Gremlins (1984)

Most people think so. 81% of audiences gave it a thumbs up, by Google's archived audience score. Critics agree, scoring it 78%.

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. Wikipedia ↗

Gremlins is a 1984 American horror comedy directed by Joe Dante, produced by Steven Spielberg. Zach Galligan stars as Billy Peltzer, a teenager in the fictional small town of Kingston Falls who receives a mysterious pet called a Mogwai from his father for Christmas. The cute, furry creature named Gizmo comes with three rules: never expose it to bright light, never get it wet, and never feed it after midnight.

When all three rules are inevitably broken, the result is an army of malicious, gleefully destructive reptilian creatures called Gremlins that overrun the town in a wave of anarchic destruction and dark comedy. Gremlins, alongside Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, was directly responsible for the creation of the PG-13 rating, as parents complained the film's violence was too intense for its PG-rated marketing to children. Joe Dante balanced genuine horror — the Gremlins were frightening, with scenes involving microwave ovens and blenders that pushed taste boundaries — with cartoon-like slapstick, creating a tone that was unique in 1980s cinema.

Chris Walas's practical puppet effects brought the Gremlins to charismatic, menacing life.