Sure, Gizmo, the furry little creature young Billy Peltzer (Zach Galligan) gets for Christmas, is cute and cuddly…until he gets wet and multiplies. And when the offspring eat after midnight, they’re transformed into vicious reptilian monsters that terrorize the citizens of the small, sleepy town of Kingston Falls. This darkly comic horror gem from director Joe Dante and producer Steven Spielberg also stars Phoebe Cates, Hoyt Axton, and the great Dick Miller. Although originally released in the summer, this film has gone on to become an unconventional Christmas classic thanks to its weird sense of humor and scenes like the one featured above in which the miserly Mrs. Deagle (Polly Holliday, of Alice fame) encounters a group of the sinister creatures. Real talk: We much rather have Gremlins show up to sing to us than have to endure listening to “All I Want For Christmas Is You” or “Santa Baby” one more time this holiday season.
This article originally ran last year, and is being reprinted as part of our ongoing holiday celebrations!
