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Gremlins (1984) KILL COUNT is the three hundred and sixtieth video of The Kill Count.
Overview[]
Struggling inventor Randall Peltzer visits a Chinatown antique store, hoping to find a Christmas present for his son Billy. Inside, Randall encounters a small, furry creature called a mogwai. The owner, Mr. Wing, refuses to sell Randall the creature, but his grandson secretly does, warning Randall to remember three important rules: do not expose the mogwai to light, especially sunlight, which will kill it; do not let it come in contact with water; and above all, never feed it after midnight.
Randall returns home to Kingston Falls, where he gives the mogwai to Billy as a pet. Billy works in the local bank, but fears that his dog Barney will be put down by widowed miser Mrs. Deagle. Randall names the mogwai "Gizmo" and explains the three rules. When Billy's young friend Pete accidentally spills water over Gizmo, five more mogwai spawn from his back, a more troublemaking sort led by the aggressive Stripe, named for the tuft of fur on his head. Billy shows one of the mogwai to his former elementary school science teacher, Mr. Hanson, spawning another mogwai, on whom Hanson experiments. Back at home, Stripe and his fellow mogwai trick Billy into feeding them after midnight by severing the power cord on his alarm clock. They form cocoons, as does Hanson's mogwai, which soon hatch, emerging as mischievous, dark green, reptilian monsters, who then torture Gizmo and attack Billy's mother, Lynn. Hanson is killed by his gremlin.
Lynn and Billy are able to kill off the gremlins, except for Stripe, who escapes to a local YMCA. There, Stripe jumps into the swimming pool, spawning an army of gremlins who wreak havoc in Kingston Falls. Many people are injured or outright killed by the gremlins' rampage, including Mrs. Deagle. Billy reports this to the police, but they prove to be no help as they don't believe his story, even after he shows them Gizmo.
As Billy rescues his girlfriend, Kate Beringer, they hide in the now-abandoned bank where Kate reveals to Billy and Gizmo why she hates Christmas: when she was nine years old, her father went missing on Christmas Eve and did not come home on Christmas Day either; several days later, he was found dead in their chimney while dressed as Santa Claus. Planning to surprise her and her mother, he had accidentally slipped and broken his neck while climbing down the chimney. Still suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder because of the event, Kate confesses this is how she discovered the truth about Santa Claus.
Billy and Kate discover that the town has fallen silent and the gremlins are watching Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in the local theater. They set off a natural gas explosion, incinerating all the gremlins except for Stripe, who left to commandeer more candy at a Montgomery Ward store across the street. As morning approaches, they follow Stripe into the department store, where Stripe attempts to use a water fountain to spawn more gremlins. Gizmo opens a skylight, exposing Stripe to sunlight, killing him.
As the local news reports on the day's mysterious tragedies, Mr. Wing reclaims Gizmo at the Peltzer home. He criticizes both the Peltzers' and Western society for their carelessness with nature. However, as he turns to leave, Gizmo, having bonded with Billy, bids the young man goodbye. A touched Mr. Wing then concedes that Billy may be ready one day, and until then, Gizmo will be waiting.
Deaths[]
Counted Deaths:[]
Humans:[]
- Roy Hanson - Gremlins got his ass (With a syringe, apparently) - 49 mins in
- Mrs. Deagle - Launched out of window via stairlift - 1 hr 9 mins in
- Santa Claus - Mauled to death by Gremlins - 1 hr 11 mins in
Gremlins:[]
- Gremlin #1 - Mixing bowl massacre - 54 mins in
- Gremlin #2 - Repeatedly stabbed by Mrs. Peltzer - 55 mins in
- Gremlin #3 - Reheated for too long in microwave by Mrs. Peltzer - 55 mins in
- Gremlin #4 - Decapitated with sword, roasted on an open fire - 57 mins in
- Cheater Gremlin - Dealt a bad hand (Shot by Stripe) - 1 hr 14 mins in
- Ceiling Fan Gremlin - Flung head first into bar sign - 1 hr 17 mins in
- 150 Cinephile Gremlins (Including Fire Extinguisher Gremlin, Flasher Gremlin, Traffic-Light Gremlin, Bogart Gremlin, and Earl the Gremlin) - Blown up in theater - 1 hr 27 mins in
- Stripe - Cleaned up on aisle twelve (Melted via sunlight) - 1 hr 38 mins in
Non-Counted Deaths[]
- Mr. Beringer - Fell down chimney, neck broken (mentioned)
- Mr. Anderson - Hand bitten, possibly killed.
- Sheriff Frank Reilly - Possibly killed in car crash.
- Deputy Brent Frye - Possibly killed in car crash.
- Ronald Corben - Crushed by falling clock (Deleted Scene)
- Slingshot Gremlin - Possibly killed by slingshot by a little boy
Trivia[]
- For the Gremlins Kill Counts, they have a new award, The Golden Gremlin.
- The Gremlins are separated from the Humans and have their own pie chart.
- Despite that, Stripe won the Golden Chainsaw. Meaning even though they're separated from the humans, they still get the same awards.
- The color used for the Gremlin Kills is Green.
- Despite that, Stripe won the Golden Chainsaw. Meaning even though they're separated from the humans, they still get the same awards.
- The Gremlins are separated from the Humans and have their own pie chart.
- This is the first Joe Dante movie covered on the Kill Count.
- Zach Galligan has been on the Kill Count once before, as a blink-and-you'll-miss-it victim in the Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth (1992) KILL COUNT nightclub massacre.