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1[[quoteright:299:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/06f8f2faa46676403f032c14d4851dc9.jpg]]
2
3''Gremlins 2: The New Batch'' is the 1990 sequel to ''Film/{{Gremlins|1984}}'', again directed by Creator/JoeDante.
4
5Gizmo is still living in Mr. Wing's old shop in Chinatown, UsefulNotes/{{New York|City}} when his keeper dies. The place is immediately demolished by the local Clamp corporation and Gizmo captured by a pair of scientists who operate out of the Clamp skyscraper. Billy and Kate, having recently started working in the ultra high-tech building, rescue Gizmo, but not before an unfortunate accident creates a new strain of Gremlins who overrun the structure and threaten the city. The fact that those scientists are conducting genetic research really doesn't help matters...
6
7Dante only agreed to make the sequel if he was given free rein by the studio, and he pretty much went nuts. The resulting film is far more fourth-wall breaching and overtly comedic than its predecessor, with everybody from Wrestling/HulkHogan to WesternAnimation/DaffyDuck to Creator/ChristopherLee putting in an appearance. Tony Randall's voice-performance as the Brain Gremlin is a particular stand-out.
8
9A video game adaptation also came out in 1990 for the Platform/NintendoEntertainmentSystem.
10
11It was followed in the franchise by an animated series, ''WesternAnimation/GremlinsSecretsOfTheMogwai'', which debuted in 2023.
12----
13!!This film provides examples of:
14
15* AbhorrentAdmirer: Greta, the female Gremlin, has the hots for Forster and won't leave him alone.
16* ActorAllusion:
17** During the Bat Gremlin's transformation, [[OminousPipeOrgan stereotypical vampire music]] starts playing while the camera zooms in on Creator/ChristopherLee's reaction shot. In one of the deleted scenes, Lee examines an actual bat in a cage and melodramatically says "I'm told they sometimes feed upon... blood." When told that he's thinking of a different kind of bat, he looks profoundly disappointed.
18** Most likely unintentional, but this isn't the first time Tony Randall voices [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyTheMovie1986 a goblin-like creature]].
19* AffablyEvil: The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byW49j2YSjE Brain Gremlin]] is an erudite, genetically-altered gremlin who merely wants what everyone wants, and what you tropers have: Civilization! The Geneva Convention, chamber music, Susan Sontag...
20-->'''The Brain:''' We want to be civilized. I mean, you take a look at this fellow here...\
21''([[HilarityEnsues Shoots a nearby, annoying Gremlin in the face]])''\
22'''The Brain:''' Now, was that civilized? No, clearly not. [[RuleOfFunny Fun, but in no sense civilized!]]
23* AffectionateParody: Of the first film. Again, made by the same guy.
24* TheAlcoholic: The host of tacky [=CCN=] cooking show "Microwave With Marge" uses ''lots'' of booze in her recipes, and never misses the chance to gulp some herself as she's demonstrating.
25* AllThereInTheManual: The novelization names Christopher Lee's character as Dr. Cushing Catheter. This is also a ShoutOut to Lee's long-time friend and collaborator Creator/PeterCushing.
26* AllThereInTheScript: Official merchandise for the film has revealed that the other Mogwai/Gremlins are named Daffy (the hyperactive one), [[Literature/OfMiceAndMen George (the grumpy big-lipped one), Lenny (the bucktoothed dopey one)]], and Mohawk (the one that becomes the [[spoiler:Spider Gremlin]]).
27* AndNowYouMustMarryMe: In the final scene of the movie Forster finds himself trapped in an upper level restroom while [[AbhorrentAdmirer Greta]], wearing a wedding dress, bears down on him...
28* AnthropomorphicShift: Brain Gremlin becomes an example of this, and he decides that it's best for the Gremlins to all become civilized enough to behave like humans... so that they can conquer the world faster.
29* AnythingButThat: Electric Gremlin gets trapped in the phone system and is put on hold. Cue a Muzak version of "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head"... its reaction is priceless.
30* ApatheticCitizens: Murray gets attacked by a winged Gremlin in ''broad daylight'' (thanks to an injection that helped it overcome that weakness) on a crowded New York sidewalk. In all superimposed footage at least, no one seems to notice. Until Murray poured cement on the gremlin, earning cheers from the onlooking crowd.
31* ArtEvolution: The gremlins' designs between the first movie and this one has changed, from dark monsters to wackier and more colorful monsters. Chris Walas designed those of the first while Creator/RickBaker did those of the sequel.
32* ArtisticLicenseBiology:
33** The twin scientists guess that Gizmo is some kind of rodent, yet he lacks the buck teeth that all rodents share; if anything, he looks like a prosimian primate.
34** The hybrid gremlins. Subverted slightly in that it's a genetics lab that causes virtually all of them. The Brain Gremlin handwaves it, by mentioning the results only work on gremlins because they have unstable genetics, making the treatments much more effective on them.
35* AscendedExtra: Murray Futterman is a relatively minor character in the first film, but has a much bigger part in the second, sneaking into the building the Gremlins are occupying and even pulling a BigDamnHeroes moment to save Billy.
