Line #69 Franchise/Gremlins


1	[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/eb38d0c315c2b605e5d19e6dfbaec486.png]]
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3	''Gremlins'' is a HorrorComedy franchise created by Creator/JoeDante and Creator/StevenSpielberg.
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5	It is centered around the mythical Mogwai and the creatures they spawn if wet, the Gremlins. While principally composed of two feature films, it has branched out into other media, including video games, theme park rides, and animation.
6
7	Works:
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9	[[index]]
10	[[AC:Film]]
11	* ''Film/{{Gremlins\|1984}}''
12	* ''Film/Gremlins2TheNewBatch''
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14	[[AC:Theme Parks]]
15	* ''Ride/GremlinsInvasion''
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17	[[AC:Video Games]]
18	* ''Gremlins 2: The New Batch''
19	* ''Gremlins: Stripe vs. Gizmo''
20	* ''Gremlins: Gizmo''
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22	[[AC:Western Animation]]
23	* ''WesternAnimation/GremlinsSecretsOfTheMogwai'' (2023)
24	[[/index]]
25
26	Characters from the franchise also appeared in Franchise/{{Lego}} form in the video game ''VideoGame/LEGODimensions'' with Gizmo and Stripe reprised by Howie Mandel and Frank Welker. Gizmo and Stripe also appear as playable characters in ''VideoGame/{{Multiversus}}'' both voiced by Daniel Ross.
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28	For the trope, see GripingAboutGremlins.
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30	----
31	!!Tropes:
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33	* AdaptationalHeroism: Daffy and Lenny, while arguably the least malicious of the known ''Mogwai'', were still antagonistic and ultimately evolved into dangerous Gremlins in the second film. In the ''Gremlins: Gizmo'' video game, they are Eternals you can choose to take control of like Gizmo.
34	* AlienBlood: The gremlins bleed (often copious amounts) of green goo, even though the ''mogwai'' bleed red.
35	* AllThereInTheManual: Several of the Mogwai and Gremlins are only given names via merchandise or the novelisations. The beady-eyed second in command in the first film is called Haskins, while the one tested on by Mr Hanson is called Earl. The second film's initial spawn of Mogwai are Mohawk, George, Lenny, and Daffy.
36	* AlwaysChaoticEvil: Emphasis on "chaotic" in the case of any of the Mogwai/Gremlins who aren't Gizmo. Emphasis on "evil" when it comes to Stripe and Mohawk. That said, the other Gremlins do not exactly weep over killed comrades.
37	* ApeShallNeverKillApe: The novelization says that Mogwai are incapable of killing each other. However, this is {{averted}} by the Gremlins, who aren't safe even from each other. They're frequently shown murdering one of their own or doing things like throwing acid in another Gremlin's face.
38	* AssholeVictim: Because the films are family-friendly comedies, the few human characters that die at the hands of the gremlins are made unsympathetic.
39	* BilingualBonus: The first Mogwai is bought from a Chinese shop. "Mo-Gwai" is Cantonese for "devil."
40	* BizarreAlienBiology: The Mogwai and gremlins don't operate under normal biological rules. [[WeakenedByTheLight Most forms of light are painful to them]], and sunlight is outright fatal, they reproduce asexually just from contacting water, and they metamorphose from the former to the latter just by eating after midnight. The novelization justifies this by saying they are literally aliens.
41	* CelestialDeadline: Mogwai shall not be fed "after midnight", lest they turn into Gremlins. Nothing is said about when you can feed them again. Sunrise, maybe? {{Lampshaded}} in the second movie, when the security crew mocks Billy by coming up with various scenarios, such as eating on a plane and passing into another time zone.
42	* CuteIsEvil: The cuteness of the Mogwai blinds people to the fact that they could possibly be dangerous.
43	* ExplosiveBreeder: Mogwai start to pop out new Mogwai whenever they get wet. Gremlins do this too, and they make more Gremlins rather than Mogwai.
44	* ExpressiveEars: The Gremlins and Mogwai have very large, expressive ears that are often used to display their mood, like pulling their ears back when startled. They can also swivel them in any direction to better detect sounds, so it's difficult to sneak up on them.
45	* TheFairFolk: The novelisations outright state that the Mogwai/Gremlins are their direct inspiration, and they are modelled after a particular fey creature anyways. [[spoiler: If you consider the novels' statements about them being aliens to be true, then they also reference the similarities between traditional fairies and the grays]].
46	* GeneticMemory: Gremlins, as part of their nature, are born with the capacity to understand the interworkings of machinery and how to sabotage it. [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking As well as an apparently instinctive grasp and love of pop culture.]]
47	* TheGenieKnowsJackNicholson: In spades; both Gizmo and the Gremlins are ''huge'' pop culture junkies. This quality is exaggerated and highlighted in the second film.
48	* {{Gorn}}: The Gremlins have green blood and guts, which leaves them open to extremely gory deaths that only get more gruesome in the sequel.
49	* HorrorHatesARulebreaker: The series is a classic example of this trope/genre of horror. The adorable little Mogwai named Gizmo had a number of rules that anyone taking care of one needed to know.
50	** The first rule was never to place a Mogwai [[WeakenedByTheLight near bright light, especially sunlight, as that would kill them]].
