In the 14th century, the despot of Milan ordered all households struck with plague to be sealed shut, with all inhabitants, sick or healthy, inside. This is reminiscent of the original ending of Gremlins 2: the skyscraper was to be filled with concrete, entombing the Gremlins. But let us read into this a bit deeper: in folklore, the practice of immurement appears as a form of human sacrifice. Victims would be buried alive while laying a foundation in the belief it made the building sturdy. The Gremlins serve this function for Clamp Center.

I know this is a betrayal of the Institute's core mission, but I would like to take a moment to engage in some Gremlins 1 studies. In particular, the way in which the Gremlins seem to be xenophobic caricatures while simultaneously being avatars for consumer products. Many have written about how Gremlins taps into a certain suburban paranoia (similar to some of Dante's other works), a fear of the outsider. Billy's neighbor comments that Gremlins are being put in machinery by foreigners as an act of sabotage.

I have some thoughts on Gremlins 2, demonology, Oedipal robots, the Chthulucene, Jay-Z’s wardrobe, Hobbes’ Leviathan, commodity fetishism, the Leather Daddy Gremlin, Key and Peele, feedback loops, John Carpenter, Toy Story, and Hyper-Gremlinization. (1/51) Yes I am being 100% serious, as always. We will begin by examining the idea of the Gremlin, the foundation of all worthwhile Gremlins 2 Studies. (2/51)