36* AutomaticDoorMalfunction: The Clamp Entrymatic, the automatic revolving door to the Clamp Building, malfunctions as a person tries to go through it, suddenly spinning at a fast speed that causes the person to get thrown into another.
37* BadBoss: Brain Gremlin shoots one of his gremlin minions simply for being uncivilized.
38* BenevolentBoss: Daniel Clamp. He likes mingling with his employees, calls most people by their first name, has a bouncy personality and is utterly in love with technology in a manner suggestive of a wide-eyed kid, treating all manner of gizmos and gadgets like toys. He's also one of the few people in the company who actually listens to Billy.
39* BewareTheNiceOnes: [[spoiler: Mohawk]] learns this [[KillItWithFire the hard way]] after torturing Gizmo for most of the movie. Lampshaded by Billy.
40-->I guess they pushed him too far.
41* BigApplesauce: The franchise moves from a small town in UsefulNotes/NewYorkState to UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity.
42* BigBadDuumvirate: The Gremlins as a whole, but Mohawk and Brain Gremlin really stand out as the bigger threats. Mohawk is a reincarnation of Stripe himself from the first movie, whose only goal in mind is to get revenge on Billy, Gizmo and Kate. Brain himself wants the Gremlins to take over human cities and eventually rule all of New York ([[TakeOverTheWorld with the potential to expand on that]]).
43* BigBudgetBeefUp: $50,000,000 compared to the first's $11 million. This, obviously, meant more gremlins. A diverse array of Gremlins at that in Bat, Spider, female, Smart, vegetable and electric variants.
44* BigDamnHeroes:
45** Gizmo saves Marla and Kate from the Spider Gremlin after TakingALevelInBadass.
46** Clamp tries this and falls on his face.
47** Murray saves Billy from Daffy's ''Film/MarathonMan'' scheme.
48** When the Gremlins take over the movie they are scared off by Hulk Hogan in the theatrical/DVD version and shot by John Wayne in the VHS/TV version.
49* BigEntrance: Clamp and the SWAT try to barge inside, but [[BrickJoke the revolving door is still stuck]]. So they use the other door, and as they run inside [[EpicFail some of them accidentally slip on the Gremlins' melted carcasses]].
50* TheBigRottenApple: Billy and Kate comment on how rude New Yorkers are. Brain also says that is looking forward to the street crime, which he is sure he’ll be able to see for free. Both Billy and Clamp’s idolization of Kingston Falls comes off as [[TakeThat a slam]] on New York.
51* BittersweetEnding: The heroes and most of the building personnel have defeated all of the Gremlins, except for the surviving female Gremlin, who traps Forster and forces him to marry her. Then again, given how much of a huge prick he is, how bitter it is is up for interpretation.
52* BlackComedyRape: Forster, although he strangely decides to give in at the end.
53* BrickJoke:
54** A particularly {{Meta}} example. In the opening animation, Daffy calls Bugs out on the 'fifty years' he's been hogging the spotlight. Bugs' first cartoon was in July 1940, fifty years before the film released in cinemas.
55** Forster disapproves of Billy's painting of his home town, and tells his assistant to prepare disciplinary measures against him for both using company time and provisions in painting the sketch as well as unapproved personalization of his cubicle. Towards the end of the movie, when Clamp himself sees the painting, he loves it and it inspires him to make a small town-themed media location.
56* BornInTheTheatre: In the cinema version, as Dr. Catheter is making his impassioned plea about quitting genetic research, the film has a brain wrap (which is usually when the "brain" of a projector fails to sense the tension building up around it and allows the film to wrap forever, usually causing a film to "burn up"). Then, some of the Gremlins goof off within the projection booth, including showing an adult movie until Wrestling/HulkHogan threatens them.
57%%* BunnyEarsLawyer: Daniel Clamp
58* ButtMonkey:
59** Gizmo for much of the movie, until he TookALevelInBadass.
60** George the gremlin counts too, as Lenny keeps whacking him in the face with something.
61* CallBack:
62** George causes an explosion using a microwave, a ShoutOut to the infamous "Exploding Gremlin" scene in the first movie. He even glares and growls "Mi...cro....wave!" after noticing it.
63** Kate starts to go into detail about a traumatic event that happened to her on the occurring holiday (here, Lincoln's birthday), but this time Billy tries to shut her up before she can finish.
64** In the first film, Kate was flashed by a Gremlin in a trenchcoat while at the bar. In this film, the same thing happens... but [[GroinAttack she doesn't just take it]].
65* TheCameo:
66** Wrestling/HulkHogan appears in the sequel, threatening to beat up the Gremlins after they interupt their own movie. WesternAnimation/BugsBunny and WesternAnimation/DaffyDuck also show up at the beginning of the film. Daffy also appears during the end credits and in TheStinger (after WesternAnimation/PorkyPig).
67** The original home video release replaced the Hulk Hogan scene with a more VHS-specific scene with Creator/JohnWayne (since the film was no longer in theaters).
68** Outside those scenes, Creator/JohnAstin's a janitor, [[Series/RowanAndMartinsLaughIn Henry Gibson]] gets fired for smoking on the job, and football players Dick Butkus and [[Film/PoliceAcademy Bubba Smith]] get attacked at a salad bar. The kids from ''Series/SquareOneTV'' also appeared filming an episode of their show in the Clamp lobby. Creator/PaulBartel is the theater manager who tells a complaining mother that the theater doesn't make the movies, only shows them.
