Graeme’s Retro Classics! ‘Gremlins’

It’s been a funny sort of week with all sorts of other stuff getting in the way of the reviews that I had planned to do. Take last night for example, the plan was to read L.E. Modesitt Jr’s ‘The Lord Protector’s Daughter and then have a review ready for today. The fact that the copy I had been sent was missing the first thirty two pages put paid to that idea...
I was at a bit of a loss for what to post today until I realised that it had been a while since I posted a ‘Retro Classic’ and that I had just the film for the festive season...

I didn’t get to see ‘Gremlins’ when it first came out but it was another one of those films that you couldn’t escape from with posters and adverts everywhere as well as pretty much everyone at school having either Gremlin or Mogwai toys (or both). I had neither and still don’t, if anyone fancies getting me a Mogwai for Christmas I promise to look after it (I won’t let it get caught in the light, I won’t get it wet and I certainly won’t be feeding it after midnight!)



I managed to see ‘Gremlins’ a few years later and totally loved it. I’ve always been a sucker for all sorts of animation and to see these little guys getting up to mischief had me falling around laughing and not being able to stop. ‘Gremlins’ is a film that’s full of little incidental bits and pieces that add to the detail and result in a film where if you blink you’re bound to miss a little green monster up to no good. That’s ok though as ‘Gremlins’ is a film that can be watched again and again :o)

Watching ‘Gremlins’ gave me a real nostalgic feeling but watching it now, as someone a lot older, also made me realise what a dark and sinister film this can be.
While there’s a lot of slapstick stuff going on there’s also an edge to it that makes you realise that these creatures (that you thought were funny when you were a kid) are actually out to kill people, the science teacher is the first one to cop it and what do you think happened to the woman whose stair lift went flying out of the window? (She completely deserved it though but that’s not the point...) The gremlins themselves also take on a sinister new tone with their aping of human ways. The scene in the cinema is strangely cute but there is something definitely unnerving about opening the door to a bunch of these creatures singing Christmas carols...



Which reminds me, how did they all manage to get kitted out with gremlin sized clothing...? Whatever, ‘Gremlins’ is (and always will be) a film that holds a special place in the hearts of anyone who grew up during the eighties. I still want a Mogwai for a pet...