| abstract
| - Randall Peltzer is an inventor of very modest abilities and questionable success. From the fictional community of a New York state called Kingston Falls, he travels to Chinatown in New York City to sell his inventions and pick up a present for his son, Billy Peltzer. A young Chinese boy there takes Randall to his grandfather's small shop, where Randall takes interest in a small cute furry creature called a mogwai. Mr. Wing, the Chinese boy's grandfather and owner of the shop, refuses to sell the mogwai, even when Randall offers $200 for it. This is money that the Wing family desperately needs, however. Therefore, Wing's grandson secretly sells the mogwai to Randall. Though the creature seems innocent enough, the grandson then warns Randall that he must not let the mogwai near bright light, especially sunlight, which can kill the mogwai; must not allow water to touch the mogwai; and, most importantly, must never, ever feed it after midnight. Randall names the creature Gizmo and brings him home to his son Billy. Billy has taken up a job at the bank to provide money for his parents, with whom he lives. He has a dog called Barney whose mischief makes him and Billy the targets of harassment by Ruby Deagle, an elderly woman wielding much financial influence. Billy's coworker and love interest Kate Beringer, a local bartender, sees directly the misery in the town caused by Mrs. Deagle's business practices. Billy is very fascinated with Gizmo, who is highly intelligent, can hum a tune, and proves to be a very gentle and a well-behaved creature. Unfortunately, Billy's friend, Pete Fountaine, accidentally spills water from a paintbrush jar over Gizmo. This causes Gizmo to go into convulsions and instantly multiply, spawning five new mogwai by a process that appears painful to him. These new mogwai are just like Gizmo. They are led by the mogwai Billy calls Stripe, who has a white mohawk hairstyle. Billy later brings one to Pete's science teacher Roy Hanson, who aggravates the mogwai by sticking a needle in it for a blood test. Ignoring Billy's cautions, Roy leaves food out, which the mogwai promptly steals and eats after midnight. Eventually, the new mogwai trick Billy into feeding them after midnight by stopping his alarm clock. All the creatures, except Gizmo, who refused to accept the food, soon form cocoons around themselves. While Billy is at the bank, the cocoons hatch, and the mogwai emerge, having transformed into "gremlins". In this form, they possess fangs, claws, red eyes, and dark green reptilian skin, and are extremely reckless. Billy travels to the school to talk to Mr. Hanson, only to find him killed by the gremlin at the school. Billy is injured and races to warn his mother, Lynn Peltzer who is now alone with the gremlins, and comes into conflict with them. She manages to kill three of them, one by killing it in a blender, another by stabbing it with a knife and a third by blowing it up inside the microwave. While she is being strangled by a surviving gremlin, Billy arrives and saves her by decapitating it with an ornamental sword. The only remaining gremlin in the house is Stripe, who escapes. Billy follows him to the local YMCA, but the creature escapes once more by jumping into a swimming pool. Realizing what is about to occur, Billy flees, while Stripe multiplies into a multitude of gremlins. Billy then takes Gizmo and his brothers and sisters to the police station, in an effort to warn the townsfolk. The policemen ignore them to investigate a series of bizarre accidents, which Billy insists are the work of the gremlins. Meanwhile, Stripe and his gremlin army attack the town, assaulting the population. Billy then rushes to Dorry's Tavern to rescue Kate, who has been bartending that night. The gremlins have taken over the tavern, are behaving in an exceedingly vulgar fashion, and force Kate to serve them. She eventually discovers they are frightened by light when she attempts to light one's cigarette. She then knocks down several through flash photography, and is later reunited with Billy. The two seek shelter in the bank while the gremlins wreak havoc upon Kingston Falls. Notably, the creatures kill Mrs. Deagle by launching her through a window, and nearly kill Billy's neighbors, Murray Futterman and his wife Sheila Futterman, by driving his snowplow through their house. When Billy, Kate, and Gizmo reemerge, they find that the gremlins are gone from the streets and are happily watching Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in a local theater. Billy manages to explode the theater, whereupon all the gremlins burn to death except Stripe, who had left briefly to obtain candy. Billy pursues Stripe through a department store, but Stripe escapes again and again and he finally reaches a water fountain, hoping to reproduce once again. By this time it is morning, and Gizmo, having escaped with the help of Billy and Kate, opens a window blind and exposes Stripe to sunlight before he can spawn new gremlins. Screeching and groaning in agony, Stripe perishes, slowly melting into a puddle of green ooze. At the end of the film, Mr. Wing returns to collect Gizmo and his brothers and sisters to prevent any recurrence of trouble. After giving back the $200 that Randall paid, Mr. Wing observes that while Western society is not ready to properly care for a mogwai, Billy may one day be so. Randall, in a narration, ends the story warning the audience to take precautions in the case of any machinery failure in their homes - because a gremlin just might be present.
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