69* CaptainErsatz: The HorrorHost character Fred plays on TV appears is a CaptainErsatz of Grandpa from ''Series/TheMunsters''. (Al Lewis, the actual Grandpa Munster, had been doing that for some time on [[Creator/{{TBS}} Superstation WTBS]], presumably to further the Clamp Cable Network being an expy of Turner Broadcasting.)
70* CareerNotTaken: Grandpa Fred is working as a cheesy HorrorHost in the studio section of Clamp Building, but admits to Billy that he imagined he'd be working as a reporter when he was young instead of playing with cartoon bats. The Gremlin take-over of the building gives him an opportunity to provide first-hand coverage of the rampage.
71* TheCavalryArrivesLate: Clamp and the police storming the building at the end.
72* CelebrityCasualty: Film critic Creator/LeonardMaltin, who disliked the first ''Film/{{Gremlins}}'', is shown giving the movie a bad review and is then mauled to death by Gremlins.
73* ChainedToARailway: Parodied when the Gremlins tie Gizmo to some toy train tracks; the model train painfully smacks into Gizmo and derails.
74%%* ChekhovsGunman: The electric Gremlin.
75* ClockTampering: In an attempt to trick the Gremlins into going to the lobby of Clamp Enterprises while it's still day, the protagonists blind the windows and set all the clocks in the building ahead a few hours.
76* CloudCuckoolander: Even for a gremlin, Daffy is weird. Considering [[WesternAnimation/DaffyDuck who]] he is a ShoutOut to, what do you expect?
77-->'''Daffy:''' [[Film/MarathonMan Is it ''safe''?!?!]]
78* CluelessBoss: Daniel Clamp is presented as almost a childlike idealist entranced by his futuristic visions for his enterprise, seemingly unaware of the less scrupulous antics of his chief of security or MadScientist in his research clinic.
79* CobwebJungle: Mohawk fills a corridor with cobwebs after gaining spider traits.
80* {{Colorization}}: Parodied when an announcement at Billy's office says that they will be showing a version of ''Film/{{Casablanca}}'' "Now in color, and with a happy ending".
81* ContinuityNod:
82** The smokeless ashtray Rand gifted to Mr. Wing at the end of the first film can be spotted in his shop...
83** Billy and Kate have one of Rand Peltzer's orange juicers in their kitchen.
84** Mohawk is the {{reincarnation}} of Stripe in the first movie, and he makes sure the audience knows this by saying what has become his {{Catchphrase}}.
85--> Gizmo...ca ca.
86* ContrivedCoincidence: Gizmo is captured by a couple of scientists who just happened to be lurking around the alley at that moment, they take him back to the laboratory which is in the same building Billy happens to now be working in and Billy happens to overhear a guy whistling Gizmo's song, cluing him in that Gizmo is there.
87* CorruptCorporateExecutive:
88** Subverted. Early in the film Clamp Enterprises had been suggested to be the typical evil (or at least amoral) corporation but when we finally meet Daniel Clamp he turns out to be a loveable ManChild who actually wants to use his massive resources to make the world a ''nicer'' place.[[note]]According to the DVD commentary Clamp ''was'' originally intended to be a more evil character, equivalent to that of Mrs. Deagle from the first film, but John Glover's kind-hearted portrayal resulted in the character being adjusted accordingly.[[/note]]
89** Clamp's oily assistant comes as close to being corrupt as you can without actually going over the line.
90* CouldHaveAvoidedThisPlot: Billy told Gizmo to stay in that drawer and not make a ruckus. Gizmo is both loud and disobedient, climbing out of the drawer of his own accord before a janitor gets him wet. And that's where the movie's plot goes in full action.
91* CoveredInKisses: The [[TheSmurfettePrinciple female gremlin]] does this to Forster.
92* CrazyPrepared: Daniel Clamp has a video for his cable network to play in the unlikely event Clamp has to shut down due to the end of the world. [[WordOfGod According to Joe Dante]], he once toured the CNN main headquarters, where they have just such a video waiting to be played when the final hour comes.
93* CreatorCameo: Music/JerryGoldsmith returns from the first movie, and has dialogue this time (he appears as one of the annoyed moviegoers after the Gremlins break the film, and as a yogurt customer); Joe Dante himself is the director of Grandpa Fred's show.
94* CreditsGag:
95** WesternAnimation/DaffyDuck appears during and after the end credits commenting on them ("You're ''THTILL'' lurking about? Don't you people have HOMETH?!?").
96** The aforementioned callback to how the slightly younger Bugs Bunny was, and still is, the Warner Brothers marquee star mostly at his expense.
97* CreepyCathedral: While the Futtermans visit the Cathedral of St Eva-Marie[[note]]filmed at St. Patrick's Cathedral[[/note]], Murray is creeped out by it, saying it's like "something out of the dark ages".
98* CuteMonsterGirl: [[https://gremlins.fandom.com/wiki/Greta Greta]] the female gremlin. "Cute" being a relative term.
99* DeadpanSnarker: Forster and Brain.
