In 1984, producer Steven Spielberg, writer Chris Columbus, and director Joe Dante brought a new breed of cuddly creatures to the big screen, hoping to draw in fans of other odd critters like Yoda and E.T. The star of this film is the adorable “mogwai” (Chinese for “devil”) named Gizmo, who propagates some very odd offspring that terrorize a small town on Christmas Eve. Released the same weekend as Ghostbusters, this horror-comedy was a hit with audiences, earning $212 million on an $11 million budget. The flick spawned a 1990 sequel, subtitled The New Batch, and a TV series, with a forthcoming third film, Secrets of the Mogwai, in the works. On the merchandising side, the Gizmo plush became an instant hit as one of the top toys of Christmas ’84. And, of course, there were plenty of knock-offs, from Critters, to Munchies, to Ghoulies. Perhaps most notably, the film’s violence and gore, packaged in family-friendly wrapping paper, led to the creation of a new MPAA rating category: PG-13. But forty-one years later, are we still going gaga for Gremlins? Or have these vicious vermin overstayed their welcome like unruly in-laws at the holidays?

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