I Want To Be A Gremlin - BLOG

STRIPE!

I put this as my second favorite movie based on all the memories I have with it.  I grew up on this film about mischievous little creatures that can still manage to scare me if I don’t grab a hold of my over active imagination.  I was scared to death of them as a kid yet I wanted to watch it anyway.  Am I alone on that?  I can’t recall any other movie having this profound effect on me.

                One aspect that stays with me to this day about these violent little gremlins is the dreams I have about them.  The gremlins are rooted deep within me particularly my subconscious.  My entire life up to the present could fill a DVD with footage that is my dreams.  I have had dreams where it was dark in my old neighborhood and the gremlins were loose.  It’s not exactly the same environment as reality but you always know in your own dream where you are.  I’ve had a dream where a plane crashed that led me to an underground facility where somebody was growing genetically enhanced gremlins.  How can you dream something like that?  I remember one dream where they were running around in the vents in the ceiling at my childhood home.  I can see their faces staring out of the vents at me, its spine tingling in a way.  The list goes on but its bits and fragments mostly; every now and then I can recall it with better detail though.

Gizmo & Mohawk

                The frighten factor is another memory that goes back far with me.  As a child I remember being in the living room watching this movie and wanting to go to the bathroom during it.  We would pause it on the VHS which we recorded from HBO, remember when HBO used to play movies, and I would hesitate to leave the couch as my imagination would conjure up a gremlin in the darkened hallway.  I had to psyche myself up and dart to the bathroom and flick on that light as quick as I could.  It sounds very silly but it’s the truth.  The same would be when it was time for bed and I had to run off to my bedroom and dive under the blankets.  I dare not poke my head out from hiding too soon either.  I slowly would lower the blanket and gaze toward the open doorway convincing myself to not see anything.  My imagination was a tough part of my mind to beat when it came to fear.

                Then there are the toys which sadly I have little of.  My most recent years have taken me to Hong Kong, China where I reverted to my childhood as I saw gremlin collectibles in a few shops.  I paid for these somewhat expensive possessions but they keep alive the spirit of admiration I have for them.  Stripe was always my favorite gremlin and I got a sizable collectible of him I HAD to take out of the box!  I broke the rule but in a way seeing that creepy looking gremlin stare me in the eyes connects me back 20 years to a time that fills me with innocent fear.  I have some of the gremlins from the second film but they are secondary to the prize of stripe.  

               I will close on the fact that at the age of 29 my imagination still battles against me whenever it sees an opportunity. After viewing the gremlin collectibles some nights I’ll meander back to my bedroom and climb into bed cautiously peering at the doorway. It’s like I’m vividly expecting to see that toy come creeping around the corner to stare at me. At least that what my therapist thinks.


The labels just below can link you to similar posts about this one so check them out!