100* DenserAndWackier: With the studio willing to let them do anything they wanted, the creators decided to go in a different direction from the original and just have fun; the setting is now just as over-the-top and cartoonish as the titular critters, toning down the horror elements from the original (which were caused by them wreaking their brand of violent havoc in a more-or-less realistic setting, with appropriate levels of pain and terror from their victims). The fact that the film starts with the ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' rings with a cameo from WesternAnimation/BugsBunny and WesternAnimation/DaffyDuck should give you an idea on how more comedic the film is.
101* DieHardOnAnX: Inverse of how this trope usually goes. Normally, it is taking the premise of ''Film/DieHard'' and recycling it into a new setting. Here, it is taking the premise of the original ''Gremlins'' and transplanting it into a setting reminiscent of the original ''Die Hard.''
102* DiscOneFinalBoss: [[spoiler:Mohawk, who's been pretty non-interested in leading the other gremlins throughout much of the film, gets killed while the greater part of the gremlins are still creating mayhem. The Brain Gremlin effectively assumed his place beforehand.]]
103* TheDitz: Lenny.
104* DivergentCharacterEvolution: As a result of the handily placed genetics chemicals, a lot of the Gremlins in this film gain unique personalities and attributes. Even besides that, the initial batch born as Mogwai all look and act radically different from each other compared to those in the first film.
105* TheDogBitesBack: Gizmo personally takes out Mohawk, who had been sadistically tormenting him throughout the first half of the movie.
106* DomesticApplianceDisaster: Voluntary example with destructive intentions when a Gremlin put metallic elements in a microwaves. It explode and that's exactly what he had in mind.
107* DontTryThisAtHome: Many home viewings deliberately cut out the sequence where one of the Gremlins fills an industrial microwave with pans, despite showing, quite graphically, exactly why you don't do it.
108* EarnYourHappyEnding:
109** This time, Gizmo gets to go home with Billy.
110** Greta is the only Gremlin to survive the movie AND she gets to [[InterspeciesRomance marry the man she loves!]]
111* EvenEvilHasStandards: In a deleted scene on the DVD, the Gremlins are clearly seen releasing the lab animals from their cages in the Splice of Life Laboratory, one of them even shouting "GO! GO!" when he lets a dog out. The Vegetable Gremlin doesn't seem to mind when a released squirrel was munching on his head. In the final version, the gremlins don't attack Fred the whole time he's on the building, implying they do not harm those who are not afraid of them or trying to stop them.
112* EvilElevator: The Gremlins commandeer one of the Clamp building's elevators with Kate inside it. They cut the brakes and cables, sending the elevator into a freefall, but because the Gremlins are all clinging to the bottom of the car, they get squished into slime when it lands and absorb enough of the impact to leave Kate unhurt, although with plenty of new, green stains on her uniform.
113* EvilRedhead: A scheming female boss who tries to seduce Billy and is a JerkAss to Kate. She ends up being trapped in Spider Gremlin's web! Guess who saves her bacon...
114* ExactlyWhatIAimedAt: The Microwave Marge scene. The Gremlins sneak onto a show about microwave cooking, and set up some DisasterDominoes using a heavily overpowered microwave and the fire sprinklers, which create enough water to allow them to breed.
115* EyePop: Happens for a split second with a Gremlin [[spoiler: right before it and several others get squashed by an elevator.]]
116* FailedASpotCheck: Kate seems to ignore the fact "Gizmo" is acting extremely goofy (it's Daffy), and even ignores him giggling and saying, "I'm not Gizmo!"
117* FootsieUndertheTable: Billy's boss Marla Bloodstone rubs her foot against his crotch on their date.
118* FourTemperamentEnsemble: The four mogwai/gremlins who spawn from Gizmo in this film: vicious and aggressive Mohawk (choleric), grouchy and stoic George (melancholic), hyperactive and eccentric Daffy (sanguine) and mostly docile Lenny (phlegmatic).
119* GeneticMemory: The Gremlins have an instinctive hatred of Gizmo. This seems to be passed down from George, Lenny, and Daffy (who were born from Gizmo and helped Mohawk push him into an air vent) to the ''numerous'' gremlins that spawn from the aforementioned trio. How they know Gizmo by name is pretty much RuleOfFunny.
120* GeniusSerum: When the Gremlins raid the science lab in the Clamp building, one of them (later dubbed the "Brain Gremlin") downs an intelligence-enhancing potion. The normal Gremlins were already [[ItCanThink a lot more cunning than they appeared]], not just dumb animals, but it immediately made him both sapient and gave him the ability to speak while retaining his predatory instincts, in effect just creating a psychopathic Gremlin.
121* GotTheWholeWorldInMyHand: The Clamp corporate logo.
122* GroinAttack: Kate delivers a very hard and swift kick to a Gremlin's crotch after he flashes her, sending him flying.
123* GuiltFreeExterminationWar: Except for Fred, none of the humans make any attempt to reason with the Gremlins, [[AlwaysChaoticEvil not that it would have done any good]]. Instead, the humans simply work out how to kill them all, and none of them—even Fred—feel any sense of sadness in seeing them all fried and melted. Billy, Kate and Murray at least have the justification of having dealt with the monsters before.
