Joe Dante’s Gremlins A Twisted Christmas Fairy Tale

Because of Gremlins is both a Christmas tale and also a splatstick, this article aims to show how and why Joe Dante achieved the synthesis of two seemingly contradictory aesthetics: the Corman’s manner on the one hand, the Spielberg’s approach on the other. Midway between New Hollywood’s protest cinema and the 80s merchandising, Gremlins is not just a monster movie about the holiday season. It is also a movie about the power of movie consumption and more about the power of movie creation.