Castle Vanian Halloween Special: Creature Features: Gremlins (1984)

I guess I have to start by asking how Gremlins ended up on this list. It’s more comedy than horror and it’s definitely a Christmas movie.

And that’s why it’s a Wild Card. 

It’s such a good creature feature, though, isn’t it? It came out of left field in the 80s. I remember seeing in the papers that Spielberg had done a movie called Gremlins. I wasn’t thrilled when I saw Gizmo because I was expecting something a little more horror. But then I watched it and it didn’t disappoint. It really is a great movie.

It’s surprising how well Gremlins works, considering they’re just little puppets. Why do you think that is?

It’s that thing, isn’t it? People are always saying about gremlins gumming up the works. It was always the gremlins, especially with old people.

I've never heard that phrase, lol. 

I've heard it all my life. If something goes wrong, they blame it on the gremlins.

They’ve just mischievous little kids, aren’t they? I love the scene in the cinema when they're watching Snow White and they all start singing along with a "High ho!" Even Gizmo, when he overhears it, starts to join in.

What about that soundtrack? It’s got such a great score.

It’s superb. There are two songs especially, "The Gremlin Rag" and "Mega madness." Don't forget it's Jerry Goldsmith so you know it's quality. 

Can I just point out that there’s a surprising lack of freak-out around the gremlins? Billy’s (Zach Galligan) reaction to receiving this super exotic, previously unknown creature as a pet is “It’s really neat.” It’s really neat?! Understatement much? Even Pete (Corey Feldman) is more interested in a comic book than all these baby gremlins that just spawned…

That’s a good point. I suppose it’s like getting a bush baby. You’d probably have thought a gremlins was just another exotic pet back then. There wasn't the internet so everyone was less aware of what was out there. 

But it talked and sang!

I mean, there are animals that can talk so it’s not that unusual. You see birds that can talk so... who knows? It's only because the internet makes us all feel like we've seen it all. There was a lot more mystery left in the world back then.

The fact that the poor doggo was always in danger in this movie made me wonder if there was a kind of social commentary in that. He's obviously loved and cared for but first, you've got Deagle going after him then, you've got the gremlins targeting him. What the crap? Is that about how exotic pets are a danger to our normal household pets? (The Deagle thing is obviously a Wicked Witch thing.)

The social commentary for me was about money ruling over the little people. Good people suffer because of greed. You’ve got this shining example of the 1%. It was so satisfying when she got hers. The last few years have shown us how little the top care about the rest of us and, to be honest, we're all pretty fucking sick of them having it all so... why can't we root for the gremlins here, just a little?

Which is your favourite gremlin, Gizmo or Stripe?

Stripe. Always Stripe. It’s the naughtiness. If you’re a child at heart and you’ve got this little bastard thing out to cause trouble, he’s the one for you.

One of the most memorable moments in Gremlins is when Kate (Phoebe Cates) is telling that bloody story about her dad. That’s quite a dark moment for such an entertaining film. Why do you think it was included?

It’s supposed to be dark but, for me, it’s one of the funniest moments in the movie. It was such a stupid story that we were all laughing hysterically in the cinema. I think maybe it's different here in the UK because we were all like, "How would anyone try to fit down a chimney?!" It's an absurd thought here. 

There are so many brilliant moments in Gremlins. Which is your favourite?

Mrs. Deagle, of course. When they naughty gremlins have fucked with her stairlift and it shoots her through the roof. That's the best scene in the movie.

They kind of saved the town, though...

Yeah, I suppose they did.

There are a fair few deaths in Gremlins but they’re pretty tame as far as horror movie deaths go. Some of them are actually kind of funny. Some might argue that having cute little critters like gremlins going around killing people sends a bad message to kids. What would you say to those people?

The first death you see is the scientist in the school. He took blood from the gremlin so, when the gremlin goes all evil, you find the scientist dead with a bunch of syringes in his butt. That's great. The gremlins all die quite horribly, mind. It was never meant to be a kids' movie, at least not in Britain.

The adverts and the toys and the cereals and everything, they kind of sold it as a kids' film but it wasn't ever meant to be. It's because the mogwais are all cute and fluffy, I guess. I definitely don't think it's suitable for the very young children that are probably drawn to it because of cute little Gizmo.

It’s weird to see Judge Reinhold play such a douchenozzle. He’s a total asshole, which is so not what I’m used to when I see him. What did you think of the cast?

Corey Feldman and Phoebe Cates were quite well known, of course, but I didn’t know the rest of the cast when I saw it the first time. Except Dick Miller as Mr. Futterman, maybe. I’d seen a lot in small parts. Zach Gilligan, though, I’d never seen before. 

The rest of the cast all had okay careers but none of them had massive careers. Feldman transitioned to a teen actor but as an adult, he’s been sort of stuck in b-movies. No matter what he does, though, he's always so rock & roll and I love that about him.

What about the sinister Mrs. Deagle (Polly Holliday?) She’s definitely got some Wicked Witch vibes going on there…

There you go. It’s very Wicked Witch. Especially going after the dog. I think that's very intentional.

Did you see Gremlins in the cinema? Are your thoughts on it now any different than they were then?

Seven times. 

Seven?!

I couldn’t get enough of it. You couldn’t really buy videos at the time, at least not easily, not here. When you could, they were like £40 or £50 each. It was a lot cheaper to go back to the cinema.

Plus, there’s so much to see so seeing it once wasn’t enough. There's always so much happening on screen at any one time. You've got to see it more than once. 

How does an 80s movie about cute little magical creatures that turn evil if they eat after midnight endure?

Because it’s so well done. It’s firmly tongue in cheek but you’ve got that classic good vs. evil. It’s essentially a fairy tale. Billy is your white knight, you know? 

Maybe it sums up who I am but I always wanted the gremlins to win...

What did you think of the sequel?

I hated it the first time I saw it. When it came out, I wanted another Gremlins movie but it was kind of a piss take. Now, though, I like it. Well, I put up with it to see the gremlins.

One of my favourite moments at a comic con was seeing Robert Picardo being asked who he preferred kissing, Jennifer Lien or Greta, the female gremlin, and he’s like, “Hmmm…” pretending to think about it. 

Alright, any last thoughts?

It’s funny how in 1994, there were two huge movies that came out and people still argue over which was the better movie, Gremlins or Ghostbusters. I liked Ghostbusters but I much prefer Gremlins. I could believe Gremlins more than Ghostbusters.

I think it's something to do with the setting. Ghostbusters is set in New York, so you've got this big city environment full of buildings and strangers, etc. Gremlins is set in a small town. It's Christmas time at home with familiar characters and familiar problems. Furry little creatures aside, it could be any of our lives.