History YMMV / Gremlins

* {{Narm}}: Kate's story about [[spoiler:how her father died in the chimney as he tried to climb down it while dressed as Santa Claus]] may have been intended to be creepy and/or sad, but the simple absurdity of the situation can also make it a little hard to take seriously. (And the creators apparently recognize this and [[SelfParody make fun]] of it in the second movie, where this time Kate starts narrating why she hates Lincoln's Day and she gets interrupted by Billy who tells her they don't have the time for it.)
** Done intentionally. WordOfGod is that the scene is supposed to be emotionally complex, and the audience isn't supposed be sure whether they should be empathizing with Kate's tragedy or laughing at the absurdity of the situation. Intended to encapsulate the emotion of the film as a whole: are the Gremlins nightmare monsters who cause carnage, destruction, and death everywhere they go, or gleeful live-action cartoons just being silly?

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%%* CreepyAwesome: Stripe.

* SpecialEffectsFailure: There's a few times where one can see the hand of the puppeteer. In particular, the rod in the arm of the plate-throwing gremlin in the kitchen attack is clearly visible during the over-the-shoulder shots and again when Stripe attacks Billy with the chainsaw at the end. The Gizmo puppet also proved to be a hassle to work with for the crew, the scene with the Gremlins throwing darts at Gizmo in the final film was their way of expressing it.

* SpecialEffectsFailure: There's a few times where one can see the hand of the puppeteer. In particular, the rod in the arm of the plate-throwing gremlin in the kitchen attack is clearly visible during the over-the-shoulder shots.

* MemeticMutation: Thanks to this film, the word "gremlins" was primarily associated with its characters. And the official theme, so much that many now remember it more than the film itself.

* BigLippedAlligatorMoment: The whole "Santa Claus" speech comes out of nowhere, and isn't mentioned again afterward, leaving it completely without any resolution. It has absolutely no reason to be in the movie [[NightmareFuel other than to be disturbing]].

* {{Narm}}: Kate's story about [[spoiler:how her father died in the chimney as he tried to climb down it while dressed as Santa Claus]] may have been intended to be creepy and/or sad, but the simple absurdity of the situation can also make it a little hard to take seriously. (And the creators apparently recognize this and [[SelfParody make fun]] of it in the second movie where this time Kate starts narrating why she hates Lincoln's Day and she gets interrupted by Billy who tells her they don't have the time for it.)

* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotPolitical: Of course, this was not intentional, but some people still see this film as a satire on the YellowPeril and Americans' stereotypes about Asia, especially [[MadeInCountryX cheap Japanese imports]]. This is especially invoked when, at the beginning of the film, one of the veterans tells the main character a popular legend about GripingAboutGremlins.

%%* CreepyAwesome: Stripe.

* MemeticMutation: Thanks to this film, the word "gremlins" was primarily associated with its characters. And the official theme, so much that many now remember it more than the film itself.

* CultClassic: For many reasons, but above all because of the nostalgia for the 80th and the very strong charm of the series. As an example, this film is considered a nostalgic classics, even in Eastern Europe or Asia.

* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotPolitical: Of course, this was not intentional, but some people still see this film as a satire on the "Asian threat" and Americans stereotypes about Asia. This is especially invoked when at the beginning of the film one of the veterans tells the main character a popular legend about GripingAboutGremlins.

* VisualEffectsOfAwesome: The mogwai and gremlin puppets have aged quite well.

* UnfortunateImplications: There exists [[http://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2012/05/the-50-most-racist-movies/gremlins a theory]] that the film is an extended metaphor for white suburbia's fear of black culture. This comes up as a joke in ''Film/DearWhitePeople.''

* ToughActToFollow: Creator/JoeDante's most popular and successful movie, as well as the one he seems to be proudest of. Most of his movies that followed have received mediocre to negative reception, if they haven't completely disappeared into obscurity.

* BrokenAesop: Mr. Wing the Chinese Man berates the Americans for exploiting and misusing the creatures of the world around them. A lecture that is rather undermined if you are at all familiar with the still-thriving practice of Chinese Folk Medicine, which revolves heavily around killing and/or torturing various animals to create traditional "remedies" of dubious effectiveness, such as painfully draining bile from bear gall bladders or killing tigers to use different body parts for everything from rheumatism cures to virility boosters.

* BigLippedAlligatorMoment: The whole "Santa Claus" speech comes out of nowhere, and isn't mentioned again afterward, leaving it completely without any resolution. It has absolutely no reason to be in the movie [[NightmareFuel than to be disturbing]].

* HarsherInHindsight: At the end of the movie, the old Chinese man says (to the American family), "You have done with the mogwai what your society has done with ALL of nature's gifts!" Fast forward 30 years to the ecological nightmare that is modern China....

* EvilIsCool: Stripe, probably the only gremlin in the film who's both totally evil and [[GenreSavvy wickedly smart]].

** Music/PeterGabriel's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7crfAIKBro Out Out]], which plays in the bar scene from the first movie.

* TheProblemWithLicensedGames: The Atari video game based on the film is rather badly done.

* SpecialEffectsFailure: There's a few times where one can see the hand of the puppeteer.

* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter: The first movie bothers to properly introduce several residents of Kingston Falls, even giving them detailed personalities and backstories. Most of them disappear in the second act or end up quick victims of the Gremlims' rampage. It's especially glaring with Gerald (played by Judge Reinhold) who is set up as a jerk deserving of some comeuppance -- and is then never seen again after his second scene in the tavern (though is terrorised in a deleted scene). The sequel seems to go out of it's way to avoid the same mistake, even bringing back a handful of the original cast to be utilised more fully.
* ToughActToFollow: Joe Dante's most popular and successful movie, as well as the one he seems to be proudest of. Most of his movies that followed have received mediocre to negative reception, if they haven't completely disappeared into obscurity.

* UnfortunateImplications: Several critics [[http://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2012/05/the-50-most-racist-movies/gremlins argue]] that the film is an extended metaphor for white suburbia's fear of black culture. This comes up as a joke in ''Film/DearWhitePeople.''

* UnfortunateImplications: Several critics [[http://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2012/05/the-50-most-racist-movies/gremlins argue]] that the film is an extended metaphor for white suburbia's fear of black culture.