Directed by Joe Dante, the original Gremlins film featured plenty of ‘80s special effects glory. The story centres around Gizmo, a horrifying, yet cute, creature (monster?) called a “mogwai” that is given to a young boy as a pet after his inventor father has a hard time trying to think up something unique. But this creature harbors a terrible secret: if you feed it after midnight, or expose it to water, it summons its evil friends who arrive meaning harm and wanting to wreak havoc. Somehow, through trickery and manipulation, the group of gremlins keep managing to feed after the clock strikes 12, and find sources of water to continue multiplying and causing trouble.
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Christopher Columbus, who wrote the original, will return to produce the reboot alongside Steven Spielberg, who was executive producer of the creepy comedy 30 years ago.
The team makes for a good horror-comedy mix – while Goosebumps is a leader in the children’s “horror” genre, Ellsworth has also played his hand in some scarier fare, including Red Eye, Disturbia, and The Last House on the Left. Columbus, meanwhile, has an extensive resume of experience with both the old and new generation of horror-comedies – he directed massive hit flicks like The Goonies, Home Alone, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, Mrs. Doubtfire, and two of the Harry Potter films. And, of course, we all know exactly where Spielberg’s strengths lie. No word on whether Howie Mandel will reprise his role as the “voice” of Gizmo.
As for millennials, once you get wind of this movie, you’ll have a better understanding of why anyone over the age of 30 is utterly creeped out by Furby dolls.
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