<<Movies of My Childhood list
Gremlins
At some point in our life, we’ve all had a pet of some
kind; dog, cat, rabbit, hamster, fish, lizard, or like me, three cockroaches
put into a vase with only grass to eat then taken to school for show and tell
only to die before then and gross the whole class out… but the movie “Gremlins”
took the meaning of pet to a whole new place.
Before this film first came out, a very cool poster
was released, showing a pair of hands holding a box. That box was slightly
open, with the hint of two bright eyes peering out from inside it.
This image instantly made every kid in the world
ask “What was in that box?”
The unveiling of the owner of those eyes hiding in
the box would be slow and mysterious. Collected by a man looking for a
Christmas present for his son, he wanders into an old antique shop in Chinatown.
Emerging with a new pet for his son, he is also told three
very important rules when looking after this little Mogwai.
The next night, the man gives his son, Billy, his
gift. Opening the box, a small pair of hands rises up, followed by large ears,
and a little face. “I call him Gizmo” the dad says. He then explains the rules
to this son.
1. Keep him away from light, especially sunlight as it
will kill him
2. Keep him away from water; don’t give him any water
to drink and don’t give him a bath
3. And the third and most important rule; no mater how
much he cries, no matter how much he begs, never, ever let him eat after
midnight.
Billy is instantly taken with his new pet, but
struggles to follow the rules. The cute and cuddly Gizmo soon turns into a
generator of furballs that grow! After some water is accidentally spilled on
him, Gizmo’s back starts to pulsate, shooting out a bunch of other Mogwais… but
these aren’t as friendly as Gizmo. Although they look as cute as Gizmo does,
they are cheeky little shits, and soon get into mischief faster than you can
say Mogwai. They know what the rules are, and are determined to break them. Gizmo
will do everything to keep the rules; but his devlish mates prefer what happens
afterwards, especially when it comes to eating after midnight. When Billy’s
back is turned, they reach out and grab whatever food has been left behind.
What starts out as a movie about cute little furballs, turns into a mild horror
film as the Mogwais become Gremlins; green, slimy, dangerous but ultimately
hilarious creatures hell bent on causing destruction.
Before they burst onto the scene though, the
Gremlins will grow in cocoons in Billy’s bedroom, then bust out to launch their
attack on the small town of Kingston Falls. All Gizmo can do is sit back in
fright an watch his fellow former Mogwais become monsters. They’ll eat
anything, attack anyone and go anywhere they want in order to multiply
themselves. One minute they’re scary, the next they’re funny. The Gremlins were
an ingenious creation and after starring in their own film, went on to become a
cult favourite for moviegoers everywhere. Just one movie wasn’t enough, as
after watching it, every kid would speculate where a Gremlin would be hiding;
in the fridge, under your bed, or swinging from a light. The whole idea of The
Gremlins played with our imagination. We loved watching them from a safe
distance, but would hate to come face to face with one in real life.
Unfortunately for the poor old folks of Kingston Falls where disaster strikes,
they have no choice as once the Gremlins multiply into the hundreds, no one is
safe from their reign of terror. They can drive cars, disconnect phone lines,
mess with traffic lights and hold an entire town hostage with their crazy
behaviour. The characters go through hell, but watching it is a hell of a lot
of fun!
Of course, what originally drew us all to this film
in the first place was that adorable little Mogwai. Every kid in the world
wanted one, and being unable to have a real one ourselves, we would settle for
a stuffed toy version to either take to bed with us, or stick inside our car
window with suction cups. Or the next best thing was to watch this movie over
and over, which is why it became one of the top Movies of my Childhood.
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