124* SugarWiki/HeReallyCanAct: In-universe, seeing the goofy horror movie host become a serious reporter on the Gremlins' invasion.
125* HighVoltageDeath: Billy kills off the Gremlin horde by getting them wet (normally a bad idea) but then unleashing the gremlin that had ShockAndAwe ElementalPowers on them. It's not clear what happened to the electric Gremlin after that, although the novelization says he "short-circuited" after spreading enough amperage around the Gremlins to kill them all.
126* HollywoodAcid: In spite of being helpfully labeled "[[CantYouReadTheSign Acid: Do Not Throw In Face]]," a Gremlin throws acid into his fellow's face, which immediately burns it to the point that it produces a ''Film/PhantomOfTheOpera1943'' mask.
127* HonestCorporateExecutive: Daniel Clamp turns out to be a rather nice, if eccentric, guy.
128* HybridMonster: Several of the Gremlins become these during the course of the film. One even turns into ''a bolt of electricity'' by drinking one of the potions in the lab.
129* IceCreamKoan: How Forster treats Wing's homilies.
130* IdiotBall: Gizmo just had to get out of the drawer Billy left him in and wander around an unfamiliar building (especially after the residents had already tried to dissect him), instead of just waiting for his owner and friend to come and take him home. The novelization justifies this as Gizmo being starving and cramped, to the point he just couldn't bear waiting anymore and had to get out -- especially as somebody had left a sandwich nearby and he could smell it.
131* ImMelting: The Gremlins' ultimate fate. Bonus points for explicit ''Film/TheWizardOfOz'' reference, with the witch's hat and directly quoting the phrase itself!
132* ImpactSilhouette: Parodied; when the Bat Gremlin flies through a wall, the hole he leaves behind is shaped like the Film/{{Batman|1989}} logo.
133* ImpossibleShadowPuppets: During the theater takeover, one of the gremlins manages to create UsefulNotes/AbrahamLincoln with shadow puppets.
134* IncurableCoughOfDeath: Gizmo's owner, Mr. Wing. Justified and lampshaded in-story by the fact that he is particularly old (think 90-plus), having reached the type of age where even a seemingly innocuous cold could be life-threatening. [[InvokedTrope Invoked]] by Forster after meeting with him.
135* InterspeciesRomance: The very last scene.
136* ItAmusedMe: As the Brain Gremlin points out, shooting one of his less mature brethren in the face with a pistol is fun, "but in no sense civilized".
137* ItsAllMyFault: Kate says this for getting the wrong Mogwai, she's got Daffy. Billy says it's his own mistake for leaving Gizmo inside his desk and telling Kate to get him later, as Gizmo accidentally got wet and the new Mogwais lock him away while Daffy goes in his place.
138* JapaneseTourist: Mr. Kazuchi.
139* JerkassHasAPoint: Used this exchange:
140-->'''Clamp:''' That thing that was in here a minute ago, that's dangerous! This guy's from the art department.
141-->'''Forster:''' Well, ask him how he knows so much about these "green things".
142-->'''Clamp:''' That's a good question, Bill – how do you know so much about them?
143* KarmicDeath: Dr. Catheter and Mohawk.
144* KidnappedForExperimentation: The plot begins when Gizmo is found on the street by two scientists after a construction crew tears his home down and brought to the Splice of Life lab for experimentation.
145* KillItWithFire: Combined with YouHaveToBurnTheWeb.
146* LampshadeHanging: Some of Clamp's incredulous minions snarkily question Billy about the vagueness of the Gremlin rules.
147* LargeHam: Both of these were probably intentional, considering the enforced campy nature of the film.
148** Creator/ChristopherLee hams it up as the MadScientist running the genetics lab.
149** To a lesser extent, Robert Picardo as the Head of Security, who seems to relish in playing an Orwellian, conformist CorruptCorporateExecutive.
150* LaserGuidedKarma: At the very beginning of the movie, Kate is showing up for work at Clamp enterprises. An unnamed {{Jerkass}} shoves her down and runs into the revolving door. [[ContrivedCoincidence The revolving door malfunctions, spins like a top, and hurls him back through the line at a very high rate of speed.]] [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome He is taken away on a stretcher, in a neck brace moaning in extreme pain]] [[AssholeVictim while Kate watches him, smiling.]]
151* LegoGenetics: How a number of the gremlins managed to turn into hybrids after raiding the genetics lab for {{Applied Phlebotinum}}s. This is briefly handwaved by their unstable genetics.
152* LetsGetDangerous: Gizmo has one of these moments.
153* LighterAndSofter: While the first film was (somewhat) more serious in tone, the sequel is played more for laughs. The Gremlins don’t actually kill anyone—at least, on-screen—except for [[RedemptionEqualsDeath Dr. Catheter]], who is electrocuted by the Gremlin who becomes electric [[KarmicDeath because of Catheter’s experimentation]].
154* LohengrinAndMendelssohn: A chorus of Gremlins sings Wagner's Bridal March during Forsters [[AndNowYouMustMarryMe "wedding"]] to [[AbhorrentAdmirer Greta.]]
155* MadScientist: Doctor [[PunnyName Catheter]], played to the hilt by Creator/ChristopherLee. Interestingly he subverts it later on when he rejects his experiments as immoral, and vows that he will not commit cruel genetic experiments on animals again.
