Gremlins (1984)

Gremlins poster

Warner Bros.
Starring: Zach Galligan, Phoebe Cates, Polly Holliday
Directed by: Joe Dante

Cat Out of the Bag Alert! This review contains some spoilers for this film!

Synopsis: Billy Peltzer (Zach Galligan) receives a strange gift for Christmas; a lovable creature which abhors light and can’t get wet or fed after midnight without dire consequences.

Cat Cattle Call: One character in the film is the town’s mean woman, real estate agent Mrs. Deagle (Polly Holliday). The woman threatens to do something dire to Zach’s dog. Later at her home she is seen coming down the stairs in an electronic chair holding an orange tabby cat named Drachma. Another cat named Kopeck runs down the stairs past them.

Gremlins - Mrs. Deagle Polly Holliday coming down stairs on electric chair with orange tabby cat Drachma on lap and Kopeck running down stairs

Gremlins - Mrs. Deagle Polly Holliday coming down stairs on electric chair with orange tabby cat Drachma on lap

It’s very obvious that Mrs. Deagle loves both cats and money and has plenty of both, having named her cats after various forms of currency. When they get to the bottom of the stairs Mrs. Deagle sets Drachma down. Drachma protests, meowing.

Gremlins - Mrs. Deagle Polly Holliday taking meowing orange tabby cat Drachma off lap

Gremlins - Mrs. Deagle Polly Holliday setting orange tabby cat Drachma on floor with orange and white cat Old Dollar Bill in foreground

She then walks over to a cat tree and picks up an orange and white cat she calls Old Dollar Bill.

Gremlins - Mrs. Deagle Polly Holliday picking up orange and white cat Old Dollar Bill from cat tree

She takes the cat to a table where at least two other cats are sitting, waiting for food. Old Dollar Bill hisses at a black cat.

Gremlins - Mrs. Deagle Polly Holliday with orange and white cat Old Dollar Bill and other cats on table

Another orange and white cat hisses when it sees one of the gremlins entering the house.

Gremlins - orange and white cat hissing

Mrs. Deagle then hears someone singing outside. Determined to get rid of the carolers, she goes outside with a bucket of water but is shocked to see the gremlins there. She screams and runs inside, locking the door and muttering about how “they’ve come for me.” Some cats can be seen in the background as Mrs. Deagle stumbles to her elevator chair and then meets her timely end.

Gremlins - cats in background behind Mrs. Deagle as she stumbles to chair