They struck a nerve we didn't know needed striking: repellent, anarchist rubber-puppet critters that trashed every sentimental trope established by their nicer green-guy cousins, E.T., Yoda, and Kermit. The original Gremlins, executive-produced by Steven Spielberg and directed by Joe Dante from a script by Chris Columbus (now king of the Harry Potter flicks, then an NYU student), was a huge sleeper hit. But the outlandish gore that ticked off parents and helped trigger PG-13 ratings — pop goes the microwaved gremlin! — still sinks the movie. When doe-eyed leads Phoebe Cates and Zach Galligan get clawed and speared by the ugly spawn of cute little Gizmo (whose fur Dante says he decreed should resemble that of Spielberg's cocker spaniel), their physical peril is played so straight it's no fun — it's torture, not horror. The extras are mainly old making-of promos, but new commentaries — by Dante, the producers, and the cast — hold fresher tidbits. Catch Galligan droning on about his inexperience and his big '80s coif (Cates is mostly silent). There's great detail on how much grosser Columbus' initial script was, including a scene of the family dog being eaten by gremlins.
Today's Most Popular
-
Photo Gallery: Grammys 2012 Grammys 2012: Who will/should win
Our Partners
Movie Calendar
- January 3
- January 4
- January 6
- January 13
- January 20
- January 27
- February 3
- February 10
- February 17
- February 24
- March 2
- March 9
- March 16
- March 23
- March 30
- April 4
- April 6
- April 13
- April 20
- April 27
- * Dates subject to change
Add your comment
The rules: Keep it clean, and stay on the subject or we might delete your comment. If you see inappropriate language, e-mail us. An asterisk * indicates a required field.