Gremlins (1984)
(Joe Dante, US 1984, 106 min., DCP)
Christmas would never be the same after Joe Dante’s horror comedy about a batch of pesky creatures spawned from a seemingly innocent gift. Looking for a unique gift for his son, dad Randall (Hoyt Axton) happens upon a Chinatown shop where he finds a small creature called a Mogwai. After unsuccessfully negotiating with the owner, Randall finds that he can deal with the grandson, but the purchase comes with three rules: keep him out of the light, keep him away from water, and never feed him after midnight. Unassuming teenager Billy (Zach Galligan) breaks all of the rules and unleashes a flurry of reptilian monsters that wreak havoc on his small town over the holidays. Dante’s anarchic direction fits the film perfectly as he details the many ways the creatures can get in trouble.