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!
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