156* MarsNeedsWomen: Gender inverted; Greta, a female gremlin, instantly takes a shine to a male human named Forster, much to his horror. [[UsefulNotes/StockholmSyndrome He gets used to it though.]]
157--> '''Greta:''' Oh, why won't you commit?
158* MaskingTheDeformity: One gremlin throws acid at another gremlin's face. He uses a ''Phantom of the Opera'' mask to hide his now deformed face.
159* MeltingFilmEffect: When the Gremlins appear to take over the theater projector, TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou.
160* MonumentalDamage: The uncut version shows that the Gremlins have seized military grade weaponry from the Clamp building and plan on blowing up the Statue of Liberty.
161* MookPromotion: A random Gremlin drinks a brain-enhancing formula and becomes the swarm's leader/spokesgremlin, while the original leader becomes a skulking half-spider monstrosity.
162* MooseAndMapleSyrup: Billy and Marla went to a Canadian themed restaurant that has just about every stereotype (including an overly friendly waiter dressed as a Mountie, Molson as the only beer available, and Gordon Lightfoot playing in the background). The chocolate mousse? You guessed it - a molded chocolate '''''moose'''''.
163-->'''Waiter:''' Would you like an antler?
164* MoreDespicableMinion: While the Brain Gremlin is the "official" leader of the gremlins, he's AffablyEvil and can at least sometimes be reasoned with. Mohawk has a much more sadistic personality, and spends half the movie torturing Gizmo, as well as almost killing Kate and Marla after he turns into a spider-gremlin.
165* MouseTrap: One Gremlin hides a mouse trap in the sandwich of one of Clamp's secretaries. While we hear her get hurt after biting into the trapped sandwich offscreen, we don't see happens to her after that.
166* MyInstinctsAreShowing: Brain Gremlin's intelligence doesn't stop him from having the same sociopathic tendencies as the other gremlins.
167-->''(the Brain Gremlin is being interviewed about culture and civilization when another gremlin with a beanie pops in from the side and starts making a racket)''\
168'''Brain Gremlin:''' You take a look at this fellow here.\
169''(the Brain Gremlin takes out a gun and casually shoots the other gremlin in the head)''\
170'''Brain Gremlin:''' Now, was that civilized? No, clearly not. ''[[ItAmusedMe Fun]]'', but in no sense civilized.
171* NightmareFace: When the gremlin in the receptionist's chair smiles evilly at Daniel Clamp, it's enough to make you wish you had BrainBleach. But the winner of the scariest face of all goes to Mohawk. He's even more frightful when he was Stripe.
172* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed:
173** Clamp is obviously UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump, in that his name sounds similar, he's a real estate magnate who puts his name on skyscrapers, and he's a shameless self-promoter. It's also implied that he'll hook up with Marla, referring to Trump's then-wife Marla Trump. Clamp also has a lot of UsefulNotes/TedTurner in him, what with the cable channels, the "End of the World" tape on-deck, and his colorizing old black and white films (shown in a deleted scene where he colorizes a scene from ''Film/ItsAWonderfulLife'').
174** Microwave Marge is this to Creator/JuliaChild.
175* NonStandardCharacterDesign: In both their Mogwai and Gremlin forms, the four main gremlins Mohawk, George, Lenny and Daffy, look remarkably different from the other ones. The Gremlins were designed by Rick Baker this time, and he apparently wanted to put his own stamp on creature design.
176* {{Novelization}}: By David Bischoff.
177* ObviouslyEvil: Even as a Mogwai, Mohawk looks outright terrifying compared to his goofy brethren.
178* OnlyInItForTheMoney: Clamp earnestly notes that there are “real lives” at stake, and then follows up by worriedly stating, “Do you have any idea what kind of lawsuits we’re looking at here?”
179* {{Planimal}}: A gremlin drinks a potion from the science lab and becomes a gremlin/vegetable hybrid. Later we see another gremlin picking a bit of him off to snack on. He's also handy for garnishing mixed drinks.
180* PostModernism
181* PragmaticAdaptation:
182** A weird quasi-case. When the movie was put on video, Dante realized the sequence of the Gremlins BreakingTheFourthWall and taking over the projection room wouldn't fit the new format, so he made a completely different version of the scene where they cause the VCR to eat the tape. Then they start changing channels on the viewer's TV ("[[WesternAnimation/BugsBunny Could that have been a... gremlin?]]") until Creator/JohnWayne shoots at them and orders them to put the tape back in.
183*** The DVD and Blu-Ray releases just use the theatrical version, though the VHS scene is usually included as an EasterEgg.
184** In the novelization, the Brain Gremlin locks the author into a closet and takes over the typewriter for a bit.
185** In some TV viewings, the 4th wall-breaking scene is removed altogether.
186* ProductPlacement: When Marla and Billy go to the Canadian restaurant, there's a Jolt! Cola sitting right next to Marla's red wine. Maybe she's making her own [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalimotxo kalimotxo]]?
187* PunnyName: Doctor Catheter? Really?
188* RealityIsUnrealistic: UsefulNotes/TedTurner really did have that "End of the World" tape in case Armageddon hit. It leaked onto the web in 2015.
