Fresh from the theaters after giving Krampus a go, I was reminded why I liked Gremlins. First things first, I would like to say I did not hate Krampus at all. There may have been points where it seemed to drag, or I just didn't like the choices made by the writers, it was definitely a visual feast with some awesome combinations of physical and digital effects...which is a very difficult line to straddle.
BUT...it didn't capture what Gremlins did back in 84. I don't really blame Krampus for this. I blame Gremlins...for being just that awesome. Gremlins captures the seasonal spirit of Christmas without becoming bitter. It has no message about families losing their sight of what really matters. It's just a story about evil little creatures that terrorize a small, but charming town on Christmas. And...that's kind of all I want to watch this year. I won't be foregoing my traditional viewing of Black Christmas, but...I just love Gremlins so much. Even the sequel.
It's got a great cast, a charming soundtrack, fantastic physical effects, and a sweet storyline...but it's still creepy enough to be classified as a comedy horror. What's more, it's something you can actually enjoy with kids, rather than certain other Christmas classics such as 'Silent Night, Deadly Night', or 'Treevenge'.
If you somehow have managed to avoid seeing Gremlins, because television is a relatively new discovery in your region of the world, or if you just...avoided it...or even have seen it, but not in quite some time. Do yourself a favor. Give Gremlins a shot this month. And don't feed them after midnight, trust me, I'm still cleaning up the green sludge in the kitchen.
