As a child, the movie that scared me the most was Gremlins. This movie was about a creature called a mogwai named Gizmo and his owner Billy. Unfortunately, Billy did not follow the specific instructions that were given to him in order to take care of Gizmo. As a result, many evil gremlins formed and caused chaos throughout the movie. The gremlins had big pointed ears, sharp teeth and red eyes which gave then an animal-like appearance. They were chaotic and sadistic which made them frightening for me as a child.
The first scene that featured the evil gremlins was when Billy left a gremlin to his teacher to examine it. One of the rules for gremlins was that they could not eat after midnight, but the gremlin did exactly that and turned into an eviler and uglier version. The first thing it did was kill the teacher. This showed that the gremlins were dangerous and had the ability to hurt and kill others. Afterwards, the evil gremlin tried to kill Billy using suspenseful moments to his advantage. These gremlins were horrifying and repulsive, which made it hard to watch as a child but also made it a great horror movie.
Additionally, many of the gremlins in the movie were careless and sadistic, which made for many scenes with mayhem and violence. One scene features a bar full of Gremlins drinking, smoking and even killing each other. Their unpredictable nature meant that they would be harder to control or defeat. Additionally, they were able to multiply when in contact with water which meant that there was no limit to how many there could be when one fell into a pool. When they multiply they are able to create more chaos and unpredictability, which causes more distress for the characters in the film and the audience.
Also, when there are gremlins on screen, the gremlins theme plays which created more of a chaotic tone which supported the chaotic nature of the gremlins. This theme is fast-paced and energetic to portray the gremlin’s chaotic nature. The theme is played whenever the gremlins are seen committing chaos and mayhem, which shows that the theme is a representation of the wickedness of the gremlins in the film.
However, this movie is also considered a comedy movie due to its unusual gags. Throughout the movie, the gremlins are shown to murder various people, but also includes many gags to support the gremlin’s sadistic and carefree nature. At one point, before murdering an old woman, they decided to come to her front door and perform Christmas carols for her. This scene introduces comedy to this horror film by showing the gremlins doing something that is typically enjoyed by humans. In another scene, all the Gremlins are gathered in a movie theatre to watch Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. The Gremlins sing along to the song “Hi-ho” in a comedic fashion. Although they are seen as monsters, in this scene they can be seen as cute and funny by enjoying a children’s film.
Between the gremlin’s unpredictable nature, chaotic music and visual gags of the movie, this movie is great at creating a horror-comedy movie for families but frightening for me as a child.
