Give it up for the 'Gremlins' DVDs

While Gremlins has a special place in my heart alongside Ghostbusters and Back To The Future as the pinnacle of 80s popcorn cinema, my true litmus test for a person's coolness has always been Gremlins 2.

I love that Joe Dante made the sequel he wanted, not Warner Bros. I love the screwball nature of it, always one step away from being Airplane or Police Squad, but also the fact that the horror elements are really well done - Spider Gremlin, for instance. All the in-jokes hit the mark, and aren't overstated or forced.

I love the Looney Tunes opening (and am ecstatic that WB have made a decent decision for once and given Dante the next Looney Tunes movie) and the way that the whole film just feels like a speed-fuelled blast through geek culture.

And I still love the bizarre announcements made over the buildings PA system. "Fire! The most primal of all elements! Fire is engulfing the building!"

The deleted scenes for Gremlins 2 are fantastic as well - especially the scene with Christopher Lee and the bat. "Does he drink...blood?"

I spent a great fun evening feeding Baby Dillon while flicking through the special features on both discs the other night, in the hope that these early exposures to the classics will somehow seep into his little hairy head via osmosis.

Fantastic discs. I love the commentaries.

And it's hilarious that an actual "end of the world" tape exists...

I was surprised at how much material got cut out of Gremlins as well. Judge Reinhold must've been pissed!

I actually thing the Gremlins disc sucks.

The commentaries are cool, yes. As are the deleted scenes.

But where's the retrospective doc?

Better yet, where the fuck is the behind the scenes footage of the actual production?

I remember way back when I was a yard monster seeing the ACTUAL making-of - not some BS EPK short - on both HBO and that Leonard Nimoy hosted show on Nickelodeon. Where they showed the guys under the sets operating the puppets.

Course I would have also put the animated pilot on there too...

Saw it four times at the theatre -- which is where the "breaking down of the film" gag works best -- Chris Lee's dialogue warping and then the whole picture burning out and the whole audience groaning until the lil' Gremlin hands start making shadow puppets -- I think it lacks a little on home video. But the movie is merely and iota of a % less great than it's big brother...

************Frightfest minus 8 hours *************

My VHS copy of Gremlins 2 features a different version of the cinema gag, with John Wayne on the screen instead of Hulk Hogan in the theatre. Is that on this disc as well?

I hate you guys. I want these freakin' discs, damnit! Why am I so poor???

And yes, 'Gremlins 2' is an underappreicated gem, like most of Dante's work.

I always felt that while Gremlins seemed to parody the entire ET craze, Gremlins 2 was a sequel that was a parody of sequels. The idea of having all these mutated Gremlins running around seemed to me to be a dig at how sequels either tend to throw more of whatever worked the first time at the screen or alter the original concept beyond recognition in an effort to cash in. It's subtle, but I think it's there.

Gremlins 2 - definitely in the class of Evil Dead 2, Aliens, Toy Story 2 and every other sequel that's as good if not better than the original. Too bad it's so underappreciated. But judging from this thread a lot more people like it than I thought.

Got to love the Gremlins movies, but part II lacked the all-important Axton factor...

As is the whole world now

you don't mean he's dead?

Yep. On the special features menu, you can click right to highlight Mohawk's hand, and that easter egg is the John Wayne version.

Aww..... Wot a great dad!

I like the first film and love the second. Somehow it feels more personal, more Dante.

Gremlins is one of my favorite movies of all time. The joy Dante puts in every scene. The way it's cheesy without being cheesy, if you know what I mean. The film references, the parody of fads. It was my childhood. I love this film and get so much joy from each viewing.

Gremlins 2 is near perfect. Fun, zany, and scary. Dante made the movie the way he wanted to. It is a Warner Brothers cartoon. It feels like a Merry Melodies. It is the closet to a Chuck Jones cartoon that live action film has ever gotten. The same joy that Dante puts in every frame of Gremlins is present in 2. Near perfect film.

Hats off to Dante for making both, for making the films HE wanted to make. For making the best monster movies of the last 20 years. He is my hero. The man is pure gold.

And the discs rock. The commentaries are some of the best I have ever heard.

The commentary with Dante, Michael Finnell and Chris Walas is awesome.

I had a dilemma when buying a movie yesterday, I was split between The Thing and Gremlins SE and only had $15 with me. I looked it over and over and over...WHAT TO PICK! The Thing had the 80 minute Documentery, the Commentary, and boat loads of extras plus The Thing movie. Gremlins had the two commentaries, a small behind the scenes, 10 minutes of deleted scenes and The Gremlins movie. It was a hard choice but I ended up going with...The Thing. Great movie and DVD. The Gremlins SE will be mine next time! I think I made the right decision...

Sometimes, you just have to HATE these 'special edition' DVDs. Here's a "Gremlins" case and point...

Target stores were offering discounts on "Gremlins" as low as $14.95, but if you wait a month or two, they go down to $9.95 to unload 'em (great for quick pickups!) But NOOOOOOOO... now there's a special AND costler version. Clever marketing moguls those greedy bastards are...!

Hoyt Axton died in 1999

I agree... I agree so much that I've been using part of it for my signature for a while now... however I never have checked it's spelling....