For the second year in a row, we’ve got a special holiday themed edition of Time on Screen. Today, we have a gift for our listeners that you don’t have to worry about getting wet, exposing to bright lights, or feeding after midnight. That’s right, today we’re talking Gremlins, a movie set during Christmas, that hit theaters in the middle of summer, and on the same weekend as the weirdly similar Ghostbusters. Gremlins is a natural choice for Time on Screen – telling time is crucial in the film, after all.
For this episode, Zach welcomes Ed Jelley back to the podcast to discuss their experiences revisiting a movie that has been a cult object since childhood for both of them. They ponder the question: is Gremlins actually any good? It turns out that sometimes the things that fascinate and entertain you as a child can do the opposite once you have some perspective in life. Who knew? It’s a fun conversation that digs into some of the lore around the movie, including its controversial tone and what can only be described as the all out mayhem and violence that unfurls in the film’s final act.