189* RedemptionEqualsDeath: Not long after Dr. Catheter decides to dedicate his life to good, [[spoiler:he gets killed by the Electric Gremlin]].
190%%* RedOniBlueOni: Lenny is the Red to George's Blue.%%How?
191* {{Reincarnation}}:
192** WordOfGod states that Mohawk, the new leader of the Gremlins, was Stripe, the primary antagonist from the first film reborn. Fortunately, Gizmo sends him back to the grave for good. Whether this is a literal reincarnation or figurative (as in, they fulfill similar archetypes) is unclear, though it is implied to be the former as Mohawk goes out of his way to torment Gizmo for much of the movie, and in the first movie Gizmo was the character who killed Stripe.
193** Also, the Bat Gremlin attacked only Murray. It may have memories of the gremlin who ran a bulldozer through the Futtermans' house in the first film.
194** George glares and growls at a microwave, likely recalling the "Exploding Gremlin" scene.
195* RemovedAchillesHeel: When the Gremlins break into the genetics lab, one of them mutates into a [[MixAndMatchCritters Bat-Gremlin hybrid]]. Another Gremlin who recently gained sentience because of a brain potion injects his winged compadre with another mixture that makes him resistant to the Gremlins' [[WeakenedByTheLight fatal weakness to sunlight]] so that he can go on a rampage in the city.
196* ReverseCerebusSyndrome: The sequel underplays the genuine horror tones of the original and focuses a lot more on the Gremlins' mischief, with a lot of it portrayed as more slapstick than in the first film (complete with added cartoon sound effects). Even the human cast is a lot more comedic.
197* RichBoredom: Mr. Clamp. He was originally supposed to be some sort of nepharious CorruptCorporateExecutive, but when we see him actually working in his huge top floor office, he's just kinda goofing off, doesn't seem to know how to fill the hours, and dictates on-the-whim suggestions for a parade to his secretary.
198* RunningGag: Malfunctioning revolving doors.
199* SayMyName: Just before Gizmo kills Mohawk with a makeshift flaming arrow.
200-->'''Mohawk:''' GIZZZZZZ-MOOOOOO!!!
201* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: The film crew for Microwave Marge's show promptly run out when the Gremlins attack, [[DirtyCoward instead]] of helping her.
202* SealedEvilInACan
203* SelfParody: This film often parodies itself, the previous film and audience (and critics') reactions to the film.
204* SeriesContinuityError: In the first movie we see Mrs Deagle's body and a number of humans seem to die offscreen. But early in the second movie Kate mentions that fortunately nobody got killed. One wonders how the science teacher survived, plus the news report at the film's end ''explicitly'' confirms that Mrs. Deagle had indeed died and hadn't just been knocked out.
205* SexualKarma: A newly [[TheSmurfettePrinciple girlified gremlin]] "attacks" a hapless human male! The guy in question was a very slimey fellow who seemed to delight in spying on employees and firing them as head of security. Then again, Forster after considering it for a moment, ''smiles'', probably after noticing how thick the Girl Gremlin's lips were.
206* ShoutOut:
207** This ''is'' a Joe Dante film, after all, so you ''will'' be getting WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes and 1956 ''Film/{{Invasion of the Body Snatchers|1956}}'' references (including the pod from the original film!), and all of the referential gags to ''Film/Batman1989'', 1925 ''Film/{{The Phantom of the Opera|1925}}'', and other Creator/WarnerBros properties. His ProductionPosse (Creator/DickMiller) are present as well. Look fast for a pair of DC Comics (another Warners company) on the cabinet behind Billy's desk.
208** "[[Film/RamboFirstBloodPartII To fight war... you gotta become war.]]" Similarly, the "Rambo" theme plays when Gizmo appears from one of the vents, when Mohawk the Spider-Gremlin was about to attack Kate and Marla. Composer Music/JerryGoldsmith worked on the ''Gremlins'' and ''Rambo'' films.
209** "Hey [[Literature/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame Quasimodo]], you home?"
210** [[Film/MarathonMan "Is it safe?"]]
211** George and Lenny are a shout out to ''Literature/OfMiceAndMen''.
212** A scene where a Gremlin and Billy are visible only through their silhouettes on a wall is a nod to the CreatorThumbprint of the prolific Warner Bros. director Creator/MichaelCurtiz (best-remembered for ''Film/{{Casablanca}}'').
213** The twin researchers in the genetics lab are called Creator/MartinAndLewis.
214** Clamp envisions Gizmo as a stuffed toy that has suctions so it can be stuck on car rear windows is an obvious reference to the popular ''ComicStrip/{{Garfield}}'' toys of the day.
215** The cathedral the Futtermans visit is called the Cathedral of St. Eva Marie, a reference to actress Creator/EvaMarieSaint.
216** The two monkeys that Billy frees were named Alvin and Theodore. [[Franchise/AlvinAndTheChipmunks No word if there was a third one named Simon]].
217* SlidingScaleOfComedyAndHorror: Definitely further over into comedy.
218* SmallRoleBigImpact: Bob, the delivery man in the Clamp building whose whistling of Gizmo's song leads to Billy finding and having a heartfelt reunion with the cute critter.