51	** The second rule was never to get any water on them or have them drink it, as this was [[BizarreAlienReproduction their primary means of reproduction]], and when this rule was broken, it resulted in a number of Mogwai getting born from Gizmo's back who weren't nearly as nice as him.
52	** The third and final rule was never to feed a Mogwai after midnight (something the new Mogwai tricked the protagonist into doing by means of ripping the wires out of a mains-powered analog clock), because that would result in the Mogwai undergoing a transformation into one of the eponymous Gremlins. The key to defeating them turned out to be weaponizing the first rule, which worked on both Mogwai and Gremlins alike.
53	* ImMelting: Prolonged exposure to sunlight causes gremlins to melt. For added points, ''Gremlins 2'' has one dressed as a witch recite the [[Film/TheWizardOfOz trope namer]] as he melts.
54	* IncongruouslyDressedZombie: Whenever a Gremlin bothers to wear clothes, it's liable to be this trope. The bar scenes from the first movie feature Gremlin bar floozies, Gremlin beatniks, a Gremlin in a ''Flashdance'' outfit, a ski-masked Gremlin armed robber, and even a Gremlin ''flasher''.
55	* InevitablyBrokenRule: The three rules of keeping a Mogwai: never expose them to light, never get them wet, and never '''ever''' feed them after midnight. The breaking of the second and third rules causes the Gremlin infestation, while the breaking of the first rule ends it.
56	* InfantilizationRetaliation: Gizmo gets water spilled on him and promptly spawns several Gremlin eggs. While initially cute, they actually hatch into Mogwai, where the ominous music, Gizmo's pained screaming, and the malevolent gazes of the babies as they hatch let the audience these new Gremlins are very different from Gizmo. Pete thinks they're cute and reaches towards one while saying, "Hi, Cutie". It promptly snaps at his finger.
57	* ItAmusedMe: The main motivation behind the Gremlins' actions. Most of them aren't inherently evil - it's just that they are TheUnfettered in their pursuit of fun, resulting in it often involving wanton destruction.
58	* ItCanThink: A lot of the problems arise from the human characters fatally underestimating the Gremlins' intelligence. After the evil Mogwai are spawned, they trick Billy into feeding them after midnight by sabotaging his analog clock, and on several other occasions, they damage equipment to cause accidents, like cutting the brakes of a police car. Stripe knows full well that water creates more Gremlins, so he jumps into a pool when Billy pursues him, and also knows how to operate tools (he attacks Billy with a pistol and a ''mini-chainsaw'').
59	* KillerRabbit: The Mogwai, save for Gizmo. Gizmo himself qualifies when he TakesALevelInBadass and models himself after Franchise/{{Rambo}}.
60	* KnightOfCerebus: While the Gremlins are played for violent laughs in general, both Stripe and Mohawk are played deadly straight.
61	* LaughablyEvil: Most Gremlins in general. They're both incredibly dangerous and ''very'' funny.
62	* MagicAIsMagicA: Sunlight kills Mogwai and Gremlins who are also afraid of bright lights. Water splashed onto either of the two produces more creatures spawned from their backs. Feeding a mogwai after midnight causes it to metamorphosize into a gremlin. This gets played with in the second movie.
63	* MammalMonstersAreMoreHeroic: While Gizmo is the only truly heroic Mogwai, it's clear that part of the reason why he ''remains'' heroic is that he never transforms into a Gremlin, which is larger and more muscular, obviously reptilian with scales instead of fur, and has sharp claws and fangs. In an earlier draft, Gizmo would have become a Gremlin and tried to kill Billy.
64	* MetamorphosisMonster: The Mogwai transform if fed after midnight.
65	* MonsterDelay: In both films, we at first don't see much if anything of the Gremlins except glimpses of their arms and shadows and hearing their voices after their cocoons hatch. After a short time, we finally see them in all their monstrous glory, and from then on, they get a lot of screen time for the rest of the film. This trope's re-use in the second film remains effective due to the four metamorphosing Mogwai's unique appearances.
66	* TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou:
67	** While no one seems to make a big deal out of who kills what Gremlin, it always seems to be Gizmo's destiny to be the one to destroy the lead Gremlin who seems to be his main rival.
68	** For that matter, while some manage to kill at least one Gremlin, it always seems to be Billy's plan that exterminates the entire horde of Gremlins except the leader.
69	* ReptilesAreAbhorrent: The fluffy mammal-like Mogwai outside of Gizmo are already depicted as a malicious bunch, but they become an unstoppable horde who create havoc in the town and kill several people only after they're turned into fierce reptilian-esque Gremlins.
70	* RestrainingBolt: In the novelization, Stripe tells Gizmo right to his face that he wants to kill him but can't for some reason. Gizmo explains that their alien creators made sure that Mogwai could never kill each other. That RestrainingBolt vanishes after Stripe becomes a Gremlin since he isn't a Mogwai anymore.
71	* RidiculouslyCuteCritter: The Mogwai, particularly Gizmo. At least before they have an after-midnight snack.
72	* SpeciesTitle: About the [[GripingAboutGremlins odd creatures]] with a penchant for havoc and terror.
73	* ThrewMyBikeOnTheRoof: In addition to enjoying scaring people, Gremlins seem to like wrecking property just to be dicks.

Context Franchise / Gremlins