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Gremlins poster

Movies that feel likeGremlins (1984)

After receiving an exotic small animal as a Christmas gift, a young man inadvertently breaks three important rules concerning his new pet, which unleashes a horde of malevolently mischievous creatures on a small town.

If you loved Gremlins, the closest films we have are An American Werewolf in London (1981), Evil Dead II (1987) and Fright Night (1985). All three share Gremlins' dread and unsettling feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is Poison for the Fairies (1986).

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If Gremlins hit the spot, these will too

Looking for the series itself? Also in this series: Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990)

An American Werewolf in London poster
An American Werewolf in London
1981 · dir. John Landis
🍅 80%★ 7.5comedy · horror · fantasyPrime Video

Body-horror dread laced with jokes that never let the terror settle

The difference: One man's transformation, not a multiplying horde of little monsters

American tourists David and Jack are savagely attacked by an unidentified animal while hiking on the Yorkshire Moors. After retiring to the home of a beautiful nurse to recuperate, David soon begins experiencing disturbing changes to his body and mind.

Evil Dead II poster
Evil Dead II
1987 · dir. Sam Raimi
🍅 88%★ 7.6horror · comedy · fantasyMax

Splattery, over-the-top horror comedy that never stops winking at you

The difference: A lone cabin siege of demons, not a townful of gremlin chaos

Ash Williams and his girlfriend Linda find a log cabin in the woods with a voice recording from an archeologist who had recorded himself reciting ancient chants from "The Book of the Dead." As they play the recording an evil power is unleashed taking over Linda's body.

Fright Night poster
Fright Night
1985 · dir. Tom Holland
🍅 83%★ 7.1comedy · horror

An 80s neighbor turns out to be something a teenager can't explain

The difference: A vampire-next-door mystery, not a horde unleashed by one mistake

Charley Brewster, a high school student, accidentally discovers the true and creepy nature of Jerry Dandrige, his dashing and enigmatic new neighbor; but no one seems willing to believe him.

Krampus poster
Krampus
2015 · dir. Michael Dougherty
🍅 67%★ 6.2horror · comedy · fantasyPrime VideoPeacock

A holiday gone wrong unleashes creatures that turn festive cheer feral

The difference: A demonic Santa myth, angrier and less mischievous than the gremlins

When his dysfunctional family clashes over the holidays, young Max is disillusioned and turns his back on Christmas. Little does he know, this lack of festive spirit has unleashed the wrath of Krampus: a demonic force of ancient evil intent on punishing non-believers.

Anna and the Apocalypse poster
Anna and the Apocalypse
2018 · dir. John McPhail
🍅 77%★ 6.1horror · comedy · fantasyRent or buy

Christmas curdles into a gleeful, gruesome fight for survival

The difference: A zombie musical, singing through carnage rather than practical-effects mayhem

A zombie apocalypse threatens the sleepy town of Little Haven—at Christmas—forcing Anna and her friends to fight, slash, and sing their way to survival. In a desperate race to reach their loved ones, they soon learn that no one is safe in this new world, and with civilization falling apart around them, the only people they can truly rely on are each other.

Beetlejuice poster
Beetlejuice
1988 · dir. Tim Burton
🍅 83%★ 7.4fantasy · comedyMax

Gleeful, ghoulish chaos breaks loose once the wrong thing gets summoned

The difference: A haunted-house afterlife farce, no rule-breaking pet gone monstrous

A newly dead New England couple seeks help from a deranged demon exorcist to scare an affluent New York family out of their home.

Death Becomes Her poster
Death Becomes Her
1992 · dir. Robert Zemeckis
★ 6.7comedy · fantasy · horrorPrime VideoPeacock

Dark, gleeful comedy where a simple mistake spirals into body-horror chaos

The difference: A rivalry-fueled immortality farce, no monsters loose on a town

Madeline is married to Ernest, who was once her arch-rival Helen's fiancé. After recovering from a mental breakdown, Helen vows to kill Madeline and steal back Ernest. Unfortunately for everyone, the introduction of a magic potion causes things to be a great deal more complicated than a mere murder plot.

The Fearless Vampire Killers poster
The Fearless Vampire Killers
1967 · dir. Roman Polanski
🍅 73%★ 7comedy · horror

Common ground: halloween

The difference: Trades the dream logic of Gremlins for an angle of its own

A noted professor and his dim-witted apprentice fall prey to their inquiring vampires, while on the trail of the ominous damsel in distress.

A Nightmare on Elm Street poster
A Nightmare on Elm Street
1984 · dir. Wes Craven
🍅 93%★ 7.4horrorMax

A small town's teenagers face a nightmare no adult will believe

The difference: A straight slasher with none of Gremlins' mischievous comic relief

Teenagers in a small town are dropping like flies, apparently in the grip of mass hysteria causing their suicides. A cop's daughter, Nancy Thompson, traces the cause to child molester Fred Krueger, who was burned alive by angry parents many years before. Krueger has now come back in the dreams of his killers' children, claiming their lives as his revenge. Nancy and her boyfriend, Glen, must devise a plan to lure the monster out of the realm of nightmares and into the real world...

Extra Ordinary poster
Extra Ordinary
2019 · dir. Mike Ahern
🍅 98%★ 6.4fantasy · comedy · horrorPrime Video

The same mix in both: dream logic, then dread

The difference: Made in the 2010s, in a different era of the craft

A driving instructor must use her other-worldly gifts to save a lonely man’s daughter from a rock star looking to use her for Satanic purposes.

Poison for the Fairies poster
Poison for the Fairies
1986 · dir. Carlos Enrique Taboada
★ 7.2fantasy · horror

Childhood games curdle into something genuinely unsettling and strange

The difference: A slow-burn Mexican psychological tale, no creature-feature mayhem

In 1965 Mexico City, Flavia, a wealthy yet lonely schoolgirl, befriends Veronica, a young orphan girl who has a fascination with witchcraft. Veronica convinces Flavia that she is a real witch and forces her to be her assistant. The children's games gradually become more serious and Veronica demands more from Flavia.

The Lost Boys poster
The Lost Boys
1987 · dir. Joel Schumacher
🍅 75%★ 7.2horror · comedy · thriller

A small town's cozy surface hides something feeding after dark

The difference: Teen vampire gang thriller, sleeker and less cartoonish than gremlins

When an unsuspecting town newcomer is drawn to local blood fiends, the Frog brothers and other unlikely heroes gear up to rescue him.

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The best-reviewed films that share Gremlins’ defining feeling.