10 Best Gremlins Moments
5. Gremlins at the Big Screen
As the third act nears its peak, barely anyone is left unscathed by the gruesome Gremlins. They need to be stopped immediately before they break loose and venture further. However, with all the efforts Billy, Kate, and Gizmo have gone through, all hopes of survival are squished.
That is until they discover the herd of Gremlins watching Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) at the cinema. With some careful trickery, the theatre turns into a fireball as an explosion is set off, leaving hundreds of the furry crooks dead. In a scene akin to Lamberto Bava’s Demons (1985), the Gremlins are shown scratching through the projector screen as they fight for survival, making this meta take incredibly suited to Gremlins’ comedic timing.
4. The Death of Stripe
Stripe took centre stage from his very first appearance, with his distinctive evilness placing him as the leader of the pack. His rule seemed only to grow throughout the film, and yet the final act saw him meet a brutal end.
In an ode to Dante’s flair for the absurd, the death of Stripe was made to be as graphic and expressive as they could achieve within the confines of a somewhat family-friendly movie. We are treated to grossly morbid visuals showing Stripe’s flesh slowly melting away into a pile of green matter as the morning sun strips away every morsel of power he has left.
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3. Carolling Distraction
Gremlins understands its position as a light-hearted but stern yuletide terror. Forging this balance are the intercuts of slapstick humour that bring about a chuckle amidst otherwise frenzied sequences. The carolling scene is one of the more irreverent moments that have become synonymous with the film’s comedic tone.
As the Gremlins conspire to kill Mrs. Deagle (Polly Holliday), they concoct a plan that requires a quartet of them to perform a rather gravelly rendition of a carol, leaving time for a murderous Mogwai to modify Deagle’s stairlift. As abhorrent as it may sound, the choir of creatures (along with the shot of Deagle being slung out of the window with tremendous force) is both a shock and a laugh to remember.
