The Christmas season is finally upon us. While many streaming users are revisiting their favorite family films to celebrate, others are taking to the horror genre. As it just so happens, a holiday classic has now become the #1 horror movie on Max as a result.
There are quite a few movies that combine the sights and sounds of Christmas within the horror genre. Although not all of these films have become classics, there is one that’s undeniably a Christmas favorite. And it’s also the most popular horror film on Max as of this writing.
Those of you who are fans are probably already familiar. In fact, going into 2024, it will be the film’s 40th anniversary. Despite its age, however, it’s clear that this film – directed by Joe Dante and written by Chris Columbus – has only grown in popularity.
Gremlins is this very film. Released in 1984, it made more than $212 million on a $11 million budget. The film revolved around Zach Galligan’s Billy Peltzer, a young man who receives a furry creature known only as a “mogwai” for a Christmas present. He names the creature Gizmo and tries to obey three rules to take care of it.
Billy is warned not to expose Gizmo to bright light or sunlight, he can’t get it wet, and he can never, ever feed it after midnight. Of course, the rules do get broken, and audiences were delighted, terrified, and amused to find an army of memorable monsters as a result. The film brought its titular “gremlins” to life with an array of practical effects, all of which have been recognized as some of the best the genre has to offer.
It’s no surprise that fans are choosing to revisit the film this holiday season. It was followed by a sequel in 1990, Gremlins 2: The New Batch, and a new television series titled Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai. The latter is still ongoing, in fact, with the second season expected to premiere in 2024.
As always, we’ll have to see how the Gremlins multimedia franchise continues to grow. For now, however, fans will have the original 1984 film to revisit. Stay tuned to ScreenGeek for any additional updates as we have them.