st, 2009 - 13:22
Like with Pee-Wee's Big Adventure, since this was on the same Beta tape, Gremlins is ingrained in my mind. Every line, the pacing, the sound effects. I know when everything is coming (for instance, the line before the theme starts in that video comes from the end of the film right before the credits as the old guy walks away in the snow with Gizmo in his box).
Which is probably why I could watch it as a child over and over and not be scared. When Gremlins 2 came out, however, I remember being terrified of the spider gremlin. I bet I would think he looks super fake if I were to see him today, but back then, being at the theater, with him on the big screen? Yeah. Great movie to take the kids to.