Ep 213 Gremlins 2

Welcome to Horror

It’s part 3 of our ‘New York’ marathon and we’re in up in the skyscrapers for “Gremlins 2: The New Batch”. A film in which John Glover portrays a thinly veiled Donald Trump in a far more sympathetic light than would be possible these days; Hulk Hogan is revealed to be younger than any of our hosts; and Christopher Lee has already got rabies. The belated sequel to Joe Dante’s original failed to ignite the box office, and seems to have a annoyed many fans of that first film, possibly for the crime of trying to be a bit different, but we find it impossible to not get swept up in the glorious glee with which the titular monsters, and their director, wreak havoc with this movie. Unfettered from the control of his producers, Dante ramps up everything to the point of absurdity, channeling his love of Looney Tunes (including a specially produced Bugs and Daffy intro from the mighty Chuck Jones) with satirical swipes at Corporate culture, the diminishing returns of sequels, and postmodern references to the first film. Packed with cameos and references, this is a non-stop assault, which manages to be both utterly daft and really smart all at once. Watch (re-watch) to avoid spoilers and join us.