Oral History of Gremlins

A Reminder That We Have Nice Things...

This oral history of the making of GREMLINS is highly worthy of being read. You can find the article here: ORAL HISTORY OF GREMLINS

Gremlins was such a unique blockbuster for so many reasons, but Phoebe Cates’ monologue about why she hates Christmas must be number one on the list.

Remember, this was a studio picture aimed at kids and teens. Here’s the scene:

I made it halfway through a new film last night, a sci-fi film (I will not mention the title; those who worked on it worked hard, and I honor that work) before turning it off. And I should have liked it. It had performances, ideas, and sequences that were all well-polished and executed. What was wrong with it?

Well, everything was over-explained. EVERYTHING. Three or four times.

They didn’t just decide, “Don’t feed them after midnight,” and let it go.

There’s a worry that audiences won’t understand everything, and it’s all they worry about, but in my opinion, it’s more important to worry about whether or not the audience is being entertained.

Hell, as a kid, I didn’t know why Darth Vader wore a mask (I didn’t even realize he was human until we got to Hoth) or how the Force worked. I just enjoyed the ride.

I feel like everything is overdeveloped and overcooked these days.

No one but Spielberg and Dante wanted to make this movie, which ended up being the third-grossing film of 1984. The above speech is only in the movie due to Joe Dante; everyone else wanted to cut it. Now, it’s part of the reason we’ll remember the film forever. It swung big.

If there’s a lesson here, it’s that I wish those who financed movies swung big more often. Sometimes, what looked like a possible base hit or bunt turns into a homer.

Sometimes, one has to let artists speak and express themselves without worrying whether or not everyone will understand. Because letting the uniqueness speak is what really turns a neat idea into a timeless classic.

Read it here: ORAL HISTORY OF GREMLINS