The very first drive-in movie I ever saw was Gremlins. I'd seen the scary commerical for it on TV and was mesmerized by the movie ad in the paper, so I begged and pleaded with my folks -- like a Mogwai asking for cold chicken after midnight -- to take me to see it. So, we went to a P.E.I. drive-in double bill in the summer of 1984 (the other feature was the seminal classic Cannonball Run II, by the way), and I only saw about a third of the movie. Why only a third? Because my hands were covering my eyes for the final two thirds.
Over the years I think I've watched Gremlins at least 10 times, and it is definitely one of the guilty pleasures I indulge in time and time again. In hindsight, if I think of it from an objective perspective, it isn't really a spectacular movie. Still, I appreciate its production values, its comedy, and a taut pace that never lets up.
The film is a kind of tongue-and-cheek take-off of smalltown crises, and if the setting seems familiar, it's because the writer (Chris Columbus of Harry Potter fame) is intentionally painting that portrait. The parallels with It's A Wonderful Life are deftly sprinkled throughout the movie: instead of Bedford Falls we have Kingston Falls; both take place on Christmas Eve; there is an old movie house right in the middle of the town; the miserly, old, Mr. Potter who owns half the town is now the miserly, old Mrs. Deagle (Polly Holliday); even Mrs. Peltzer (Frances Lee McCain) is watching the 1946 classic on a mini-TV at one point.
The story begins with disillusioned Billy Peltzer (Zach Galligan) receiving a premature Christmas present from his dad (Hoyt Axton). It's a Mogwai named Gizmo, a furry poster child for the Association of Prospective Stuffed Toys. Gizmo comes with a set of specific rules which, when broken, cause utter chaos throughout the town -- because the Mogwai multiply and mutate into hideous Gremlins. As executive produced by Steven Spielberg, the effects are for the most part impressive.
I still get a kick out of the hijinks the Gremlins find themselves attempting. They can be seen breakdancing, Christmas carolling, dressing up in drag, smoking and drinking, even watching Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs in one truly bizarre scene. Most of the plot and the performances are pretty generic, including a young Corey Feldman as Billy's friend Pete, Judge Reinhold as the yuppie Gerald, Dick Miller as the eccentric next door neighbour Mr. Futterman, and Phoebe Cates as the troubled Kate, who we come to realize certainly has an extenuating -- and valid -- reason for loathing Christmas.
Gremlins gleefully mixes satire with suspense, and fantasy with comedy. It may have been an excuse for director Joe Dante to dig into a shop full of puppets, but the result is still a funny, disturbing adventure like no other.