219* SmartPeopleSpeakTheQueensEnglish: The Brain Gremlin.
220* TheSmurfettePrinciple: There's only one girl gremlin, and that's entirely due to gene splicing.
221* SoLastSeason: They try to get every Gremlin into the lobby by fooling them into thinking it's nighttime, then fry them with sunlight. Then come the thunderclouds. Cue OhCrap moment.
222* SpecialEffectsEvolution: The puppetry as a whole is improved upon from the first film.
223* SpikesOfVillainy: Mohawk.
224* StealthPun: George and Lenny are named after the main characters from ''Literature/OfMiceAndMen''.
225* StockFootage: The opening aerial shot of New York City was stock footage from ''Film/SupermanIVTheQuestForPeace''.
226* StockScream: The Wilhelm Scream is heard as a victim's face is latched onto by a gremlin, causing him to fall from a railing.
227* StrappedToAnOperatingTable: The ''Marathon Man'' version is spoofed.
228* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: Mohawk is one for Stripe.
229* TakenForGranite: The bat Gremlin ends up [[AndIMustScream covered in quick-drying cement as a gargoyle atop a cathedral]].
230* TakeThatAudience: The control room security team who pose mocking questions about the Three Rules are {{Audience Surrogate}}s for the many fans [[Headscratchers/{{Gremlins}} who have posed similar skeptical questions]]. Billy's eye roll and Mohawk's attack illustrate the movie's feelings about such endless hole-punching.
231* TakeThatCritics: Surprisingly, one of the least bitter Take Thats. Creator/LeonardMaltin, who gave the original ''Gremlins'' a negative review, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtUA810cUhk appears as himself and is promptly mocked and attacked by the rampaging army]].
232--> '''Maltin:''' I was just kidding! Ow! A ten! ''It's a ten!''
233* ThatsAllFolks
234-->'''Daffy Duck:''' ''Oh no you don't!''
235* TokenGoodTeammate:
236** Girl Gremlin is the only "after midnight" Gremlin who isn't evil. She just want's to be loved. She's the only one of the batch who doesn't die.
237** According to an early script, Lenny is also this. In the final film he's more dopey and mischievous than actively malicious and in the original story he would have underwent an outright HeelFaceTurn.
238* TookALevelInBadass: Gizmo, at the same time doing a Rambo spoof.
239* TrainingMontage: Gizmo has a (hilarious) one where he tries lifting weights and going at a punching bag.
240* TriggerHappy: One of the SWAT guys shoots at a melted gremlin when it suddenly squirted.
241* TransformationDiscretionShot:
242** One of the Gremlins becomes a female, with it appearing transformed after cutting away after one becomes electric.
243** When Mohawk drinks the spider potion his transformation is seen by shadow, with him reappearing transformed in the next scene.
244* UnexplainedRecovery: The Futtermans sure seem to have recovered well from that whole snow plow thing in the first movie (it is mentioned in the first movie that they survived, but you have to listen carefully to hear it, and it was never actually ''explained'' even then).
245* UnspokenPlanGuarantee: Billy fully explains his first plan to kill all the Gremlins, which is to have them all go into the lobby and then get killed by the sunlight. This plan of course fails. For his second plan, Billy only tells a horrified Mr. Futterman to fire water into the Gremlins, but does not explain the part about releasing the electric Gremlin. This plan of course succeeds.
246* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: A simple janitor inadvertently causes the whole mess when he gets Gizmo wet without realizing the Mogwai was there while trying to repair a water fountain.
247* VictoryByEndurance: This is how Frank proposes they get Mr. Wing's shop, by simply waiting for him to die. Soon enough, it happens and Clamp Enterprises is able to take over the land.
248* VillainSong: Frank Sinatra's ''New York, New York'' no less. And amazingly well-coordinated! Marla gives it an "ifsy-shiftsy" mediocre handwave.
249-->'''Grandpa Fred:''' Incredible as it seems, ladies and gentlemen, after their bizarre, bloodcurdling rampage of destruction, these strange creatures now appear to be mounting what seems to be... a musical number.
250* VisualPun: The Canadian restaurant serves a moose head made out of chocolate. It's a chocolate mousse.
251* WhatHappenedToTheMouse:
252** "Daffy", "George" and "Lenny" disappear during the latter half of the movie (though deleted scenes depict them "helping" with Grandpa Fred's show and their FamilyUnfriendlyDeath with the rest of the Gremlins). One of the melting skeletons at the end clearly has George's cigar in its mouth.
253** The electric Gremlin's ultimate fate remains unclear, although it appears he dissipated after spreading around the gremlins.
254** What happened to the Gremlins in the projection booth?
255* YouGetMeCoffee: "Marla... smoke."
256* YouHaveToBelieveMe: After getting arrested trying to sabotage the Clamp building to keep the Gremlins from getting wet, Billy is a bit more forceful and incoherent.
257-->'''Billy''': They feed after midnight, and then they form these cocoons, and then they--\
258'''Forrester''': Peltzer, you're having a psychotic episode. [[DeadpanSnarker Thanks for sharing it with us.]]
259* YouHaveToBurnTheWeb: When Gizmo shoots the spider gremlin with flaming arrows.

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