Movie Meme...The Eighties!

This week Hannah's theme is the perfect one for me...the 80s!  My teenage years were spent revelling in the fashion, the music and the films of this iconic decade!

By the mid 80's I was tall enough to get into the local cinema to watch 'AA' and 'X' Rated movies (we didn't have 15's and 18's then!)  The first multi-screen cinema complex opened up in Slough by the late 80's, offering half price entry on Wednesdays, so I was a bit of a regular. Good memories.

My first choice of favourite 80's movie was The Lost Boys featuring the lovely Kiefer Sutherland long before CTU claimed him as their own.  It was a vampire movie which was made how a vampire movie should be made, with hot, vicious teen vampires on the rampage.  But as Hannah shares a similar taste in all things horrific and chose it herself, I'm having to take a different direction with my choice!

So the film I have chosen is Gremlins.  Released in 1984, it was the must see Christmas movie.

I saw it at the cinema and we all fell in love with the adorable Gizmo, the cute little pet who came with his own set of rules!!  When the rules are broken it leads to a horde of malevolent, mischievous, green monsters overtaking the town and wreaking havoc.

I loved this film.  The characterization of the marauding creatures was beautifully done...from the beer swilling, card playing gamblers to the cross dressing, over made-up protagonists in the local pub.  The scenes where the Gremlins were killed off in the kitchen was classic...who could forget the untimely death by blender or the explosive  microwave moment!

Joe Dante directed and created genuine suspense without losing the humour from what was essentially quite a horrific premise.  All the while as the hideous creatures caused mayhem, Gizmo looked on with his big eyes with a look of disappointment and genuine sorrow at what his progeny had become.  (I'm sure there is some deep analogy to be made there for media students!)

I remember not knowing what the creatures looked like and being blown away in the cinema when the box with the Mogwai in was opened.  Then the second generation evil ones were produced and we all gasped as they transformed into the reptilian monsters. We laughed and we felt slightly nervous all at the same time. None of the sequels came close in capturing the magic of the first film.  We knew what to expect second time round and the suspense was replaced with a rehashing of a "small-creatures-attack-town" storyline that relied heavily on slapstick humour.

Gremlins rocked!