10 Best Creature Features Of The 1980s

It's imperative for movies to take their time setting up the plot, the characters, and the conflicts. Of course, this practice is tricky in horror, since a lot of viewers want to get to the violence and gore immediately.

However, Gremlins pulls this off brilliantly. Although the titular beasties don't appear until the halfway point, Joe Dante's Christmasy classic is riveting from the get-go for one simple reason: the mystery. 

Almost every early scene is drenched in secrecy in one way or another. What is the creature that Billy's father bought? Why can't Gizmo get wet? What happens if the Mogwai eat after midnight? What the hell is going to come out of those cocoons? 

While these teasers kept us thoroughly engaged, each scene develops the characters and expands their relationships with one another, so we give a damn about them when things go south.

Also, Gremlins gets top marks for balancing horror and comedy. The gremlins are frightening, but the cheeky critters also have plenty of hilarious moments that are funnier the more you think about them. For example, why did the Gremlin caroller put on earmuffs if they didn't cover their ears?

Though it inspired many mini-monster movies like Ghoulies, Puppet Master, Hobgoblins, and Spookies, none can hold a candle to Gremlins.