Analysis

Analysis


Symbols and Tropes

Hero's Journey

Ever notice that every blockbuster movie has the same fundamental pieces? A hero, a journey, some conflicts to muck it all up, a reward, and the hero returning home and everybody applauding his or...

Setting

Kingston Falls, Present DayKingston Falls is a snapshot of 1980s suburban USA. It's a quiet small town where everyone knows everyone. It has a huge department store, the perfect symbol of the Ameri...

Point of View

Cautionary TaleLots of films are cautionary tales. Requiem for a Dream warns people away from drugs. The Birds warns people to keep a close eye on pigeons. And Gremlins warns you to never, ever get...

Genre

Horror; Black Comedy; Christmas MovieHave Yourself a Bloody Little ChristmasAfter serving dozens of gremlins in the bar, Kate asks Billy what they are. He gives her this non-response: BILLY: They'r...

What's Up With the Title?

A Gremlin By Any Other Name…We don't know the scientific name of what the mogwai mutate into. Billy gives them the name "gremlins" after hearing Mr. Futterman's story about the mischievous creatu...

What's Up With the Ending?

Unless…At the end of Gremlins, Gizmo, if he could talk, would say, "Let there be light." He opens some blinds, shining sunlight on Stripe and melting him into a goopy puddle. With the last of the...

Shock Rating

PGWandering through Chinatown in a trench coat and fedora, Rand looks a bit like Indiana Jones after an all-night bender at Krispy Kreme. But Indiana Jones has more of a presence in this film than...