Classic film: Gremlins

As Halloween passes by for another year, and with a mere 54 days to go until Christmas, the festive season has well and truly begun. But if, like me, you're already sick of the sight of tinsel and trees and you're starting to channel the spirit of Ebenezer, then maybe it's time to watch something a bit dark and twisted. An anti-Christmas film, if you will.

In that case, it may well be time to revisit (or for those under a certain age, watch for the first time) the terrifying horror that is Gremlins! “But Gremlins is a kids film”, I hear you cry! Full of cute critters and slapstick comedy. That may be, but looking at it from a modern perspective, in a world where Strictly Come Dancing seems a bit racy for pre-watershed TV, Gremlins is surprisingly cynical, violent and downright scary. What were people thinking back in the ‘80s?

The film tells of a struggling inventor who buys his son Billy a cute pet for Christmas. Called Gizmo, it's a cross between Yoda and a furby, and it's unbelievably adorable. However, Billy is given three simple rules which must never, ever be broken: keep it away from bright light, don't get it wet, and most importantly, do not feed it after midnight! Needless to say he breaks them, causing the furry critter to spawn a litter of evil creatures which bear little resemblance to his friendly little Gizmo. When these break loose and begin causing havoc all over town, it's up to Billy and his girlfriend to save Christmas.

Given the nature of the story, the 15 certificate is surprising but justified. The kitchen scene contains some Braindead-style gore as the monsters are dispatched by microwave and blender; animal lovers might like to look away as a dog is tied up in Christmas lights and left out in the cold; and the scene in which the protagonist's girlfriend recounts her worst Christmas memory – well, that's just extremely disturbing by anyone's standards, and will shatter any young child's belief in Father Christmas.

Gremlins also takes every cliché of the saccharine family Christmas movie – and children's film in general - and turns them on their head. It takes the kind of happy, well-meaning, hard-working folk which populate fictional American towns, and plonks them in the middle of an invasion of violent, disruptive, but also playful creatures. It is this sense of fun in the midst of sheer anarchy that makes Gremlins so enjoyable. Brought to life by some dated but effective animatronics, the monsters go wild in the town's bar, drinking, smoking and behaving like rowdy teenagers. Anything goes, and the film revels in their drunken antics, providing a streak of humour that's mean but refreshing. You almost support the monsters, they're having such a great time of it.

So if this festive season you have the urge to break free from all the commercial Christmas tat, and release your inner anarchist, I recommend you forget your preconceptions of Gremlins and give it a watch.

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