Giving the 'Gremlins' franchise its proper due

The Gremlins movies are often overlooked when it comes to the pantheon of holiday movies and it's easy to see why. Despite earning decent reviews and being wildly successful (the first one in particular) at the box office they aren't exactly family friendly, even if they are clearly aimed at mischievous kids with a high tolerance for ickiness.

The cast has been made quite persuasively that the films are really a covert vehicle for a racist take on white flight but I like to think they are meant as a satire of privileged complacency in general.

The first film functions as a kind of anti-E.T., it starts with the introduction of the adorable, innocent Gizmo but after every rule regarding the gremlins is broken (getting them wet, feeding them after midnight) the movie turns into pretty much a full bore horror film, albeit a comical one.

It's a dark film that almost seems crafted to infuriate parents and titillate or terrify kids, depending on how strong their constitutions are.

I was definitely one of those kids who were terrified by the gremlins, especially when took on more vicious, reptilian form. I have a very vivid memory of being terrified for the ads for Gremlins 2: The New Batch, and begging my older brother to warn me if the trailer was about to show when we went to a movie so I could cover my eyes.

Now, I can see the appeal. While the first film plays things fairly straight and effectively, the second film functions as almost a parody of the first.

It's telling that it starts with a classic-style Warner Brothers cartoon starring Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck. Gremlins 2 is pretty much a cartoon -- a gross out one to be sure -- but it has all sort of in-jokes, it breaks the fourth wall and climaxes with a big musical number inspired by Busby Berkeley.

I've always been more partial to the first film's narrative purity, but there is something endearing about the devil-may-care quality of its follow-up which was so wittily spoofed by this classic Key and Peele sketch.

This one isn't a Christmas movie at all -- but the first one is all about the holidays.

It's not exactly culturally sensitive and I don't think it's particularly deep -- but it is visceral (the puppetry is tactile and impressive) and original. I've heard rumors over the years that there is interest in rebooting this property -- which should surprise no one, since virtually everything gets rebooted nowadays. The gremlins would likely be computer animated in any new iteration -- which will likely detract from their impact.

I just hope if the concept is every revisited that it will not lose these two films' anarchic spirit. More kids movies should make parents uncomfortable and keep them on their toes.