GREMLINS (1984)

Well-liked, fondly remembered, and a massive hit, this comic horror about the evil spawn of a cute mystery pet brought home from Chinatown, asexually reproducing at exponentially alarming rates (think The Sorcerer’s Apprentice) holds up darn well.  And unlike other Steven Spielberg entrepreneured films of the period (POLTERGEIST; GOONIES) it doesn’t feels like warmed-over Spielberg, taking its anarchistic tone from director Joe Dante, a man with his own distinctive voice.  Pretty dark, too, as kid-friendly 1984 films go, the weirdness baked in, boasting many felicitous film geek touches presumably stemming from Dante’s bag of memories and not from scripter Chris Columbus.  The best idea is a set of never explained arbitrary rules that must be followed to keep the little beastie in line.  No Bright Lights; No Water; and NEVER Feed After Midnight.  Naturally, things quickly go haywire in this retro-Bedford Falls of a town.  (Many film influences, but IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE and WIZARD OF OZ get the most attention. Not in the usual ‘spot my film I.Q.’ manner, but imaginatively used to inform the storyline.*)  On the other hand, what doesn’t stand up so well is the acting.  Just compare Zach Galligan & Phoebe Cates (chemistry-free blanks) with Matthew Broderick & Ally Sheedy in next year’s WAR GAMES to see what’s missing.  But then, just about everyone is nearly as bad, winking, indicating, yucking it up.  With show-offy cameos by film VIPs and a major fail from Hoyt Axton’s inventor dad, trying for Jonathan Winters . . . and missing badly.  Worse, racist horror conventions of the day mean the first serious casualty is the film’s sole Black character.  Worser, the poor guy is done in with the one non-stylized murder in the whole pic.  Others may be shot off like a cannon or exploded in a microwave.  But bearing these faults in mind, the film is not only good fun, but a bracing blast of bitters next to family-friendly fantasies of the day like BACK TO THE FUTURE whose outdoor sets were apparently repurposed here.

DOUBLE-BILL/LINK: Avoid the GREMLIN sequels, instead Bob Clampett’s glorious Merrie Melodies short GREMLINS FROM THE KREMLIN (aka RUSSIAN RHAPSODY)/’44.   (Scroll down on link.)    https://www.supercartoons.net/cartoon/960/russian-rhapsody.html

CONTEST:  *As producer, Spielberg presumably okayed the iconic visual ‘quote’ from E.T./’82.  Name the lifted gag to win a MAKSQUIBS Write-Up of your choosing.

ATTENTION MUST BE PAID:  While most of the beasts come to life via puppetry and mini-motors, there’s a brief, glorious shot of hundreds of the little devils pouring out of a building in Stop-Motion animation.  A screamingly funny moment all but impossible to imagine happening today where CGI would get the assignment and lose the effect.