Gremlins (1984)
Retro Review #25: Dark Whimsy hates bright light. Never spill water on it or feed it after midnight.
Gremlins (1984) — Dark Whimsy hates bright light. Never spill water on it or feed it after midnight.
+ Feature film, /¶ 1h 46m
A+v
Family Suitability
+ ✅1️⃣ Mostly OK for teens and adults. (Grades 10+, ⚠️ Might be considered inappropriate for sensitive teens and adults.) | PGc
Alignment with Judeo-Christian Values
+ ⛔1️⃣ Subpar/Slightly Unfavorable
+ 1️⃣/4 works in Gremlins universe ⭐
+ 1️⃣/2 films in Gremlins series ⭐
Gremlins (1984)
Grade: A+v (20.0) / HOF: 90
EQ 👍A+ | 📖A 👥A 📽️A+ 🎼A+
DW 😎😎12.8 | 🌚12 🌝13
POPCAP 💯n/a 🍿n/a 🧢n/a
L-R ☮️n/a ◀️n/a ▶️n/a 🛐n/a
It’s been forty years since I last watched this Dark Whimsy favorite of mine, but I liked it so much during its original theatrical run that I paid to see it a second time on the big screen. I don’t think I’m spoiling it for anyone when I tell you it’s a story of what happens when what you thought were cute pets turn into monsters.
This is our second straight film reviewed, originally released in back-to-back years, which was probably the best Dark Whimsy film in the given year, and also happens to be a Christmas film. And, yes, it's another film that is not particularly about Christmas but is set during the Christmas season.
Gremlins has a stellar Dark Whimsy pedigree. The original concept of little monsters called gremlins goes back to the 1920s when British pilots in the Royal Air Force blamed nagging mechanical problems in their aircrafts on the mischievous unseen beasts. In 1943, a children’s novel, The Gremlins, written by Dark Whimsy master Roald Dahl, was published with the assistance of Walt Disney Productions. (An intended animated movie by Disney never materialized.) The 1984 movie Gremlins was not directly based on Dahl’s work, but director Joe Dante did claim that the book influenced his film.
Compared to A Christmas Story, Gremlins is decidedly darker. Maybe too dark for some of you, so read on and use your judgment. It's considered to fit in both the horror and comedy genres. It’s definitely not recommended for kids.
A Christmas Story (1983)
A Christmas Story (1983) — Could this be the best Christmas Dark Whimsy since Dickens?
Although Gremlins was rated PG, it is credited along with Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom as being a reason for the development of the PG-13 rating. But it isn't graphic like modern R-rated horror films often are. Only the little monsters die horribly on screen. Human deaths from the monsters are mostly implied and never graphic.
There’s a ton of what I would describe as cartoonish violence. But as it is not an animated film, it’s too realistic looking for most children to make the distinction. Teens and adults won’t confuse the puppets and animatronic gremlins with reality. And the cartoonish violence, reminiscent of Looney Tunes destruction, just adds greatly to the Whimsy. It’s a bit darker, though, because unlike Wile E. Coyote, obliterated gremlins stay dead!
Keep your eyes peeled when you watch! There are Easter Eggs hidden throughout including sight gags and cameos from crew members and guests. Clips from other movies are integrated into the storytelling in amusing ways, as are Christmas songs. The score by Jerry Goldsmith is excellent and won a Saturn Award for Best Music. Dante won the Saturn for Best Director and the film also won Saturns for Best Horror Film, Best Special Effects and Best Supporting Actress for Polly Holliday, who played the minor villainess, basically a female Scrooge.
Meanwhile, my favorite scene in the film has no fancy special effects. In it, lead actress Phoebe Cates, decidedly not known for her acting talent, recounts a deadly serious and deliciously hilarious story on why her character is not a fan of Christmas. Props to Cates for the deadpan delivery of the monologue. If you liked it like I did, check out the Dark Whimsy Christmas song classic “The Chimney Song” by Bob Rivers. Spoiler Alert: See Gremlins first!
As much as I love Gremlins, its biggest flaw is that there’s not really any plot going on for the last thirty to forty percent of the movie. You’re basically just watching mayhem. However it is fun to watch, with great special effects and very funny visual jokes throughout. For me, that just barely saved the film from losing the A+ grade that I generously gave it. I recommend this movie highly, but only to those who can take their Whimsy very Dark!
Onwards!
+ last viewed (4) 2025-12-13, HDX7, 2.20v, 5M
+ first viewed 1984-06, ThX, 2.20, 6
+ 🎈⛄🎄🎅🧌🌪️💀🌑🦄🧙🌑🥸😛
Family Suitability Detail
+ ✅1️⃣ Mostly OK for teens and adults. (Grades 10+, ⚠️ Might be considered inappropriate for sensitive teens and adults.) | PGc
+ 😡+0^ 😵💫+1 🤬+0^ 🤭+1 🫣+1
Judeo-Christian Values Detail
+ ⛔1️⃣ Subpar/Slightly Unfavorable
+ ✝️ +0 ➕😇💜🩷 ➖🗿👹🤬
+ ✡️ +0 ➕🌗😠😠💎💎 ➖🗿👹🤬🤬
+ 🗽 -3 ➕(🇺🇸) ➖🗿👹💻💻🇺🇳💲(🇻🇳☠️)
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Text Group Comments::
Rick Retro: Back in my college days, the first time I saw it in a theater, I remember laughing out loud at that scene. It's too long ago to remember her exact words, but the female classmate I was with asked me something like "Why are you laughing? It's so sad!"
Reaction: 😂 from W
Text Group Comments:
R: I seem to recall reading part of an interview with Cates where she said that she didn't realize the story was meant to be funny. Given how absurd and over-the-top the story was, I have to wonder about my usually excellent memory.