With the holiday season officially getting under way, folks are more and more likely to soon start digging their favorite holiday-related films out for their yearly watch, if they haven't already. The holiday to receive the movie treatment the most is obviously Christmas, although Thanksgiving and New Year's do have their share of memorable representative entries, too. When it comes to Christmas movies though, there tends to be two main camps: those who prefer traditional uplifting seasonal classics like It's a Wonderful Life, and those who instead opt to revel in less sentimental holiday blockbusters like Die Hard.
One of the more beloved entries in that second category of Christmas films is 1984's Gremlins. Directed by Joe Dante (The Howling), Gremlins introduced the world to both the mogwai creatures - in the form of the adorable Gizmo - and the murderous titular monsters that they spawn when exposed to water and then fed after midnight. A huge success, Gremlins inspired a sequel in 1990, titled Gremlins II: The New Batch. Also directed by Dante, Gremlins II was much more outwardly satirical of pop culture in general, and while not as popular overall, still has a fairly large cult of fans.
Despite a new Gremlins entry not having materialized in the decades since Gremlins II's release, the franchise remains big business in the merchandising realm, with collectors continuing to snap up new Gremlins-branded products. Next to join the Gremlins merchandise batch is Mondo's vinyl release of the soundtrack for the original film. Mondo is well known for going all out in the aesthetic department, and their Gremlins LP is no exception. As first revealed by EW, the packaging of the soundtrack reacts in different ways when exposed to ultraviolet light or lightly touched with a damp cloth.
[vn_gallery name="Gremlins Vinyl Soundtrack Artwork" id="842430"]
As any fan of the Gremlins films is well aware, sunlight - or just extremely bright light in general - is the inherent biological weakness of both mogwai and their sinister alternate form, and prolonged or direct exposure to it can outright kill them. On the vinyl LP, the gatefold jacket will reveal hidden messages when exposed to UV light. Additionally, the disc sleeves are water sensitive, and when lightly dampened, will reveal further artwork not visible to start with. In essence, the wet Gremlins artwork is spawning more artwork, much like the mogwai themselves.
While it seems logical to assume that the Gremlins franchise will inevitably be continued - in fact, many such follow-ups have been rumored over the years - for now, fans only have the first two movies to curl up with during a chilly winter night. That said, treats like this interactive Mondo vinyl soundtrack release continue to offer new opportunities for fans to expand their Gremlins collections.
The Gremlins vinyl soundtrack LP hits shelves on November 30, 2016.